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'Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, Freiherr^[1] zu Eisenbach' (June 3 1738 – January 6 1800) was the commander of a regiment of soldiers from the Duchy of Brunswick (Braunschweig) among the German units hired by the British during the American Revolution. They were known generically as "Hessians", though Riedesel's soldiers are more accurately referred to as Brunswickers.
Beginning with memoirs published by one of his sons-in-law, the General came to be referred to as "von Riedesel" in American historical writing, but this is historically incorrect. From its earliest known members in the 13th century down to the present, family members rarely used the predicate "von" in their name. The patent from Emperor Leopold I in 1680 which raised them to the status of Barons (''Freiherren'') did not designate them as "von."

Contents

Biography

Early career

American Revolution

Bibliography

Footnotes

Biography

Early career

Friedrich Adolf was born in Lauterbach, Hesse, into a family of the minor German nobility (Riedesel), the second son of Johann Wilhelm Riedesel, Freiherr zu Eisenbach (1705-1782) and Sophia von Borcke (1705-1769). His birth on June 3 1738 and early education both took place in Lauterbach. His parents disagreed about his education; his mother wanted him prepared for a religious career, while his father sought a legal education and diplomatic service. Either of these was a proper career for a younger son.
Bowing to his father's wishes, when 15 years old, he left for the study of law at the University of Marburg. Riedesel was an indifferent student, but spent time watching the Landgrave of Hesse troops drill. An officer who had seen his interest befriended him, and later tricked him into enlisting. He was told that his father had consented to his enlistment, so at 17 he joined the Marburg battalion, only to have his allowance cut off when his angry father learned of it.
His first assignment in London was short lived, and his regiment returned to the Holy Roman Empire for the Seven Years' War in 1759. He distinguished himself in battle, and gained the attention of Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. By 1761, he was in command of two Brunswicker regiments as their Colonel.
In August 1762, he was wounded in battle against the French, and sent back to Minden to recover. There he was cared for by the von Massow family and nursed by their daughter Charlotte. In December the couple wed at Paderborn and settled in Wolfenbüttel, where they lived quietly for several years. During these years, Riedesel commuted to Brunswick, where he was adjutant to the duke. He also fathered Auguste (1771-1805), Friedrich (1774-1854), and Caroline (1776-1861).

American Revolution

In 1776, the British began to "rent" units to fight in the American Revolutionary War from various German princes. The Duke of Brunswick contracted to provide 4,000 foot soldiers and 350 heavy dragoons. On March 18, they sailed from Stade with the newly-promoted Major General Riedesel as their commander. After a stop over in England, they arrived in Quebec City on June 1. They supported the final expulsion from Canada of the American forces during the invasion of Canada. They were then distributed for the winter through various posts in Canada.
Riedesel and his wife were captured when General John Burgoyne surrendered after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. He was imprisoned with the Convention Army in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Albemarle Barracks. When released by the Americans, in 1781, Riedesel, his wife and children, and a few hundred of his men, Frederick Haldimand named him in charge of the Sorel District, where he and his family stayed until his departure from America, by the end of the summer 1784. A detailed account of his work in Sorel and in the main places along the Richelieu River can be found in the Haldimand Collection, mainly in the series 136 to 139)
He died in Braunschweig in 1800.

Bibliography

★ General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach¨

★ Haldimand Collection: the 232 series fully indexed

★ Histoire de Sorel-Tracy

★ The most-authoritative source on the life of Riedesel is a chapter in the book by Dr. Karl Siegmar Baron von Galéra entitled ''Vom Reich zum Rheinbund: Weltgeschichte des 18. Jahrhunderts in einer kleinen Residenz'' (Degener & Company, Neustadt an der Aisch; 1961).

Footnotes

1.