History of the Regiment

Formation

Fürst Friedrich Karl August

On April 20, 1776, a treaty was signed between Friedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and the British Crown. Unlike some of the other rulers of the Germanic states, Prince Friedrich was not related to King George III of England. However, he was very eager to put his subjects into English service. By this time, Waldeck already had two regiments in the service of the Dutch.

Prince Friedrich agreed to supply a 670-man regiment and a 14-man artillery detachment for use in America. By October 20, 1776, the Waldeck regiment had been raised, transported, and arrived in New York Harbor.

The regiment was organized with a 16-man staff and five companies of approximately 130 men each. The first company were grenadiers, and the remaining four were musketeers. They were accompanied by a 14-man artillery detachment, which included two 3-pounder cannons.

The 1st Company comprised grenadiers, whereas the 2nd through 5th Companies were musketeers. The commanders of each company, as of the formation of the regiment and the succession of leadership, are as follows:

1st Company: Captain/Major/Lt. Colonel Konrad Albrecht von Horn (1776-1778) followed by Captain Georg von Haacke.
2nd Company: Major/Lt. Colonel von Dalwigk (1776-1777) followed by Captain Christoph Alberti, Sr. (1777-1781) and Captain Augustin Alberti.
3rd Company: Lt. Colonel/Colonel von Hanxleden (1776-1781) followed by Captain von Baumbach
4th Company: Captain/Major Christian Friedrich Pentzel.
5th Company: Captain Geroge von Haacke (1776-1778) followed by Major/Lt. Colonel von Horn.
Artillery Detachment: Bombardier Martin Heidorn and Bombardier Wilhem Schultze

"Of all the so-called Hessian units employed by England during the American Revolutionary War, none traveled more widely nor had more interesting experiences than the 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment. This contingent of men from the smallest of the six lands which provided soldiers for England ... served against more nations, in more widely scattered areas, traveled to more places, and suffered a greater percentage of losses than any other contingent."

- Bruce E. Burgoyne, Waldeck Soldiers of the American Revolutionary War, 1991

New York Campaign

Battle of White Plains

The Waldecker's first recorded casualty was Philipp Steinmeyer of the 2nd Company, who was killed in a small skirmish on October 27, 1776. A detachment of Waldecker troops were described in contemporary sources as "marauding" near Mamaroneck, New York, when they were ambushed by a larger force of rebels. The clash resulted in about a dozen Waldeckers taken prisoner, and two casualties.

The following morning, October 28, Wilhelm von Knyphausen, second in command to General Leopold Philip de Heister, advanced with six Hessian regiments against the American position at White Plains. The Waldeck regiment, however, did not fall under Heister's command and remained under independent command under Lt. Colonel Johann von Hanxleden. As a result, the Waldeck 3rd Regiment was not part of Heister's main assault force during the Battle of White Plains. Contemporary records suggest that they were likely held in reserve or assigned to detached duties, rather than committed to the attack on Chatterton's Hill.

After the engagement, the Waldeck regiment marched with Knyphausen's force and camped with the other German regiments at Fort Independence (northern Manhattan, present-day Bronx, New York). The regiment arrived there on November 4, 1776.

Capture of Fort Washington

In the month following the Battle of White Plains, General William Howe launched his attack on Fort Washington on November 16, 1776. The German auxiliaries played a central role in this engagement, as they were part of the main northern assault against the American defenses. The Waldeck regiment was part of the right-most German column, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall of Hesse-Cassel, under the overall direction of General Wilhelm von Knyphausen.

Fort Washington stood over the highest point on Manhattan Island, overlooking the Hudson River. The Hessian columns took considerable fire from American riflemen and artillery as they advanced through rugged and wooded terrain from Kingsbridge. The rebels were well entrenched, and musket fire alone was not enough to dislodge the Americans from their positions. To dislodge the American forces, Rall ordered bayonets to be fixed and pushed his troops to charge uphill. After initial repulsion of their charges, the Hessians forced the Americans in hand-to-hand combat.

This was one of the hardest-fought sectors of the entire battle, and the Germanic auxiliaries suffered heavy losses (77 killed, 381 wounded). Of these casualties, the Waldeckers had six killed and seventeen wounded. Despite the heavy losses, the Germans were commended for the successful attack.

On the 5th of December, General Howe ordered the Waldeckers to sail to Ambody, New Jersey.

New Jersey Campaign

Skirmish at Elizabethtown

Following the battles of Trenton and Princeton, British and German forces occupied parts of New Jersey, including Elizabethtown (i.e., Elizabeth, New Jersey). Many small skirmishes occurred in this area during the winter of 1777, where the Continental Army harassed and disrupted the supply lines, provisions, and movements of the Crown forces. These numerous conflicts have collectively become known as the Forage War.

The Waldeckers participated in several of these minor skirmishes, most notably at Elizabethtown. According to The Pennsylvania Evening Post reports at the time, General Maxwell of the Continental Army was marching on the town and captured fifty Waldeckers and forty of the 71st Regiment of Foot as prisoners of war.

The emboldened Continental Army's constant harassment of British forces near Elizabethtown resulted in the Crown forces abandoning the area.

Staten Island

After the winter season, the Waldeck regiment was moved to Staten Island on June 29, 1777. The Waldeckers camped at the Watering Place, at modern-day Fort Hill. They were placed under the command of Brigadier General John Campbell. During their stay on Staten Island, they participated in several small skirmishes and helped repulse a rebel attack on August 22, 1777. This attack by approximately 2,000 men was initially successful, capturing a number of Loyalist defenders. However, Brigadier General Campbell responded with the 52nd Regiment of Foot and the Waldeck 3rd Regiment, who routed the American forces from Staten Island and inflicted heavy casualties on the retreating force.

There were a number of other, smaller, attempted raids by the colonial forces that year, most of which consisted of minor raids, exchanges of fire, or militia probes rather than formal set-piece battles. The Waldeck regiment, as part of the garrison, was involved in alert duty and local defensive sorties as needed.

Departure to British West Florida

By July of 1778, the Waldeck regiment was mustered, and preparations began for the regiment to embark for British West Florida. Many of their personal belongings were stored in the regimental baggage house in New York, which had to be loaded for transport. The regiment was loaded into four ships: Springfield (staff, 3rd Company), Britannia (2nd, 5th Company), Crawford (4th Company), and Christian (1st Company). They set sail for Pensacola, Florida, at the end of October, 1778.

Gulf Coast Campaign

Governor-General Bernardo de Gálvez

Upon arrival in British West Florida, the conditions described by General Campbell were miserable in Pensacola. The Waldeckers were meant to be sent to the Mississippi River, but a shortage of shipping made that impossible. The combination of the long sea voyage and the tropical climate led to deteriorating conditions for the Waldeckers. This was reflected in a disproportionately high death rate amongst the regiment, especially the 1st Company. General Campbell was ordered to defend Mobile, Pensacola, and other British settlements from the Spanish in New Orleans, led by Governor-General Bernardo de Gálvez.

Complications in defending continued to arise due to poor supply chains and the sudden death of the Indian Department Commissioner, Colonel John Stuart, in March of 1779. Tensions continued to arise at the Mississippi, as both the Spanish and British feared invasion from each other. Gálvez was concerned with the strength that the British were amassing in Pensacola with the arrival of the Waldeckers and Pennsylvania-Maryland Loyalists. Campbell was also moving most of his forces eastwards, towards the Mississippi, to strengthen Manchac (near modern-day Baton Rouge, LA) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Dickson.

Battle of Baton Rouge

On June 21, 1779, Spain declared war on England. The Spanish intended to leverage support from the Americans and French to drive the British from the American Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River area. Gálvez acted quickly, and by September 7, 1779, captured Fort Bute, which was a small stockade fort constructed by the British near Bayou Manchac. Lt. Colonel Dickson had considered the fort too dilapidated and indefensible by the time the Spanish declared war, so he amassed the majority of his force at Baton Rouge. The British constructed defenses and earthworks at Baton Rouge, and by the time of the arrival of Gálvez, were well entrenched.

Fort Bute was garrisoned by 21 Waldeck grenadiers, who surrendered promptly when confronted with an overwhelming Spanish force of over 1,400 regulars, militia, and native allies. In addition, several British supply vessels (one containing about 55 Waldeck soldiers) were captured along the Amite River en route to Baton Rouge, unaware that Spain had declared war against England.

The Battle of Baton Rouge began on September 12 and lasted until September 21, 1779. The 9-day siege began after Gálvez continued upriver from the capture of Fort Bute. The British had spent six weeks constructing defensive field redoubts, which were garrisoned by approximately 400 men, comprising mostly Waldeckers, the 60th Royal Regiment, and a Royal Artillery detachment. Using diversionary tactics, Gálvez was able to maneuver militia to a grove of trees nearby the British fort, drawing fire as he set up his artillery in place.

By the early dawn of September 21, the Spanish artillery began to bombard the British fort at close range. Attempts by the British to retaliate against the artillery were unsuccessful, and after a 3-hour bombardment, the British forces surrendered. The terms of the articles of capitulation included the surrender of Fort Panmure (modern-day Fort Rosalie) in Natchez, which put the Spanish in a very advantageous position. Fort Panmure was a much better defensible position, and the surrender at Baton Rouge effectively gave Gálvez control of the entire Mississippi River area.

Siege of Fort Charlotte

Partial Reconstruction of Colonial Fort Conde

The Spanish forces continued their conquest eastward after the Battle of Baton Rouge, setting their sights on Mobile. While no Waldeckers were present at Fort Charlotte (Colonial Fort Condé in Mobile, AL), the surrender of Mobile was a significant blow to British control of the region.

Bernardo de Gálvez landed his troops at Dog River, just south of Mobile, with a superior force of approximately 1,200 men. From March 12–14, 1780, the Spanish forces besieged Fort Charlotte. The British defenders consisted of about 300 soldiers and militia, many of whom were un-uniformed or poorly equipped. Garrison commander, and former governor of British West Florida, Elias Durnford, surrendered Mobile after the Spanish bombardments had breached the walls of the fort on the day prior.

Battle at The Village

60th Regiment of Foot; The Battle of The Village 2026 Reenactment Photography by Michael Crawley

The Spanish had deemed Fort Charlotte indefensible after their siege had caused critical damage to the fort; therefore, they built a palisade fort and earthworks across the bay to defend Mobile from any advances made from Pensacola, which was still under British rule. The palisade fort was most likely constructed near ‘the point’ in modern-day Daphne, Alabama. The settlement in this area was known as “French Village” or just “The Village.”

The assault on the fort was initially supposed to be supported by two English frigates and a war bilander, but the shallow waters of the bay made the nautical support impossible. The Spanish palisade fort was garrisoned by approximately 150 men (consisting of regulars and militia), but the British forces are more difficult to quantify. General estimates indicate a widely varied force of approximately 60 men of the Waldeck 3rd Regiment, 100 from the 60th Regiment of Foot, 200 of the Pennsylvania-Maryland Loyalists, a couple dozen West Florida Royal Foresters, and 300 Indians of the Creek and Choctaw tribes (based on research by Jack D.L. Holmes and Albert W. Haarmann). The British forces were led by Colonel Johann von Hanxleden of the Waldeck 3rd Regiment—by most accounts, he was considered the most experienced commander in British West Florida at the time.

British forces arrived early in the morning and, under the cover of fog, were able to take the outer works of the Spanish defenses by the bayonet with very little resistance. However, the British were not able to sustain the initial momentum of catching their adversaries off guard. Colonel Hanxleden was killed during the assault, reportedly as the Waldeckers pushed into the Spanish works. The British forces were plunged into disarray, and subsequently, the attack failed.

Siege of Pensacola

The Siege of Pensacola was the final major engagement of the Spanish campaign to conquer West Florida from the British. The siege occurred for two months, between March 9 and May 10, 1781. Spanish forces under Bernardo de Gálvez, Governor-General of Louisiana, advanced against the heavily fortified British stronghold at Pensacola, which was defended by a system of redoubts, artillery batteries, and Fort George, the main citadel overlooking the town. The Spanish forces outnumbered the British by a very large margin, consisting of a combined force of approximately 7,000 Spanish soldiers and 3,000 French, American, and Native troops. The Spanish and French had complete naval authority in the harbor, with some estimates counting 15–17 ships (including ships-of-the-line, troop transports, and naval frigates).

The Waldeckers were significantly understrength during the Siege of Pensacola due to previous campaigns in West Florida, having lost many of their forces as prisoners of war or casualties. Most of the Waldeck soldiers were integrated into the outer works and redoubts of the British defenses.

Initially, the siege was hampered by difficult terrain, shortages, and intermittent British counterfire. However, the decisive turning point occurred on April 30, when Spanish artillery fire accidentally ignited the powder magazine in the British Queen’s Redoubt, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the position and resulted in 90 defenders killed and 46 wounded. This breach allowed Spanish troops to seize the redoubt and bring their guns closer to Fort George. With their defensive line compromised and under sustained bombardment, the British garrison under John Campbell capitulated on May 10, formally surrendering Pensacola and ending British rule in West Florida, securing Spanish control of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

For more detailed accounts, we highly recommend The 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment in the American Revolution by Bruce E. Burgoyne, and research by Albert W. Haarmann, Mike Bunn, and Jack D.L. Holmes.

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