pressing the British hard when Riedesel ar-
rived with a handful of German reinforce-
ments. To conceal the small size of his force,
he ordered his troops to enter battle singing
psalms and with military bands blaring. This
display unnerved the Americans, who
promptly withdrew from the field. Burgoyne
then resumed his advance until August when,
bogged down by bad terrain and dwindling
supplies, he decided upon a large-scale forag-
ing expedition in neighboring Vermont. Over
Riedesel’s explicit objections—he feared the
force was too small—a German detachment
under Colonel Baum was dispatched toward
Bennington, where on August 16, 1777, it was
overwhelmed and destroyed. Burgoyne then
continued his advance toward Albany, all the
while being slowly surrounded by superior
numbers of Americans. On several occasions,
Riedesel advised an immediate withdrawal
back to Canada, but the haughty Burgoyne ig-
nored him.
By September the British were in dire cir-
cumstances, and on September 17 Burgoyne
ordered an attack against Freeman’s Farm to
demoralize the enemy. A hard fight ensued,
and the British center was sorely pressed
when Burgoyne called up the Hessians to as-
sist. As at Hubbardton, Riedesel attacked with
his men cheering and playing martial music to
offset their small numbers. The more numer-
ous Americans, thinking they had blundered
into major reinforcements, fell back to the
woods and the British center was stabilized.
Freeman’s Farm thus became a narrow British
victory. However, Gen. Horatio Gates contin-
ued adding men and began to slowly envelop
the stationary Burgoyne. Riedesel once again
strongly advised retreating back to Canada,
but the British general demurred. Instead, on
October 7, 1777, he launched a final, desperate
assault upon Gates’s lines at Bemis Heights.
The Hessians repulsed a determined American
attack under Gen. Benedict Arnold, wound-
ing him, but were forced to withdraw in turn.
The entire British force then ensconced itself
around the Great Redoubt to await the final
onslaught. However, the arrival of new troops
under American Gen. John Stark, who cut off
the British completely, finally decided the
issue. Burgoyne, rather than sacrifice his army
needlessly, surrendered. The baroness was
with her husband, as always, and they passed
into captivity together.
Riedesel and his wife were soon marched
to Boston in anticipation of being exchanged,
but when Congress reneged on Gates’s con-
vention (articles of surrender), the entire
force became prisoners of war. At length, the
colonel and his lady were sent to Virginia,
where they spent a pleasant two years in the
company of Thomas Jefferson, governor of
that state. In October 1780, Riedesel and
Phillips were exchanged for Gen. Benjamin
Lincoln, recently taken at Charlestown. He
then reported to Gen. Henry Clintonin New
York City and received command of forces
stationed on Long Island with a local rank of
lieutenant general. That fall Riedesel was
transferred back to Canada to serve under
Gen. Frederick Haldimand. During his re-
maining tenure there he penned an elaborate
strategy for renewing offensive operations
against northern New York, but Clinton
evinced little interest. The couple was finally
recalled to Germany in August 1783.
Back at Brunswick, Riedesel received a
hero’s welcome and was granted the privilege
of parading his surviving troops before the
Duke; of 4,000 sent abroad, only 2,400 arrived
home. He remained in the employ of
Brunswick, rising to lieutenant general there
in 1787, and that same year he led forces into
southern Holland. In 1793, Riedesel retired to
the family’s castle at Lauterbach, but he was
soon recalled to serve as commandant of the
city of Braunschweig. Ever the dedicated pro-
fessional soldier, he died while still holding
that office on December 7, 1800. Next to Wil-
helm von Knyphausen, Riedesel was the
most accomplished Hessian leader of the war.Bibliography
Andrews, Melodie. “‘Myrmidons from Abroad’: The Role
of the German Mercenary in the Coming of Indepen-RIEDESEL, FRIEDRICHADOLPHUSVON