as Translated from the German Manuscript in the Lidgerwood Collection in the Morristown Historical Park Archives, Morristown, N.J.
"When England was faced with the necessity of trying to suppress the revolt in the American Colonies in 1775, there were not enough men in the kingdom to fulfill all the English military commitments. Therefore, England turned to the continent of Europe and, following a common practice of the time, engaged organized troop units from a number of minor German states. As a result, probably one third of the soldiers sent to America during the period of the Revolutionary War were German auxiliaries from Ansbach-Bayreuth, Anhalt-Zerbst, Brunswick, Hesse-Cassel, Hesse-Hanau, and Waldeck, the so-called 'Hessians.'
"These men played a major role in every significant military action during the war....The journal and reports written by Captain, later Major, Georg Pausch, commanding the Hesse-Hanau Artillery Company, are among the documents which are absolutely necessary for a comprehensive understanding of what our enemies faced when they marched with General John Burgoyne in 1777."
This volume contains Pausch's fascinating journal and war reports, in translation. Details of everyday life, relations with local inhabitants, equipment, uniforms, food supplies, finances, construction of fortifications and logistical problems are all described in these pages. In addition to recounting military campaigns and engagements, Pausch's journal reveals the hardships and risks of the ocean crossing (a trip which commonly took over a month, and often ended in disaster without reaching land). An every name index simplifies locating individuals, and the introduction includes a roster of the Hesse-Hanau Artillery company. The Pausch journal has become a standard reference for anyone seriously studying the American Revolutionary War. This new translation contains additional material, the official correspondence in which Pausch submitted reports to his prince throughout the war until his return to Hanau, previously unavailable in English. For this reason, and because there are no other known accounts by any of the Hessian artillerists, this work sheds valuable light on a pivotal period in our history.
Mr. Burgoyne is a recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Revolution Roundtable of Philadelphia.
Bruce E. Burgoyne
(1996), 2007, 5½x8½, paper, index, 160 pp.
ISBN: 9780788405310
101-B0531
