Hessians

Between 1776 and 1783, Britain hired an estimated 30,000 German soldiers to fight in its war against the Americans. Collectively known as Hessians, the soldiers and accompanying civilians, including women and children, spent extended periods of time in locations as dispersed and varied as Canada in the North to West Florida and Cuba in the South. This study examines how they experienced and described the war they fought in, the land they traversed, and the people they encountered. Based chiefly on their own writings, including a large body of letters and diaries, the book offers a ground-breaking reimaging of Britain's war against American independence.