Nicholas Dietrich, Baron of Ottendorf, 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 ...

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

who was paid on commission by the newly formed Continental Congress to gather and raise an independent corps in the continental army on December 5, 1776. Dietrich had trouble properly organizing

Ottendorf's Corps Ottendorf's Corps was raised on December 5, 1776, in eastern Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. Congress directed the corps would be composed of 150 privates, sergeants and corporals included, and that it be divided "into three ...

, and as a result

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

replaced him with Lieutenant Colonel Armand on July 11, 1777. The Corps was scattered, some of it having been put under Armand's command while others of it followed Baron Dietrich. By 1781 the Baron and those that remained with him eventually joined under the banner of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

External links

Library of Congress
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, Page 100

Baron Ottendorf to Clinton
August 15, 1781 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dietrich, Nicholas Dragoons Barons of Germany Continental Army officers from Germany