The Hessians
Who are the soldiers? "Important" men did not have to register for military work, but "unimportant" men, such as farmers, had no choice if the government decided to send them to war. Most of the Hessians were really just common men from Germany. They were farmers, merchants, and regular guys. They could be taken from their homes to fight for the country whenever they were needed from the ages of 16-30. The German soldiers did not mind though. They were proud to serve their country and leaders.
War George the 3rd hired the soldiers because he did not have enough to fight by themselves. The German leaders, such as Frederick the 2nd (the leader of Hesse-Cassel), got most of the money that King George the 3rd payed for the Hessians services. The Hessians received very little of that money. The soldiers saw great fortune in America. The settlers saw this and used it to their advantage.
Opinions |
What are Hessians? The Hessians were highly trained German soldiers hired by the British Government to fight for them in the American Revolution. Hessians were commonly "borrowed" by other governments to fight in the front line for them. The place most Hessians came from was a state in Germany called Hesse-Cassel. There were about 30,000 German soldiers hired to fight for Great Britain. German boys started training as soon as they reached the age of 7.
Military Life The soldiers had high morals and were given a good education. The Hessian rules were very strict and punishments were somewhat harsh. The soldiers families did not have to pay certain taxes and were treated well. The soldiers did not mind fighting for their leaders and country. They were very prideful.
Stay in America or Germany The settlers offered to let the Hessians stay in America, if they stopped fighting. The Americans offered the Hessians a home, land, and riches too! They also said they would treat them as citizens and equals. About 5,000 soldiers decided to take them up on that offer and stayed in America. The rest of their fellow soldiers decided to go back to Germany after the war.
|
The Hessians were German soldiers basically sold to other counties to make their leaders rich. Even though they were proud to serve their leaders and country they had to be at least a little upset that they were doing all the work but barely got any of the money. I think that is why so many of them stayed in America instead of going back to Germany. They saw that they could have good and worthy lives in America and saw more fortune for them here to. The Hessians were smart men who's services were sold to Great Britain and wanted to be heroes and provide for their families.
|
Lets Test You!1. Who was the leader of Hesse-Cassel?
A. King George the 3rd B. Frederick the 2nd C. Paul Revere 2. About how many German soldiers did Great Britain hire? A. 10,000 B. 20,000 C. 30,000 |