In a message dated 11/6/2003 11:39:42 AM Eastern Standard Time, drorer@fuse.net writes: > The story that the German troops were unwilling conscripts ready to desert > at the first > opportunity is a myth. These were professional soldiers, whose first loyalty > was to their > regiment and their sovereign. At the conclusion they could expect to be > returned to their > homes and families, in Germany. Indeed the German troops could not > understand why the > Americans were revolting against their lawful sovereign when they lived so > pleasantly and > free of restrictions. The same stories are not told about the French troops > which fought > in America, which also included German regiments in their ranks. > Hmmm... Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much. As a Waldecker with a number of ancestors who fought with the 3rd Waldeck, I am of the opinion that the scholarship in this area is somewhat lacking. To this date, villages throughout Waldeck list in their village and parish histories the conscription campaigns during which the 'lange Jungs' were press-ganged. This was, to be fair, not just a Waldecker measure, but also done by the British with the Scots and the Irish. I would venture to say that the only professional soldiers one would find in the three Waldeck regiments were von Dalwigk and a few other officers. One must recall that the Leibeigenschaft was still in force throughout Hessen, and that the notion of a professional standing army was still in the process of development. I do appreciate your take on the numbers -- every source, from the HETRINA archives on down -- has different figures. Werner Saemmler Hindrichs Director of Operations ALS, Inc 1-540-592-7215 Fax: 1-703-832-0692