My book, Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, was published by Oxford University Press in May 2022: https://tinyurl.com/2p83s443

Winner of the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize.

The prize recognizes the author of an outstanding book that advances understanding of the American Revolution and its legacy. The award letter describes Hessians as “a landmark work that expands and enriches our understanding of this fascinating and important aspect of the American Revolution.”

Winner of the American Revolution Roundtable of Philadelphia Book of the Year Award.

The annual award recognizes the best book on the American Revolution Era published that year.

Honorable Mention for the Inaugural American Battlefield Trust Prize for History.

The award recognizes an outstanding published work focused on military history or biography central to the nation’s formative conflicts – the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. A selection committee of expert judges (Dr. James McPherson, professor emeritus at Princeton University, Dr. James Kirby Martin, professor emeritus at University of Houston and Dr. Joan Waugh, professor emeritus at UCLA) winnowed the list of nominees from nearly 100 from 24 different publishers to 11 finalists before selecting a winner and two honorable mentions.

Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War is available wherever books are sold, including http://amazon.com. I encourage you to purchase this and other early American history books from The Fort Plain Museum Bookstore, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Proceeds from your purchase go to historic preservation, artifact acquisition, exhibit building and educational programming.

Reviews

“Rarely does any one book completely obviate the need for any other, effectively replacing all previous works on the subject. Hessians is just such a book. It is not just an addition to a good library on the American Revolution, it may actually free up some space by making a few other books unnecessary. Books like that are rare, and welcome.” — Reviews in American History

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“[Hessians is a book that is] superbly grounded in primary sources that is also readable. … In crisp, lively prose, this book brings to life the story of nearly thirty thousand soldiers from the German states who fought for Great Britain in the War of American Independence. … From the start, therefore, this work examines the experiences of all such soldiers, not just from a particular kingdom or duchy. This is an ambitious goal, and Baer achieved it with aplomb. … Plumbing a breathtaking amount of previously unresearched German archival sources along with better-known published primary accounts, Baer easily dispels the old canard that these men were all forced to go … A solid hybrid of social and military history … a very fine work of history.” —The Journal of American History

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“Hessians … is an excellent book. Beyond simply filling a historiographical need, it is well-written, without the jargon that limits the audience for many academic books, making it widely accessible to any reader wanting to learn about German auxiliaries in the Revolutionary War. It is also exceptionally thorough, with Baer seemingly having explored every archive and addressed every conceivable topic relating to German soldiers. It is a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in the American Revolution.” — Journal of Military History

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“Hessians is a deftly written, richly detailed study and appraisal of a complex and vital component in Revolutionary War history. … Baer’s mastery of source material—twenty-six pages of bibliography, six of manuscript collections, mostly German—is reflected in her skillful weaving of first-hand accounts into her overall narrative. She states in the introduction that the German soldiers ‘vantage point is unlike that of any other group of people that participated in the war. In this book I have tried to let them tell their stories.’ She has succeeded. Hessians is a superb work of scholarship and is an essential volume for any student of Revolutionary War history.” — Journal of the American Revolution (https://allthingsliberty.com/2022/08/hessians-german-soldiers-of-the-american-revolution/)

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“Baer has written an extremely gripping account of the adventures of German auxiliaries during the American Revolution. She has thoroughly documented her sources, with considerable use of manuscript collections at archives in the United States, France, and Germany in addition to published diaries and order books written by Hessian troops in America and their family members. By using the writings of the Hessians themselves, … Baer has personalized their experiences and crafted a volume that is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the American Revolution.” — Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies

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“Fortunately for students and scholars alike, … Baer … has written an excellent study of these German-speaking soldiers in what her publisher aptly describes as “the first comprehensive study of the German auxiliary forces from all six territories over the course of the entire war published in more than a century.” Her scope goes beyond the state of Hesse-Kassel to include six German territories in the Holy Roman Empire. … Baer’s new study is a superbly written, well-organized look at a class of (to Americans) enemy soldiers that made up a significant part of King George III’s regiments sent to put down the rebellious colonists.” — H-Net Reviews (https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=58172)

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“In Hessians … Baer offers a thorough and critical analysis of the German experience in the American Revolution. Relying on a variety of international sources, Baer reveals how German soldiers perceived the conflict, and how their contributions affected the outcome of the war. […] Baer’s efforts to shed light on these often-overlooked sources has helped to fill a critical gap in modern Revolutionary scholarship, making Hessians an essential read. […] Utilizing strong research, excellent organization, and precise language, Baer has shed a much-needed light on these critical players of the American Revolution.” — Journal of the Early American Republic

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“In this terrific book, Baer … displays her comprehensive research in both the extant literature and numerous archives in Great Britain, France, the US, and all six German states that fought in the American Revolutionary War. The result is a truly definitive account of the 30,000 German auxiliaries, ranging from the six treaties they signed to the individual contingents’ experiences and perspectives.” — Choice

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“Baer has given many interesting details that flesh out German Auxiliary military service in America or Canada that personalizes the conflict, adding a fresh and new perspective.” … “A welcome authoritative study of German service in the American War for Independence.” — The Hessians: Journal of the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association

From the Back Cover

“We have long wanted a reliable and comprehensive study of the 30,000 Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British in the American Revolutionary War. Friederike Baer, a very talented historian, has given us that much desired book, especially enriched by the use of hitherto unexploited German archives. A superb contribution to our understanding of the Revolution.” — Gordon S. Wood, Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus, Brown University

“This study offers fascinating insights into the experiences of German troops during the Revolutionary War; as newcomers, they saw the American conflict with fresh eyes. A marvel of archival research, it reveals an eighteenth-century civil war from the perspective of outsiders. Baer’s sharp observations give a vivid sense of the Germans’ wartime experiences and real sense of pride, frustration, and tragedy. The author successfully gets beyond the Hessians’ unfairly fearsome reputation and illuminates the soldiers’ own distinct impressions of the people, places, and combat they found in America. This richly textured account includes plenty of startling new revelations about the Revolutionary War.” — Benjamin L. Carp, Professor and Daniel M. Lyons Chair of History, Brooklyn College

“Friederike Baer’s extraordinary Hessians brilliantly analyzes the predicaments of thousands of German fighting men contracted into Britain’s American War from 1775 to 1783. Through exhaustive research on both sides of the Atlantic, Baer recovers the neglected perspective of these soldiers and their families, deployed to far off lands, to wage war against a variegated insurgency, on behalf of a nation not their own. That is achievement enough, but Hessians does more. Destined to be the authoritative work on its subject for a generation to come, Hessians challenges us to think anew about the landscapes, peoples, and ambitions of the new United States.” — Jane Kamensky, Trumbull Professor of American History, Harvard University