USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The term “Hessians” refers to the approximately 30, 000 German troops hired by the British to help fight during the American Revolution.

Detailed explanation-2: -General Washington’s Continental Army had crossed the Delaware River to make a surprise attack on the Hessians in the early morning of December 26, 1776.

Detailed explanation-3: -In all, 30, 000 Hessians fought for the British during the Revolutionary War, but they weren’t bloodthirsty “mercenaries” motivated by greed, says Friederike Baer, a history professor at Penn State Abington, and author of Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.

Detailed explanation-4: -Because the majority of soldiers were supplied by the territories of Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Hanau, the label “Hessian” has been used since the 1770s to describe all German troops in British service in North America, regardless of place of origin.

Detailed explanation-5: -Among the dozen or more Hessian soldiers who settled here and raised families, are names familiar to us today, such as Abel, Arnold, Barnhouse, Dinges, and possibly Rickard.