A Generous and Merciful Enemy: Life for German Prisoners of War During the American Revolution

"Some 37,000 Hessian solders served in the British Army during the American War of Independence, but historians have largely overlooked the significance of these men to the British war effort, as well as the imprisonment of thousands of them by their American enemies. Using German military records and soldiers' letters and diaries, Daniel Krebs portrays the Hessians as individuals, not just numbers in casualty lists or prison logs. We think of Hessians as mercenaries, but many were conscripts. Some were new recruits; others, veterans. Krebs describes how the Germans were made prisoners in North America and relates their experiences in captivity from New England to Cuba. He assesses American efforts to use the prisoners as economic, military, and propagandistic assets, yet never loses sight of the impact of imprisonment on the prisoners themselves"--Page 4 of cover.

Author(s): Daniel Krebs
Published: 2015-02-18
Categories: Forced labor