Hessian Documents of the American Revolution : 1776 - 1783.

            The Lidgerwood Collection of Hessian transcripts on the American Revolution is the largest collection of translated German documents for the American Revolutionary War.  Mr. William Van Vleck Lidgerwood (1832-1910) assembled the collection and funded the hand copying of the documents from the originals in the archives of Marburg and Wolfenbuttel in Germany between the years 1903 and 1914.  A substantial number of the documents have been translated into English.  Mr. Lidgerwood's niece gave the collection to the Washington Association of New Jersey in 1921 and with the establishment of the Morristown National Historic Park in 1933, the Washington Association presented the collection to the federal government.
 While the term Hessian has been, and still is, used to refer to all German troops who were employed by Great Britain during the American Revolution, the term in its proper sense applies only to the troops sent from Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Hanau. Other German principalities including, Brunswick, Anhalt-Zerbst, Anspach-Bayruth, and Waldeck, contributed troops for service in America, in all around 30,000 men. These soldiers were not mercenaries in the usual sense of the term since they did not offer their services in return for money or booty. They were troops who served under their own officers following an agreement or "treaty" between Great Britain and the rulers of the German principalities. Each German ruler received payment from Britain in return for the services performed by his soldiers.            

            The Lidgerwood Hessian Transcripts provide historians of the revolutionary era in America with a unique resource. The documents contain detailed information on military campaigns, and many battle accounts are considered the most graphic and accurate that have survived. The journals, general orders, official reports, papers, accounts, returns, and correspondence, describe the life and duties of the German troops. The Collection is also valuable for the third party perspective that it gives on strategy, tactics, personalities, military operations, and on many aspects of American life. It should also be noted that several items in the Collection contain correspondence from both British and Loyalist officers.

Detailed Contents:

AA - Journal of the Hessian Corps...under Gen. von Heister, 1776-77 (Part 1)
AA - Account of the North American War...1776-78 (Part 2)
AZ - Transport...1781, and March of the Invalids, 1782-83
B - Reports of the North American War...General von Heister, 1776-77
BZ - Matters Concerning the Garrison Regiment von Wissenbach, 1780-83
C - Journal of Colonel von Donop, 1776
CZ - Reports of Colonel Hatzfeld...1782-83
D - Reports of Grenadier Regiment von Woellwarth...1777-83
DZ - Order Book of the Regiment von Mirbach, 1777-80
E - Journal of the Regiment von Donop, 1776-84
FZ - Journal of General von Heister, 1776-77
G - Correspondence of General von Knyphausen, 1776-Sept. 1779
GG - Correspondence of General von Knyphausen, Oct. 1779-1780 (Part 1)
GG - Correspondence of General von Knyphausen, 1781-83 (Part 2)
GZ - Journal of Major Baurmeister, 1776-83
H - Journal of the First Brigade of the von Heister Corps, 1776-77
HH - Journal of the Infantry Regiment Prince Friedrich, 1776-83
HZ-1 - Correspondence of General Riedesel, 1776-87, B-F
HZ-1 - Correspondence of General Riedesel, 1776-87, G-J (Part 2)
HZ-1 - Correspondence of General Riedesel, 1776-87, L-P (Part 3)
HZ-1 - Correspondence of General Riedesel, 1776-87, R-W (Part 4)
HZ-1 - Correspondence of General Riedesel with Barry St. Leger, 1776-83 (Part 5)
HZ-2 - General Orders...Major General von Riedesel, 1776-83
HZ-3 - Riedesel Papers on Prisoner Exchange, 1777-79
HZ-4 - Order Book of the Hesse-Hanau Feldjaeger corps, 1777-83
HZ-5 - Journal of Brunswick Troops...under Major General von Riedesel, 1776-79
HZ-6 - Sundry Journals of Brunswick Troops, 1776-83 (Part 1)
HZ-6 - Sundry Journals of Brunswick Troops, 1776-83 (Part 2)
HZZ - Brunswick Order Book, 1776-83
K - Journal of the Grenadier Battalion von Minnegerode, 1776-84
KB - Reports of Various Commanders of Hessian Regiments, 1777-83
KZ - Journal of the Grenadier Regiment von Bischhausen, 1776-83
L - Journal of the Hesse-Cassel Feldjaeger Corps, 1777-83
M - Journal of the Regiment von Alt Lossberg, 1776-83
ML - The Affair at Trenton, Dec. 26, 1776
N - Journal of the Grenadier Battalion von Block, 1776-84
O - Journal of the Hesse-Hanau Jaeger Corps, 1777-82
P - Journal of the Fusilier Regiment von Knyphausen, 1776-83
No letter - Order Book of the Hesse-Hanau Regiment, April-Sept. 1777
Q - Reports of the Hesse-Hanau Jaeger Corps, 1777-83
R - Journal of the Grenadier Battalion von Platte, 1776-84
S - Journal of the Regiment von Bose, 1776-83
T - Journal of the Garrison Regiment von Huyn, 1776-83
U - Reports of the Hesse-Hanau Infantry Regiment von Gall, 1776-82
V - Journal of the Leib Infantry Regiment, 1776-84
W - Journal of the Garrison Regiment von Knoblauch, 1776-84
X - Journal of the Leib Infantry Regiment von Wutginau, 1779-84
Y - Troop Depots in Ziegenhain, May-Dec. 1777
Z - Military Reports and Accounts Concerning...the Hessian Corps, 1776-80
Band V - Reports of the ...War under...Gen. von Lossberg, 1782-84
Tom. VI - Journals and Reports of the Campaign in America, 1778-83
Tom. VII - Letters and Reports from Capt. Pausch, Hesse-Hanau Artillery, 1776-83
Tom. VIII - Letters and Reports from Hesse-Hanau Officers, 1776-80
Tom. IX - Journal and Reports of Col. Lenz, 1777-84 (Part I)
Tom. IX - Order Book of General von Gall, 1776-77 (Part 2)
Miscellaneous Documents not previously filmed



            

            A printed Guide accompanies the Collection (call number HIL-MICGDL E268 .M54 1989). The authors, Lion G. Miles and James L. Kochan have provided researchers with a very complete introduction, detailed content description for each title, bibliography and index. The title of each document has been assigned an alphabetical letter designation from AA to Z. This arrangement applies to the Guide and to the manuscripts on microfiche. In the Guide, the descriptive information for each document is presented in five fields. The first field contains the Fiche Header which is followed by the Full Title in English and then in German with parenthesis. The Location of the original manuscripts in German archives, when known, is given in the next field which is followed by the Contents and a detailed Description of the material.