Ingrao, Charles W. The Hessian Military State: Ideas, Institutions, and Reforms Under Frederick II, 1760-1785, (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1987.)
Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina during the American Revolution, (Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1999.)
Smith, Clifford Neal. German Mercenaries Expatriates in the United States and Canada, 3 Volumes in 1, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006.)
(Bibliographical Note: the second cited source above is a compilation of three distinct, separate, monographs that have been combined into this single publication. Each of these monographs has been previously published independent of the other two monographs. The titles of these three monographs are as follows:
"German-American Genealogical Research Monograph Number 1: Brunswick Deserter-Immigrants of the American Revolution", (publ. dates: 1973-1997.)
"German-American Genealogical Research Monograph Number 2: Mercenaries from Ansbach and Bayreuth, Germany Who Remained in America after the Revolution", (publ. dates: 1974, 1979.)
"German-American Genealogical Research Monograph Number 5: Mercenaries from Hessen-Hanau Who Remained in Canada and the United States after the American Revolution", (publ. date: 1976.)
Each of these separate monographs has an index that follows the monograph in the overall work. Yet, these separate indices are located at the end of their respective monograph with no matching table of contents at the beginning of the work to indicate where these indices can be found. In other words, the pagination of each of the monographs has not been changed to reflect that specific monographs position in the overall work. These indices are crucial to this specific post because these parts of each monograph are made up of the individual names of the men cited within the monograph and contain pertinent information on each these men. Thus, the writer of this blog will spend time searching these indices and recording all relevant information as it pertains to these men.)
The bulk of this post will pertain to additional information that has been gleaned from the second bibliographical source cited above and authored by Clifford Neal Smith. The only information provided by Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, section entitled "Appendix: Roster of the Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", pages 135-170, is whatever is recorded there - usually their first and last names, their associated German regiment, and their rank. But, as is usual with new sources of reference being located, new information is introduced making these men a little more "real" to those of us who observe their 18th century lives through the lenses of our 21st century perspective.
The men addressed in this post were all members of the second, brief cruise of the frigate South Carolina. Unless otherwise stated, they were all former prisoners-of-war that had been captured at the surrender of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga on October 19, 1777. These men had known and long and bleak five years in American incarceration. Mostly, they signed on as marines for the patriot frigate. The recruiting of sailors had gone as well as could be expected and, according to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 87, "...by November [1782] the South Carolina had well over three hundred sailors.". But, the very real issue of recruiting marines was still in question as the date of departure of the patriot frigate drew nearer. According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, pages 87-89, the rather lengthy passage cited below immediately follows the above single sentence quotation concerning sailors and directly addresses the situation of marines on board the frigate South Carolina:
"Marines, however, were a different and more controversial story. They were absolutely necessary. Marines separated fighting ships from corsairs and those authorized by letters of marque. They not only manned prizes but also enforced discipline upon unruly sailors. At several key points in the earlier voyage of the frigate, marines from the Legion of Luxembourg had made the difference between keeping control and losing it to mutinous hands. While it was possible to train these men on the job in the same fashion that sailors were to be, it was preferable to find a complete unit to serve aboard ship, or at least individuals with soldiering in their backgrounds. The Commodore sought these skilled veterans in the prisoner-of-war camps that dotted the countryside in Pennsylvania, particularly those holding German-speaking soldiers.
Ever since the 1777 capture of Burgoyne's army at Saratoga, there had been thousands of enemy soldiers in camps throughout the colonies, mostly in the central and northern colonies.Captured officers were usually paroled or exchanged over time, but the same was not true for non-commissioned officers and private soldiers.Since the hard-pressed Confederation frequently fobbed off the burden of running these camps upon unprepared and reluctant local authorities - an eighteenth-century example of decentralization of unwanted responsibilities - these camps were poorly run and improperly supplied. Provincial authorities, no more affluent than the central government, passed on their financial troubles to the prisoners themselves, frequently charging for food, shelter, and everything else imaginable. Except where local residents took pity upon these captives and assisted them directly, complaints to the jailers usually did not help. The only option many of these POWs had was to hire themselves out to local farmers and artisans, who were anxious for their labor. In that way they were able to leave camp, often daily, sometimes permanently, and when forced to return had money to maintain some level of sustenance for themselves and others who were unable or unwilling to help the enemy by hiring out.
The one skill that all of these prisoners had in common was soldiering, and the Confederation made a big push to recruit them, particularly the Germans, for its armies. Assuming too simplistically that these men fought only for money, and not patriotism or ideology, government representatives offered these prisoners such incentives as freedom, signing bonuses, free land, and retention of rank to join the armies of General Washington against their former comrades. Many did, but an amazing number, given the conditions and length of their incarceration, did not.One perceptive prisoner noted that his treatment always got worse just before an attempt by the Americans to recruit him for military service.
The Commodore's focus upon German soldiers was thus part of a larger American interest in these men as possible recruits. Of course, Gillon had some prior experience with German soldiers. In Havana, he had signed on several prisoners from the Waldeck regiment, who had been captured at Pensacola and had lured a handful of men from the Spanish regiment of Flanders stationed in Cuba. Moreover, he had been one of the founders of the Charleston German Fusiliers at the beginning of the war. Most likely, it was the timing of his arrival in Philadelphia that turned him towards the Hessians as a source of marines. Congress had just approved, in July 1782, an oath to administer to German prisoners, which encouraged them to pursue useful lives for the cause of independence - either to work for their keep or to soldier for the Americans. In addition, a group of patriot speakers visited the Hessian prisoners during the summer to appeal to them to join the cause. These visitors, fluent in German, were either military officers or men of the cloth. They emphasized to their captive audience that the British crown and Rhine princes no longer cared for their prisoners in America, citing the length of their incarceration since Saratoga. They also pointed out that the royal government was mainly interested in British soldiers and no longer sought exchange German ones. These recruiters warned that the Americans could no longer afford to feed, clothe, and shelter them. Moreover, the prisoners were assured that they would not be breaking a previous oath by enlisting with the enemy nor would their former masters take reprisals against their family members and property back home.
Gillon, Joyner, and a Lieutenant Franks (or Frankis) personally took part in recruiting the Germans. Gillon apparently spoke without a translator and emphasized that he wanted them for only six months, after which they would be free to do what they wished, including returning to their old regiments if they could. Later, these soldiers would insist that loyalists and residents near the camps sympathetic to the crown also encouraged enlistment on the South Carolina, arguing that the ship was being constantly watched and would be captured as soon as it left the Delaware. If such were to happen, these men could thus return to their rightful masters much sooner than six months. While there were good reasons to doubt the veracity of this last claim or whether not, if true, it influenced anyone's decision, the Commodore signed on some fifty German prisoners to serve as marines aboard the South Carolina.
These new marines came primarily from two German regiments, that of Erbprinz (thirty) and von Riedesel (fourteen). Lieutenant Colonel de Menge's battalion of Grenadiers and the regiment von Specht provided most of the others. As might be expected, they were young; two and a half dozen were aged thirty or less. The oldest was sixty-six, and three were in their forties. Since they had been captives for so long, there were no longer any teenagers among them, but apparently a large number of teenagers had been added to their regiments' musters just before departure for the New World. Two of the new South Carolina marines had served thirty-two and forty-eight years respectively in the army. In some ways there was more cohesion among these soldiers, from the bond of incarceration for five years, than had existed among the Luxembourg marines, who had been pulled together just before boarding the ship. While the ship's officers had good cause to comment about the low quality of sailors acquired in Philadelphia, there were no complaints about the conduct, quality, or professionalism of these German marines.".
These words of Dr. James A. Lewis are an excellent summation of the conditions and circumstances of the fifty-some-odd German auxiliary troops that signed on the frigate South Carolina in the summer and early fall of 1782. Most probably, these men had suffered more and endured more than any other man or group of men on board the patriot frigate, most certainly as her officers prepared her for a second foray to sea. With that said, the writer of this blog will begin to focus on new information that has been located concerning these individual soldiers and recording that information in this post. This information will consist of a compilation of information from both of the sources cited in the brief bibliography of this specific post, Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, and Smith's work, German Mercenary Expatriates. For each German soldier cited in this post, the pertinent information will be cited in paragraph form in order for the total sum of the information to be presented in a coherent manner. This personal information is as follows:
Borner, Caspar -
(variant spelling of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 138, are Boerner and Birner.) Lewis's work, page 138, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Mongraph No. 5, page 62, cites him as "Beorner (Borner), ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, the birthplace of Caspar Borner was Niederzell.
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Cress, Henrich -
(variant spelling of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 143, is Cresz.) Lewis's work, page 143, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smiths work, page 61, cites him as "Cress, Henrich" and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 17, the birthplace of Henrich Cress was Wallrod.
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Goebell or Geobel, Paul -
(variant spellings of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 149, are Goebel, Gobel, Gebel, or Geobile. The first last name given above is the last name as given in Lewis's work and the second last name given above is the last name as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 149, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, the birthplace of Paul Goebell was Rodenbach.
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Hentzel, Henrich -
Lewis's work cites him as a "German marine, a member of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as "Hentzel, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "..entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 67, the birthplace of Henrich Hentzel was Rodheim.
(Note: Henrich Hentzel is one of two individual Hesse-Hanauers who are not cited in Lewis's work as being a "private" or "musketier". This may be a slight oversight on Dr. Lewis's part or possibly a deliberate citation. According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 20, Henrich Hentzel is also cited as being a "fourier" which is a skilled individual who cares for and shoes horses. There is a single citation, page 78 of the same monograph, where he is cited as being a sergeant from Rodheim, 43 years of age, and with five years of military experience. But, this citation places him in a different company from all the other citations - Captain von Scheoll's Company. It is completely feasible that he was indeed a trained, skilled fourier but, also of the private rank and assigned to Captain von Scheoll's Company.)
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Hentzler or Hensler, Adam -
(variant spellings of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 150, are Hensler or Henzler.) Lewis's work, page 150, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 59, cites him as "Hentzler, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Lieutenant Colonel Prince Freidrich's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 16, the birthplace of Adam Hensler was Schluchtern.
(Note: while Lewis's work utilizes "Hentzler" as the proper spelling this individual's last name, Smith's work utilizes both the spelling of "Hentzler" as well as "Hensler". These could be two separate individuals but, the first name of "Adam" is fairly rare enough in these documented citations that the writer of this blog feels that these may be the same man with two different spellings of his last name. This is not an unknown occurrence in the 18th century for a man's name to be spelled two different ways within a single document.)
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Holtzemer or Holtzemar, Jonas -
(variant spellings of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 151, are Holtzheimer, Holzemer, and Haltzheimer. The first last name cited above is the spelling as given in Lewis's work and the second last name cited above is the spelling as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 151, cites him as "German marine, private in the Regiment Erbprinz". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Holtzemar, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.".
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Horn, Nicholaus -
Lewis's work page 151, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Horn, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 19, the birthplace of Nicholaus Horn was Nauheim.
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Huffner or Hufner, Henrich -
(variant spellings of last name, according to Lewis's work, page 151, are Huffener, Hoeffener, or Hoeffiner. The first last name cited above is the spelling as given in Lewis's work and the second last name cited above is the spelling as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 151, cites him as "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No 5, page 58, cites him as "Hufner, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 37, the birthplace of Henrich Hufner may have been Hintersteinau.
(Note: Lewis's work, page 151, cites this man's first name as being "Michael". No "Michael Hufner" appears in Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, only a "Henrich Hufner". His first and middle names could easily have been Michael Henrich" or "Henrich Michael". Also, his possible birthplace of "Hintersteinau" may well indicate that he was born in "the environs of Steinau" (somewhere in the countryside around the town) rather than the town of Steinau itself. The town of Steinau was the birthplace of a few other members of the Infantry Regiment Erbprinz.)
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Jost, Johannes -
Lewis's work, page 152 cites him as simply "Marine?". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Jost, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". Again, in Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 76, he is cited as having "...entered service [with American forces]." According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, pages 17 and 71, the birthplace of Johannes Jost was Cleestadt.
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Kitz, Caspar -
Lewis's work, page 153, cites him as a "German marine, private in the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 59, cites him as "Kitz?, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private in Lieutenant Colonel Prince Friedrich's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". Accoridng to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 15, the birthplace of Caspar Kitz was Nieder-Eschbach.
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Klinckerfus, George [Gottlieb] -
(variant spellings of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 153, are Klinkerfus, or Klinakufus.) Lewis's work, page 153, cites him as a "German marine, private in the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Klinckerfus, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782. According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 17, the birthplace of George Gottlieb Klinckerfus was Nauheim.
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Lohmuller, Nicolaus -
(a variant spelling of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 155, is Lomoeller.) Lewis's work page 155, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Lohmuller, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 17, the birthplace of Nicolaus Lohmuller was Steinau.
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Lohra, Johann Georg -
(variant spelling of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 155, is Lora.) Lewis's work, page 155, cites him as a "German marine, gunner". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 63, cites him as a private/matross of the Artillery Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 5, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 32, the birthplace of Johann Georg Lohra was Hanau.
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Lotz, Georg -
(variant spellings of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 155, are Lobz and Lutz.) Lewis's work, page 155, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Lotz, Georg" and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No.5, page 17, the birthplace of Georg Lotz was Ostheim.
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Manckel, Johann -
(variant spelling of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 156, is Mantel.) Lewis's work, page 156 cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 59 as "Manckel, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Lieutenant Colonel Prince Freidrich's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 15, the birthplace of Johann Manckel was Wachenbuchen.
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Mertz, Heinrich -
Lewis's work, page 157, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as "Mertz, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782. According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, pages 14, the birthplace of Heinrich Mertz was Eichen.
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Muller, Christian -
Lewis's work, page 159, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5,
page 59, cites him as "Muller, Christian" and that he was a private of Lieutenant Colonel Prince Friedrich's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 15, the birthplace of Christian Muller was Nauheim.
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Muller, Conrad -
Lewis's work, page 159, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Muller, Conrad" and that he was a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and was brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 18, the birthplace of Conrad Muller was Steinau.
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Muller, Henrich -
Lewis's work page 159, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, cites him as a private of Captain Scheel's (Scheoll's) Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, the birthplace of Henrich Muller was Ginnheim.
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Muller, Phillip -
Lewis's work, page 159, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and was brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No.5, page 19, the birthplace of Phillip Muller was Steinau.
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Muller, Wilhelm,
Lewis's work, page 159, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Erbprinz Regiment.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as a private in Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 16, the birthplace of Wilhelm Muller was Babenhausen.
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Petry or Pettry, Thomas -
(variant spelling of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 161, is Petri. The first last name cited above is the spelling given in Lewis's work and the second last name cited above is the spelling as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 161, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Pettry, ---, Junior" (no first name given) and that he was a private in Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought into [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.".
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Schilling, Henrich, Senior -
Lewis's work page 165, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Schilling, ---, Senior" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz.". The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 19, the birthplace of Henrich Schilling, Senior was either Steinau or Dorheim.
(Note: Lewis's work, pages 164 and 165 offer two other citations that may indeed be the same individual as cited above. These citations of the names and positions are as follows:
Schellig or Schillig, Henrich Marine?
Shilling or Shelling, Henry or Henrich no "position" given
These last two names given are listed separately in the section entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", pages 135-170, and may be the same individual as cited above.)
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Schott, Carl -
(variant spellings of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 165, are Schotte or Shot?) Lewis's work page 165, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Schott, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private in Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.".
(Note: Lewis's work, page 165 offers one other citation that may indeed be the same individual as cited above. This citation of the name and position are as follows:
Shot or Schotte, Charles no "position" given
This last name cited is listed separately in the section entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina" pages 135-170, and may be the same individual as cited above.)
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Seiler, Johann -
(variant spelling of the last name, according to Lewis's work, page 165, is Seyler.) Lewis's work, page 165, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as "Seiler, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No.5, page 14, the birthplace of Johann Seiler was Eydengesas or Eidengesass.
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Sohl, Friedrich-
(variant spellings of the last name, according to Lewis's work page 166, are Sol and Lol.) Lewis's work page 166, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 58, cites him as "Sohl, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Colonel Lentz's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The citation associated with his name is "...took service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782, and brought in [recaptured?] to New York, December 24, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 19, the birthplace of Friedrich Sohl was Hanau.
(Note: Lewis's work, page 166, cites this man's first name as being "Wilhelm". No "Wilhelm Sohl" appears in Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, only a "Friedrich Sohl". His first and middle names could easily have been "Friedrich Wilhelm" or "Wilhelm Friedrich".)
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Sterleper or Sterlepp, Philip -
(variant spellings of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 166, are Sterlepper, Stehlepper, or Stahlepper. The first last name cited above is the spelling as given in Lewis's work and the second last name cited above is the spelling as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 166, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Sterlepp, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private in Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 17, the birthplace of Philip Sterlepp[er] was Eckenheim.
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Treutter or Treiter, Henrich -
(variant spellings of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 168 are Treiter, or Dreyter. The first last name given above is the spelling as given in Lewis's work and the second last name given above is the spelling as given in Smith's work.) Lewis's work, page 168, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as a private in Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, the birthplace of Henrich Treiter was Ostheim.
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Unger, Johann Nicolaus -
(variant spelling of his last name, according to Lewis's work page 168, is Ungar). Lewis's work, page 168, cites him as a "German marine, member of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 62, cites him as "Unger, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard an American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 24, Johann Nicolaus Unger is cited as being a Private, 1st Class and his birthplace was Ostheim.
(Note: Johan Nicholaus Unger is the second Hesse-Hanauer who is cited as being a member of the Regiment Erbprinz instead of a "private" or "musketier". This may be due to the citation in Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 24 in which he is cited as being a "...Private, 1st Class...". There is no other distinction such as this one in Smith's work nor in Lewis's work.)
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Vetter, Caspar -
(variant spellings of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 169, might be Voerter or Foeder). Lewis's work, page 169, cites him as "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 61, cites him as "Foerter? ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Major von Germann's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard America warship, October 16, 1782.".
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Zipf, Johann Adam -
(variant spelling of his last name, according to Lewis's work, page 170 is Zip). Lewis's work page 170, cites him as a "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz.". Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 63, cites him as "Zipf?, ---" (no first name given) and that he was a private of Captain von Scheoll's Company, 1st Battalion, Infantry Regiment Erbprinz. The notation associated with his name is "...entered service aboard American warship, October 16, 1782.". According to Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, page 13, the birthplace of Johann Adam Zipf is Schluchtern.
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Even though the entry for some of these marines has been brief, these individual men have been made a "...bit more real..." to us so many years after the close of their natural lives. The writer of this overall blog had known about these men a few years ago, but, never knew this kind of information existed concerning them. Before this specific post, these men were quite literally not much more than names on a roster of the frigate South Carolina. But, now with the discovery of this new trove of information, Smith's work, Monograph No. 5, Mercenaries from Hesse-Hanau Who Remained in Canada and the United States After the American Revolution, so much more of them has become known to the readership of this blog. In many cases, we finally know their full names. We have also now become aware of their military company affiliations, the circumstances under which they "deserted" their prisoner-of-war status, and, even, their birthplaces in Germany. All of this has made them "...a bit more real..." to those of us of almost two hundred and fifty years later.
There are several distinct features or similarities that appear when the information is gathered together in the manner that is is here. First among these, is the exact number of men from the Infantry Regiment Erbprinz that served on board the frigate South Carolina. Dr. Lewis stated in his work, Neptune's Militia, page 89, the first sentence of the first full paragraph on that specific page, that the Regiment Erbprinz accounted for thirty of the total men who enlisted on board the patriot frigate. There were only fifty some-odd German marines who signed on with the patriots, so the Regiment Erbprinz accounted for the majority of those who signed on the frigate South Carolina. In his work, Neptune's Militia, page 89, Dr. Lewis cites thirty men as being members of the Regiment Erbprinz. A close examination of the information recorded above indicates that thirty-one men were enlisted from the Regiment Erbprinz. Giving Dr. Lewis the benefit of the doubt, two of these men were not cited in his section entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina', pages 135-170, as being members of the Regiment Erbprinz - Johannes Jost and Johan Georg Lohra. Johannes Jost is cited as being "Marine?" and Johan Georg Lohra is cited as being "German marine, gunner". All of the other twenty-nine men are cited as being "German marine, private of the Regiment Erbprinz". Thus, Dr. Lewis is completely correct in stating that the majority of the former Hesse-Hanau troops who enlisted as marines on board the frigate South Carolina came from the Regiment Erbprinz.
Second, all of these men are cited as being a musketier or private soldier. There are no corporals, sergeants, or commissioned officers among these men. This may well be for a purpose. A group of captured soldiers would have been sorted initially by their captors. Commissioned officers, in the 18th century mode of operation, would have been seen as "gentlemen" and placed on parole, awaiting exchange back to their former armed forces. Sergeants and probably corporals would have also been separated from their enlisted personnel for a purpose we see operating here - it would be easier for a foreign recruiting element to convince disaffected privates to enlist in their forces if there are no NCOs present to attempt to deter them from doing so. These men may not have lived separately from their NCOs but, there might also have been efforts on the parts of the captors to make sure that none of those NCOs were present when the lower ranks were addressed by foreign recruiters. In previous posts concerning the 3rd Waldeck Regiment, we have seen Spanish efforts at recruiting were by and large successful in attracting German recruits into the Spanish forces. So, if an American naval officer, speaking their native language fluently, addressed these men and provided them with a series of options after their service on board the frigate South Carolina was over, including either settling here in America or returning to their former regiments, if they were able to do so, this may have operated powerfully on these men of the lower ranks.
Third, these thirty-one men seem to be drawn from certain companies within the Infantry Regiment Erprinz. This may be a fluke of history or, possibly, these were prisoner-of-war companies that were known by their American captors to have a higher proportion of disaffected individuals in them and would therefore be possibly more receptive to appeals for recruitment by American recruiters. Of the thirty-one men, fully ten of them (almost one-third) came from Captain von Scheoll's Company. Nine more of them came from Major von Germann's Company. Seven more came from Colonel Lentz's Company. Four came from Lieutenant Colonel Prince Freidrich's Company and a single man came from the Artillery Company. There were surely more than these five companies within the Infantry Regiment Erbprinz in that the entire regiment was captured at Saratoga in October 1777. These were enlisted men of the lower ranks. They had been captives for over five years. As cited above in Dr. Lewis's quote, Commodore Gillon played on these men's fears that their princes in Europe had forgotten about them and cared no longer about them or their situation. Also, others who spoke German, in particular German pastors and clergymen, visited them and tried their hand at turning them to the service of the rebels. If these men were known by their captors to be disgruntled and disaffected already, then these words would have fallen on the fertile soil of attentive ears.
Fourth, an examination of the birthplaces of these thirty-one men reveals that the vast majority of these men were from the rural areas of their German principality of Hesse-Hanau. A few of these men were from larger villages within rural Hesse-Cassel such as Steinau and Hanau but, most of them were from smaller villages that surrounded these specific towns. These men would have almost certainly been farmers or agricultural workers, who were frequently targeted by military press gangs as potential recruits for the regiments of their Hesse-Hanau prince, Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Cassel. The appearance of a press gang in the countryside areas could strike a familiar fear in the hearts of the country Hessians with their young rural men attempting to make themselves as unobtrusive and invisible as possible until they had passed through their area or region. Yet, once in the grasp of an armed and determined press gang, they must have resigned themselves to their fate and served their landgrave as soldiers to be sent at his biding wherever they might be sent to serve.
Yet, the men of Hesse-Cassel who were sent to fight in the American Revolution were not a faceless set of automatons sent willy-nilly by an unfeeling prince to do his capricious will in a far and distant land. There was some native element present in the Hessian men that is more rarely seen among the other German states that sent auxiliary troops to enter the distant American contest of arms. According to Ingrao, The Hessian Military State, page 153:
"The Hessian regime never expected that the war would be so long or so unsuccessful. In most other respects, however, it fulfilled the regime's more sanguine expectations. The Hessians were far from the reluctant warriors pictured in American historiography. There is, in fact, little dispute that they fought better than any other auxiliary force - and probably better than the British themselves - exhibiting the discipline and loyalty to their sovereign that were characteristic of Hessian society as a whole. They were unquestionably better prepared mentally and militarily to confront the rebels than other auxiliary corps. Unlike the Ansbachers, only half of whom were natives, or the Brunswickers, who counted only 600 natives among their 4,000-man contingent, the original 12,000 Hessian troops dispatched to America were a largely homogeneous force that prided themselves in being Landeskinder.".
These fighting men, who had performed so admirably during the difficult and strenuous course of the American Revolution, had a fierce attachment to the land of their birth. But, at some point in the extended fighting, these same men must have somehow transferred their attachment from their birthplace to a new attachment to "their place" at that specific moment and locality in time. "Their place" was here, in America, where they must have sensed they could make a new life for themselves. So, they chose to stay and become, ultimately, Americans by choice - a new type of Landeskinderen - children of the land.