Leopold Philip de Heister (4 April 1716 Homberg in Niederhessen - 19 November 1777

Hesse-Cassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...

)''Note that:'' ''has "b. in 1707" for date of birth.'' was a Hessian general who fought for the British during 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 ...

. Heister was a crippled veteran of many campaigns when he was selected to command the Hessian troops that were hired by the British government for service against the American colonies.

Wilhelm von Knyphausen Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr von Innhausen und Knyphausen Some documents produced after 1806 referred to him as Reichsfreiherr Wilhelm zu Innhausen und Knyphausen while some documents after 1919 use Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen. ...

served under him as second-in-command. He landed on Long Island near

New Utrecht New Utrecht ( nl, Nieuw Utrecht) was a town in western Long Island, New York encompassing all or part of the present-day Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York Cit ...

with two full Hessian brigades on 25 August 1776, three days after the arrival of Gen. William Howe with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

troops. The tedious passage of thirteen weeks from

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

had tried him sorely: “his patience and tobacco had become exhausted. He called for hock, and swallowed large potations to the health of his friends.” Soon after debarking, the invading army prepared for marching, the Hessians under De Heister forming the centre, or main body. They cannonaded the works at Flatbush Pass (today

Battle Pass In the video game industry, a battle pass is a type of monetization approach that provides additional content for a game usually through a tiered system, rewarding the player with in-game items for playing the game and completing specific chal ...

), and De Heister ordered Count Donop to storm the redoubt, while he pressed forward with his troops. “Our Hessians and our brave Highlanders gave no quarter,” wrote a British officer, “and it was a fine sight to see with what alacrity they despatched the rebels with their bayonets, after we surrounded them so they could not resist.” Heister also commanded the Hessians at White Plains, 28 October 1776. He was removed from service in 1776 after the Battle of Trenton.

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Attribution * 1707 births 1777 deaths Hessian military personnel of the American Revolutionary War German generals Military personnel from Hesse {{Germany-army-bio-stub

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