Freiherr Friedrich Adolf Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach (3 June 1738 in
Lauterbach/Hesse – 6 January 1800 in Braunschweig) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
officer who served in the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
and
American War of Independence. He was the
commander of the ''Braunschweiger Jäger'', a regiment of soldiers from the
Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that was among the
German units
The obsolete units of measurement of German-speaking countries consist of a variety of units, with varying local standard definitions. Some of these units are still used in everyday speech and even in stores and on street markets as shorthand for ...
hired by the British during the
American War of Independence. He then commanded all German soldiers in the
Saratoga Campaign.
Biography
Early career
Friedrich Adolf was born in
Lauterbach, Hesse
Lauterbach () is a town in the Vogelsbergkreis district of the federal state of Hesse in central Germany. In 1983, the town hosted the 23rd ''Hessentag'' state festival.
History
Lauterbach was founded between 400 and 800 AD. In 812 the town was m ...
, into the
Riedesel
Riedesel is a German noble family that began to appear in legal documents in the early 13th century. They were of the knightly class, though not all had the official status of ''Ritter'' or knight. Its exact geographical and temporal origins are ...
family of Hessian
Uradel
(, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to '' Briefadel'', ...
barons, the second son of Johann Wilhelm Riedesel, Freiherr zu
Eisenbach
Eisenbach is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...
(1705-1782) and Sophia von Borcke (1705-1769). His birth on June 3, 1738 and early education both took place in Lauterbach. The title of "Freiherr" (Baron) was carried by all men of his lineage who reached majority. His parents disagreed about his education; his mother wanted him prepared for a religious career, while his father sought a legal education and diplomatic service. Either of these was a proper career for a younger son.
Bowing to his father's wishes, when 15 years old, he left for the study of law at the
University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...
. Riedesel was an indifferent student, but spent time watching the
Landgrave of Hesse's troops drill. An officer who had seen his interest befriended him, and later tricked him into enlisting. He was told that his father had consented to his enlistment, so at 17 he joined the Marburg battalion, only to have his allowance cut off when his angry father learned of it. The two were later reconciled, and Ensign Riedesel was granted an allowance from his father to help meet his expenses.
[Stone, 3]
Seven Years War
Ensign Riedesel's first assignment was near
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Riedesel knew no French nor English, but learned both while in England, and made friends with several English officers that he would later meet in the Americas.
The unit was recalled to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
in 1756, for what would become the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. Friedrich was attached to the personal staff of
Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and distinguished himself at the
Battle of Minden
The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of Fr ...
in 1759.
He served for a time (1760) in the Hessian Hussar regiment and had a portrait done wearing their uniform. Riedesel also gained the attention of
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...
, King of Prussia, and by 1761, he was in command of two Brunswicker regiments as their Colonel.
In August 1762, he was wounded in battle against the
French, and sent back to
Minden to recover. There he was cared for by the von Massow family and nursed by their daughter
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. In December the couple wed at
Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
and settled in Brunswick's capital city of
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...
, where they lived quietly for several years. During these years, Riedesel commuted to Brunswick, where he was adjutant to the duke. He also fathered three daughters: Gustava (1771-1805), Frederica (1774-1854), and Caroline (1776-1861).
American War of Independence
When the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
broke out in 1775, the British government found itself in need of trained troops to suppress the rebellion. The rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel came from the
Bevern line of the
House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, while the British throne was occupied by the
Hanover line of the same family. In 1776,
Duke Charles I signed a treaty with
George III of the United Kingdom to provide
4,000 foot soldiers and 350 heavy dragoons for British service.
On 18 March, they sailed from
Stade with the newly promoted Major General Riedesel as their commander. After a stop over in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, they arrived in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
on 1 June. They supported the final expulsion from
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
of the American forces during the
invasion of Canada. They were then distributed for the winter through various posts in Canada.
General Riedesel was put in command of all German
[Riedesel's soldiers are mistakenly referred to as " Hessians" by some Americans, but were correctly identified as Brunswickers by their contemporaries.] and American Indian forces during the
Saratoga campaign of 1777. His letters to the Duke of Brunswick reveal discontent with British Generals Burgoyne and
Howe
Howe may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor
Titles
* Earl Howe, two titles, an ext ...
. One example of Riedesel's disagreements with Burgoyne came after his victory at the
Battle of Hubbardton
The Battle of Hubbardton was an engagement in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought in the village of Hubbardton, Vermont. Vermont was then a disputed territory sometimes called the New Hampshire Grants, claimed by New Y ...
, when rebels under
Seth Warner
Seth Warner (May 17, 1743 – December 26, 1784) was an American soldier. He was a Revolutionary War officer from Vermont who rose to rank of Continental colonel and was often given the duties of a brigade commander. He is best known for his l ...
gathered to attack loyalists under
Philip Skene at
Castle Town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, a ...
, Vermont. General Riedesel had promised protection to the loyalists, and wanted to attack the rebels at once. Burgoyne stalled, however, and ordered Riedesel to continue his advance instead of stopping to fight Warner's militia. General Riedesel warned the Duke of Brunswick that even if the campaign went well, they could not hope to be back to Germany in 1778.
During the campaign, Riedesel showed an ability to adapt to combat in the American wilderness. He issued new orders to his army to attack in open order from cover of trees, and when forced to fight in the open, to close order and immediately charge with the bayonet.
Riedesel’s wife,
Frederika Charlotte, became herself a relevant actor. She traveled to Canada with her infant daughters to be with her husband on the campaign. Her ''Letters and Journals Relating to the War of the American Revolution and the Capture of the German Troops at Saratoga'' is an important resource for knowledge of
the campaign and its key personalities. Her harrowing account of her experiences in what is now known as
the Marshall House where her husband had sent her to seek shelter during the closing days of the siege at Saratoga is one of the vivid episodes of the American Revolution.
Riedesel and his wife were captured when General
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...
surrendered after the
Battle of Saratoga in 1777. He was imprisoned with the
Convention Army
The Convention Army (1777–1783) was an army of British and allied troops captured after the Battles of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.
Convention of Saratoga
On 17 October 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army a ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia at the
Albemarle Barracks
Albemarle Barracks was a prisoner-of-war camp for British prisoners during the American Revolutionary War.
History
Following Gen. John Burgoyne's defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, in 1777, several thousand British and German ( Hessian and Bruns ...
. They transferred to New York, where General Riedesel spent a year on parole, before being exchanged for American General
William Thompson. The Baron commanded troops on Long Island in Winter 1780-81. In 1781, Quebec governor
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. From 1778 to 1786, he serve ...
named Riedesel officer in charge of the Sorel District, where he and his family stayed until his departure from North America at the end of Summer 1783. According to Charlotte's diary and local lore, the Riedesels introduced the custom of an illuminated Christmas tree in North America while in Sorel in 1781.
[A detailed account of Riedesel's work in Sorel and along the Richelieu River can be found in the Haldimand Collection in the National Archives of Canada (mainly in the series 136 to 139).]
Return to Europe
General Riedesel returned to Europe in late 1783, sailing first to England. He led the remainder of his Brunswick troops to a review by
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick
Charles William Ferdinand (german: Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand; 9 October 1735 – 10 November 1806) was the Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a military leader. His titles are usually shortened to Duke of Brunswic ...
, who had become the ruler of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1780, while his army was being held captive in the United States.
Riedesel was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1787, and given command of the Brunswick troops in the southern provinces of Holland.
He retired in 1793, but was named Commandant of the city of
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
.
He met
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
in 1797, and "made many enquiries about America, and in particular after General Schuyler." General Riedesel died at Braunschweig in 1800.
Family
General Riedesel and Charlotte had the following children, some born in North America:
* Hermann (1767-1767)
* Philippine (1770-1771)
* Auguste (1771-1805); married Count Heinrich von Reuss
* Friederike (1774-1854); married Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden
* Caroline (1776-1861); never married
* Amerika (1780-1856); married Count Ernst von Bernsdorff
* Canada (1782-1783)
* Georg Karl (1785-1854); married Caroline Riedesel
* Charlotte (1787-1848); married Wilhelm von Schöning
Name
Beginning with the publication of the couple's letters from the American Revolution arranged by one of his sons-in-law (von Reuß), the General came to be referred to as "von Riedesel" in American scholarly and popular writing. This is historically incorrect. From its earliest known members in the 13th century down to the present, family members have rarely used the predicate "
von
The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''.
Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...
" in their name. The patent from Emperor
Leopold I in 1680 which raised them to the status of
Barons
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
(''Freiherren'') did not designate them as "von." In the initial volume of the authorized history of the family (1923), the author E. E. Becker clearly states that the Riedesel zu Eisenbach did not use the "von" in their names.
[Becker, 16]
.
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
* Vierter Abschnitt, 6. Kapitel "Friedrich Adolpha Riedesel aus dem Hause Burg (Lauterbach) und Luise Charlotte von Massow (Pp. 410-435).
*
*
*
*
External links
General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach¨
The Loyalist Collectionat the University of New Brunswick (Canada), contains 5 boxes of correspondence from Riedesel.
Histoire de Sorel-Tracy*
The Marshall House, Schuylerville, New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riedesel, Friedrich Adolf
1738 births
1800 deaths
People from Lauterbach, Hesse
American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by the United States
Barons of Germany
German military personnel of the Seven Years' War
Brunswick military personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Province of Quebec (1763–1791)
German expatriates in Canada
German prisoners of war
Military personnel from Hesse