Soldiers for Sale: German "Mercenaries" with the British in Canada during the American Revolution (1776-83)

 

Soldiers for Sale: 

German "Mercenaries" with the British in Canada during the American Revolution (1776-83)

by Jean-Pierre Wilhelmy, Virginia Easley DeMarce, and Marcel Trudel

Overview

A fascinating study that uncovers an important aspect of the history of the American Revolution, this account reveals how the British Army that fought the American Revolutionaries was, in fact, an Anglo-German army. Arguing that the British Crown had doubts about the willingness of English soldiers to fight against other English-speaking people in North America, the book details how the task of providing troops fell upon the princes of German States, who were relatives of England's ruling family. In return for large amounts of money, German princes and barons provided about 30,000 soldiers, many of whom were dragged unwillingly from their families and sent to fight in a war in which they had no interest. While some of the soldiers eventually melted into the French and English-speaking societies of Canada, little history has been available, not even to the descendant families. These soldiers' experiences offer new insight into the battles that took place between 1776 and 1783 and had an impact that spanned four countries.

(Book Review)

“Soldiers for Sale: German “Mercenaries” with the British in. Canada during the American Revolution, 1776-83 ”