Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps ''(Jäger-Corps von Creuzbourg)'' was an independent Jäger battalion raised by the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

y of

Hesse-Hanau Hesse-Hanau was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire. It emerged when the former county of Hanau-Münzenberg became a secundogeniture of Hesse-Kassel in 1760. When the reigning count, William IX, also became landgrave of Hesse-Cassel in 1785, the ...

and put to the disposition of the

British Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

, as part of the German Allied contingent during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The corps fought at the Battle of Oriskany, although mostly serving as garrison of different

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

posts.

Formation

When the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

began, the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

was too small to overwhelm the rebellious colonies with armed might. Subsequently,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

entered treaties with a number of German principalities, which provided the British Crown with allied contingents for service in North America in return for monetary subsidies. A mutual aid- and alliance treaty between United Kingdom and Hesse-Hanau was entered in February 1776. A Jäger corps under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Karl Adolf Christoph von Creutzburg was among the units in the Hesse-Hanau contingent.''Hessische Truppen in Amerika:'' "Creutzburg, von, Karl Adolf Christoph (* ca. 1733)"
Retrieved March 22, 2013. The Jägers were recruited from state

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

s and other professional

hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

s. They were selected for their marksmanship, and were all volunteers, in contrast with the

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

ed or pressed soldiers that filled the ranks of the Hesse-Hanau

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. The pay was higher than for ordinary troops. The British government especially requested Jägers for the American campaign, as they were perceived as better able to endure the North American wilderness. Virginia Easley DeMarce, ''The Settlement of Former German Auxiliary Troops in Canada After the American Revolution'' (Arlington 1982).
Retrieved March 22, 2013.

Operations

The Hesse-Hanau contingent arrived to Canada in the spring of 1777 and became part of General Burgoyne's army that after the

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...

became American prisoners of war. Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps, however, escaped defeat and imprisonment, as it was to be a part of Barry St. Leger's western offensive during the

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

. Due to the slow pace of wilderness travel, only one of the Corp's companies arrived in time to participate in this campaign. This single company made a rather significant contribution to the American defeat at the Battle of Oriskany. The remaining companies did not join St. Leger until after the Siege of Fort Stanwix had ended and the Crown forces were retreating northward. Gavin K. Watt, ''Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley'' (The Dundurn Group, 2002), p. 234, 265.
Retrieved March 20, 2013.Clifford Neal Smith, ''German Mercenary Expatriates in the United States and Canada'' (Heritage House 1973), p. 63.
Retrieved March 22, 2013. During the winter of 1777-1778, Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps was quartered in the area southeast of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In August 1778 at least one company was based around Terrebonne. The winter of 1779-1780 was spent in

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

at La Prairie. During the summer of 1781, the corps formed the

Québec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

garrison situated across the St-Lawrence at Pointe-de-Lévis. The winter of 1781-1782 spent in quarters in Saint-Vallier and Châteauguay; during the summer of 1782 the corps was posted to

Île aux Noix Île aux Noix () is an island on the Richelieu River in Quebec, close to Lake Champlain. The island is the site of Fort Lennox, Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, Quebec, Saint- ...

and Lacolle, in the

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

region.

Disbandment

The

Treaty of Paris 1783 The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the Thirteen Colonies, wh ...

saw the Hesse-Hanau contingent repatriated, with almost half of Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps opting to resign and settle in North America. Their combat experience had been limited, but their long marches taught them the ways of the wilderness as they hunted, fished and snowshoed. Overall, they enjoyed a freedom not felt in

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Organization

Four companies of 100 officers and men each.

Commanding officer and officers commanding companies

* Creutzburg, Carl Adolf Christoph von, Lieutenant Colonel, commanding officer. * Franken, Hermann Albrecht von, Major.Eelking, Max von (1863). ''Die deutschen Hülfstruppen im nordamerikanischem Befreiungskriege, 1776 bis 1783.'' Hannover, vol. 2, pp. 268-269. * Castendyck, Wilhelm, Captain. * Hildebrand, Jacob, Captain. * Hugget, Sigismund, Captain. * Wittgenstein, Count L. K. von, Captain.

Middle Staff

*Bender, Xaverius, Regimental Surgeon. * Kaup, Johann Jakob,

Judge Advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

.''Hessische Truppen in Amerika:'' "Grundliste des Hessen-Hanauischen Jägercorps (Mittelstab), 1777."
Retrieved 2018-01-01. * Staudinger, Ernst Friedrich,

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

. * Velden, Wilhelm von den,

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

. * Armorers, 2 Davenport, Frances Gardner & Paullin, Charles Oscar (1937). ''European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its dependencies. Volume IV: 1716-1815.'' Washington, # 160. * Armorer's assistant * Wagoner for the war chest * Wagoners for the company wagons, 4 * Provost

Company

* Captain * First lieutenant * Second lieutenant * Sergeant-major * Sergeant * Quartermaster-sergeant * Captain of arms * Corporals, 6 * Surgeon's mate * Buglers, 3 * Chasseurs, 78 * Officer's servants, 3 The colonel's company had one officer and one servant more, and two chasseurs less.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creuzbourg's Jager Corps category:German units in British service in the American Revolutionary War Infantry regiments of Germany