"Between 1776 and 1783, Britain hired an estimated 30,000 German soldiers to fight in its war against the Americans. Collectively known as Hessians, the soldiers and accompanying civilians, including women and children, spent extended periods of time in locations as dispersed and varied as Canada in the North and West Florida and Cuba in the South. This study examines how they experienced and described the war they fought in, the land they traversed, and the people they encountered. Based chiefly on their own writings, including a large body of letters and diaries, the book offers a ground-breaking reimaging of Britain's war against American independence"-- Provided by publisher.

"A Matter Pregnant with Great, Serious, National Consequences:" Britain's Decision to Hire German Auxiliaries --"In General a Good Body, & Very Fit for Service:" Recruiting the Auxiliaries -- "Moving Across a Vast Body of Water in Nutshells:" The Voyage to America -- "The Garden of all of North America:" New York and New Jersey, 1776 -- "An Unfortunate Affair:" Trenton, 1776 -- "The Men are Weary from Toil:" Canada, 1776 and 1777 -- "A War Against all Humanity:" Fort Stanwix, Saratoga, Quebec, 1777 to 1783 -- "They were Vexed to Find that we Looked like Human Beings:" Captivity, 1776 to 1781 -- "Good Night, Peace:" Philadelphia, 1777 -- "Conquered Little but Lost Much:" Philadelphia, Rhode Island, New York, 1778 to 1780 -- "How German Bones are Scattered around in this War": The Spanish Borderlands, 1778 to 1782 -- "We Joyously went on the Expedition:" Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, 1778 to 1782 -- "We were once again Onlookers and Idlers:" Captivity after Yorktown, 1781 to 1783 -- "I Will Always Call them Rebels:" Evacuation, 1783.