Letters of Brunswick and Hessian officers during the American Revolution. Translated [from Schloezer's Briefwechsel] by W. L. Stone ... assisted by A. Hund

Front matter

/Ifounsell's Historical Series* IRa 18. SCHLOZER LETTERS OF BRUNSWICK AND HESSIAN OFFICERS DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. TRANSLATED BY WILLIAM L. STONE, Author of " The Life and Times of Sir William fohnson, Bart." "Memoirs of General and Madame Riedesel" " History of New York City" " Life and Writings of Col. William L. Stone" "Sir fohnfohnsotfs Orderly Book?"1 etc.+ etc. (ASSISTED BY AUGUST HUND.) "Far from me and from my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us indifferent and unmoved over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, braver}-, or virtue. That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Ibna." — Dr. fohnson, in his " Tour of the Hebrides" ALBANY, N. Y. : JOEL MUNSELl/S SONS, PUBLISHERS. 1891.

TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE PARKER HANDY, THE EMINENT BANKER, OF NEW YORK CITY, WHOSE PATRIOTIC SERVICES, DURING THE LATE CIVIL WAR, STRENGTHENED THE CREDIT OF THE GOVERNMENT, AND THUS CONTRIBUTED TO PRESERVE THE REPUBLIC WHICH THE BLOOD OF OUR FOREFATHERS HAD ESTABLISHED, tlbis IDolume IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE TRANSLATOR.

Preface

. In 1776, Professor August Ludwig Schlozer, of the Uni versity of Gottingen, established a monthly magazine called " Schlozer's Letter Exchange," having for one of its objects the publication of private letters written by officers to their relatives and friends in Germany, from those portions of the world then engaged in war. This publication was continued through the year 1782, and consequently con tains many letters of the most interesting character from Hessian and Brunswick military men who were serving on the British side during the Revolutionary War; and also one from Baron Steuben on his first arrival in America, giving a detailed account of his reception by the authori ties at Portsmouth, N. H., and later by Washington, the military formation of the American troops, and his successful efforts in disciplining the Continental army.

These letters are from Staunton, Va. (whither a portion of the " Convention Troops " were sent), Philadelphia, Savannah, New-Port, Cambridge, Boston, New York, Brookland (Brook lyn), different parts of New England, and Canada. They V Preface. IV contain much new and valuable information regarding the habits and customs of the inhabitants of the places whence they were written ; minute descriptions of dif ferent personages, such as Gates, Hancock, Carleton, St. Luc, and others ; and also the best account extant of the march of the "Convention Troops" from Saratoga through New-England to Cambridge. The letter from New-England contains a graphic description of the costumes and general appearance of the Continentals and militia,— to which the attention of the reader is especially called, — and a narrative of the Battles of Saratoga by an eye-witness, which is by far the best we have yet had ; also, a very realistic account of the trial of Major Henley and the part taken in it by Burgoyne — the only one written from a German standpoint.

This work was first brought to my notice by Mr. Edward J. Lowell, the author of the " Hessians in the American Revolution." " I do not think," writes Mr. Lowell, " of any printed collection concerning the Revolution which so well deserves to be translated. The correspondent with Bur goyne's army was an observant and lively writer." Through the kindness of Fraulien Agnes Sack, of Brunswick, Germany, I procured a set of the first edition of this rare publication, and now present to the reader, in an English dress, those letters which relate to our Revolution. As I said in my Preface to Pause/is Journal, there are two ways of translating. One is to paraphrase the original ; the other is to give the text literally. The first method admits of an elegant rendering by which the different shades of an author's meaning are often sacrificed to beauty Preface.

V of diction : the second, at the expense of style, aims to give clearly the writer's ideas. This last is the plan I have adopted in this translation, believing that the reader would prefer to know just what the correspondents intended to convey. Among those who have assisted me by their counsel and suggestions, I have particularly to mention and thank Dr. Kingsford, author of the latest history of Canada ; Mr. Fred. C. Wiirtele, Librarian of the Quebec Historical Society ; Mr. J. G. Rosengarten, the author of the "German Soldier in the Wars of the United States;" Professor Carl Meyer, of Rutgers College ; Mr. S. O. Lee, of Huntington, L. I. ; and Mr. Bauman L. Belden, of Elizabeth, N. J. Mr. August Hund, an accomplished scholar and himself a German, has also rendered so much aid in this translation, that I have thought it only just to associate his name with mine on the title-page.

The annotations, of course, are my own. Believing, moreover, that it would afford pleasure to my subscribers, I have given, by way of introduction, a sketch of Schlozer — the materials for which have been gathered from the " Life of August Ludwig Schlozer," written by his eldest son, Christian von Schlozer, and published at Leipsic, in 1828. For the use of this work, which, long out of print, is seldom if ever met with, I am again indebted to the cour tesy of my friend Mr. Edward J. Lowell. William L. Stone. Jersey City Heights, June, 1891. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Sketch of Schlozer, . 9 LETTERS RELATING TO THE CONVENTION TROOPS. Letter from Canada by a German Staff-officer, Nov. 2, 1776 13 Letter relating to the First Campaign of the Brunswickers in Canada, Nov. 3, 1776, ..... 38 Private Letter from Canada, Mch. 9 — Apr. 20, 1777, . 58 Letter from Castle-Town, July 27, 1777, ... 84 Letter from the Camp at Duer's House, by a Native of Brunswick serving in Burgoyne's Army, dated at Fort Edward, Aug. 7, 1777, 96 Private Letter from New England, Nov. 15, 1777 — Oct. 10; 1778, dated at Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 15, 1777, 106 Letter from a General Officer in the Barracks near Boston, Feb. 5, 1778, . 172 Letters from a Brunswick Officer, dated at the Camp near Boston in New England, Oct. 10, 1778, . . . 174 Letter from Staunton, Va., June 1, 1779, . . . 178 MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS RELATING TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Letter from a Hessian Chaplain, Brookland, near New York, Sept. 7, 1776, 185 Table of Contents. X PAGE Description of New York, Long and Staten Islands, in 1776, 188 Letter from Rhode Island, Jan 24, 1777, . . . 203 Letter from a Field Chaplain, New York Island, Dec. 7, 1777, 2I2 Description of the Country around Philadelphia in 1778, Jan. 18, 1778, 214 Letter from Philadelphia, May 7, 1778, . . . 221 Description of Philadelphia, its People etc., June 2, 1778 224 Letter from Rhode Island, Sept. 8, 1778, . . . 228 Letter from Savannah, Jan, 16, 1779, .... 23a Letter from Maj. -Gen. Baron Steuben, to Privy Councillor Baron de Frank, in Hechingen. In Camp at New Winsor on the North River, July 4, 1779, • 239