Posted on 05/22/2003 5:34:16 AM PDT by SAMWolf
Last night was such a roller coaster ride, I'm planning on staying on the upswing tonight!
One more then work break is over for awhile. :)
Clic on the Pic
I believe General Greene was #2 - right behind General George Washington. If Greene and his troops were wiped out in Carolina, Cornwallis would have continued his advance to the north. The battle eventually led to the cementing of our national sovereignty. Otherwise, we might all be drinking afternoon tea while swearing allegiance to the Queen...
C'mon out of the tank and look at this little video about Greene and Guilford Courthouse.
THE HESSIANS
During the American Revolution, Germany was divided into over 300 principalities. Many of these tiny countries supplied soldiers to the British army in its fight against America, but by far the largest group came from Hesse-Cassel. As a consequence, during the war and ever since, all of the Germans fighting with the British were lumped together and called Hessians.
The Hessians' services were bought and paid for by George III, who simply did not have enough soldiers in his own army to supply the needs of his commanders in America. German soldiers had served many European nations in a similar fashion for years, but they were not true mercenaries. Most of the Hessians received no compensation for their services beyond their daily bread. It was the Prince of Hesse-Cassel, Frederick II, who made off like a bandit in his dealings with George III. He sold the services of 12,000 Hessians to the English at [sterling]7 4s. a head.
In total, nearly 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British in North America. Once there, they discovered a thriving German-American community of almost 200,000 people. For many Hessians, the possibilities in this rich, new land with its growing German population was a great enticement to desertion---a fact that Americans worked hard to promote with promises of free land for Hessians willing to switch sides. An estimated 5,000 Germans stayed in this country, when their fellow countrymen returned home.
Loyalist cavalry frequently adopted the clothing style of Banastre Tarleton's British Legion:
British Legion Cavalry, 5th American Regiment, 1778-1783
Green jacket
Black cuffs, and collar, trimmed with white lace (gold for officers).
Brass buttons.
Buckskin (tan) breeches.
Black leather belts and pouches are shown in the famous painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Black Tarleton helmet, with green turban, and green plume on the left side.
Shabraque colours are not known with certainty. Green shabraques like those of the Queen's Rangers Hussars are likely, but other colours may have been used on campaign.
Brown pistol holsters with black fur covers.
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