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My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

About Those Hessians: Realities of the Revolution

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

Bruce Carlson

News, Politics, History

4.51.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 December 2021

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It's easy to forget that Hessians were people too, with the way they are discussed in history. A bit about the German "mercenaries" for the British Side in the Revolution in this episode. We discuss their true purpose and story, the impact on the Revolution and American motives. How some Hessians switched sides, or just settled down in the country they were assigned to conquer. And we tell one Hessian's story, found in his diary by German relatives. Since Hessians figure prominently in the Battle of Trenton, a special treat: Bob Crawford and Ben Sawyer make a brief appearance on the show. Their podcast Road to Now is a favorite of My History Can Beat Up Your Politics. Check 'em out at Road to Now (www.roadtonow.com). And Road to Now Theology - https://www.theroadtonow.com/theology/ We are part of Airwave Media Network. To advertise on this podcast, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello all, Eric Rivenus with the most notorious podcast here. Each week I

0:05.4

interview an author or historian about a historical true crime tragedy or

0:10.2

disaster. Subject matter ranges from gunslingers to

0:14.3

gilded-age murder to gangsters to fires to pirates to wild prison breaks. My

0:20.1

guests bring their incredible knowledge directly to you. Please subscribe to

0:24.7

Most Notorious on your favorite podcast app. Cheers and have a safe tomorrow.

0:36.0

During the Revolutionary War from Quebec to Florida from New York to Yorktown

0:41.7

from 1776 to 1781, Americans fought not only the British Red Cotes but also

0:50.1

German allies, commonly referred to as Hessians. It was a part of the deal

0:58.4

between certain city-states in Germany. Germany was not yet unified during our

1:03.7

Revolutionary War and the British army. It was not a unique deal. Indeed,

1:09.1

Hess Castle, which was the principal German city-state where troops originated

1:15.8

was the Premier Renton Army power in Europe. It was a fairly small land-gravity or

1:23.9

principality. The population about 275,000 people. Now, normally from a population of 275,000 people,

1:35.5

you wouldn't be able to produce an army that's that large you might be looking at,

1:42.8

you know, an army of a real military fighting force of, you know, 20 to 40,000. That's

1:49.2

an emergency situation, you know. But things in Hess Castle were a little bit different.

1:54.8

Because there were little me little sources of income, just some farming, really not much

2:01.4

above the substance level and the taxation that could be developed from those farms,

2:07.5

Hess Castle looked to a new industry. It rented out its men and it also from the prince on

2:14.0

down trained its men, drilled its men, sometimes on a daily basis in the art of fighting.

2:20.7

It became a major source of income. Britain had used the tropes from Hess Castle in several

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