The following is another excerpt from the article entitled: "Hessians at Fort Frederick: A Story Revisited by P.Kirby Gull". "The ultimate and final defeat of British forces at Yorktown on 19 October 1781 was both humiliating and conclusive. Cornwallis refused to face his victors personally and, like, Burgoyne, tried to negotiate the parole of his men. General Washington was firm- the army must be surrendered and taken to camps of confinement. Washington prevailed. Washington's General Orders for 25 October divided the prisoners as follows: Those to be sent to Winchester include: the Artillery, 193; Guards, 467; Twenty-sixth Foot, 625; a battalion of Anspach, 948; Queen's Rangers, 248; Pioneers, 33 in all 3029. Those to be forwarded to Fort Frederick, Md.: Light Infantry, 594; Seventeenth Foot, 205; Thirty-Third Foot, 225; Seventy-first Foot, 242; Eightieth Foot, 558; Hereditary Prince, 425; Regiment Du Bose, 271; Jagers, 68; British Legion, 192; and North Carolina Volunteers, 114;. For a total destined for Fort Frederick of 2924. Reaching Alexandria on 2 November, the prisoners were divided into two groups, one for Winchester, Virginia and the other for Fort Frederick, Maryland. Not less than 2000 proceeded to Maryland, the remainder to Winchester. The first contingent of Yorktown prisoners, directed to Fort Frederick, entered the rolling countryside somewhere in western Maryland prior to 10 November. It is uncertain exactly where they may have crossed the Potomac and where Colonel Philip Thomas transferred them under his guard. What is clear is the final decision about where to confine them had not been reached prior to their crossing into Maryland. The Council of Maryland, reluctant to make the final decision, approached Colonels Rawlings and Philip Thomas, Lieutenant of Frederick County. The Council told them to consult with each other and decide where to billit the captives. Although it specifically instructed Rawlings that, " Part of them are to be kept in Frederick Town" and Thomas "to receive as many as many of the prisoners as possible at Fort Frederick" the two men eventually agreed to "keep the whole of the prisoners at the Barricks at Frederick Town". The captives originally designated for Fort Frederick, including the two Regiments, Erbprinz [Hereditary Prince] and von Bose, entered imprisonment at Frederick Town. The British Light Infantry, 17th Foot, 23rd Foot, 71st Foot, 80th Foot, British Legion, some Jagers and a group of North Carolina Volunteers most likely entered captivity about the same time. Rawlings reported between 1500 aqnd 1800 prisoners at Frederick Town by the first week in December. Arriving on 31 January 1782, diarists Johann Doehla, Stephen Poop, and Johann Prechtel found the German regiments already confined there. In fact, both Doehla and Popp noted on 1 February the Hereditary Prince and von Bose transferred from the Frederick County Poorhouse to the Barricks. There are no references that either Regiment had been at Fort Frederick." The author makes it quite clear there were no Hessians at Fort Frederick. Howard F. Horne, PG NSSAR > I am fortunate enough to live right in between Fort Frederick, just outside of > Clear Spring in Washington County, MD AND The Hessian Barracks in Frederick, > Frederick County, MD. Both are very awe inspiring, especially knowing a little > bit more about the war and the prisoners now. If you ever have the chance to > visit either location, please do. > > The guides at both locations have no specific information about the men or their > regiments. It would be nice if someone could compile a list of compiles sources > and infomation for them. > > Cindy H. > > > ==== AMREV-HESSIANS Mailing List ==== > 6000 Hessian soldiers remained in North America after the end of the war in > 1783. The majority settled in the Eastern United States and Canada. > You can search the archives for a specific message or browse them, going from > one message to another. > To search: http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/?list=AMREV-HESSIANS > To browse: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/AMREV-HESSIANS-L > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >