THE PENNSYLVANIA GERMANS IN HISTORY.
Political Influence of the Germans.--Not an office-holding
Class.--War between England and France.--German
Indifference.--Efforts to Anglicize the Germans.--The Germans During
the Revolution.--Favor Independence.--Germans Organize.--Prominent
in Furnishing Troops.--Mainstay of the Army.--Germans a unit for
Independence.--They raise a Battalion, before Independence is
Declared.
While the Germans never had any particular affection for English rule,
they nevertheless were always loyal to the authorities, notwithstanding
they were strong enough during several decades before the Revolution,
by making an alliance with the Quaker element to have wrested the
colony from British control. Such an alliance would not have been
difficult by reason of the well-known hostility of the Quakers to
the proprietary rule. But the Germans never had any ambition in that
direction. They cared little for political power, being content to
cultivate their fields, and enjoy the blessings of civil and religious
liberty, which was denied them in the land of their birth. They did
not aspire to political honors, and their names seldom appear in the
official lists of the provincial government. Their almost exclusive use
of the German language, also disqualified them from holding office.
They however by reason of their numbers exerted an important influence
in the colony, especially in the election of members of the Colonial
Assembly, as well as with regard to other elective officers, inasmuch
as their votes were in all cases cast as a unit for a single favorite
candidate. The only issue raised at the elections in those days was the
one, whether the representative of the proprietory government should
succeed, or the opposition candidate should carry off the honors. The
latter usually won, wherever the German vote predominated. Sauer’s
German paper was the only newspaper circulated among the Germans for
many years, and it controlled their political actions throughout. It
was conducted on similar lines to those of the partisan newspapers of
to-day. It was thoroughly anti-English in sentiment, and indulged
in vehement appeals to the prejudices of the Germans by making them
believe, that it was the purpose of the English to enslave them;
compelling their young men to become soldiers, thereby bringing up the
horrible recollections of the military bondage from which they fled
in their native land. Sauer’s paper taught the Germans to believe,
that the English were seeking to put burdens upon them, as great as
those which they had borne in the old country. The inculcation of such
beliefs, coupled with their numerical strength alarmed the English, and
caused them to fear, that the Germans would at a time not remote, give
them not only laws of their own making, but make the colony a German
province.
The English distrust of the Germans was heightened by the fact that
about the middle of the eighteenth century, while Great Britain was at
war with France for the conquest of Canada, the Germans were reluctant,
and in some instances absolutely refused to serve as soldiers,
manifesting no small amount of hostility to the British cause; while
the French looked to them for aid and encouragement in their struggle
with the British. The Germans made no secret of their sentiments, that
it did not matter much to them under whose authority they lived, so
long as they were not molested in the enjoyment of their property, and
their personal freedom.
But later when the conditions had changed, and the French became the
aggressors, in threatening the colonies by making war against them, the
Germans made up for their former indifference, by enlisting in large
numbers to defend the colonies against their hereditary enemies.
Various schemes were proposed to overcome the influence of the
Germans by the English. Among other things it was suggested, to
disfranchise them, from having any voice in the election of members of
the Colonial Assembly, pending a period during which they should be
taught the English tongue. For that purpose it was proposed to support
Protestant ministers and school teachers among them, to the end that
they should become English. The schemes suggested were never carried
into execution; so the Germans failed to become Anglicized, and the
descendants of thousands of them continue to be German at this day.
To arrest the coming of so many Germans in some degree, the Assembly
passed a tax of twenty shillings a head on each newcomer, but it had no
effect in preventing them from coming.
The large influx of Palatines gave James Logan, the secretary of the
province much apprehension and annoyance. He feared that their numbers
would in time result in the colony being lost to the British crown.
Logan’s apprehensions were prophetic! All the colonies were wrested
from the crown in later years, and no people rendered more invaluable
services in that behalf, than the Germans of Pennsylvania.
The prejudice of the English against the Germans was shared by even
so eminent a statesman and philosopher as Benjamin Franklin. From
a letter written by him to Peter Collinson an English botanist and
natural philosopher, in 1753, it would seem as if the latter had been
also apprehensive about the large German immigration in Pennsylvania,
and had conveyed his views to Franklin in a letter to which the latter
replied as follows:
“I am perfectly of your mind, that measures of great temper are
necessary touching the Germans, and am not without apprehensions
that, through their indiscretion, or ours, or both, great disorders
may one day arise among us. Those who come hither are generally the
most stupid of their own nation, and as ignorance is often attended
with great credulity, when knavery would mislead it, and with
suspicion when honesty would set it right; and few of the English
understand the German language, so that they cannot address them
either from the press or pulpit, it is almost impossible to remove
any prejudice they may entertain. The clergy have very little
influence on the people, who seem to take pleasure in abusing and
discharging the minister on every trivial occasion. Not being used to
liberty, they know not how to make modest use of it. They are under
no restraint from ecclesiastical government; they behave however,
submissively enough at present to the civil government, which I wish
they may continue to do, for I remember when they modestly declined
intermeddling with our elections; but now they come in droves and
carry all before them, except in one or two counties. Few of their
children in the country know English. They import many books from
Germany, and, of the six printing houses in the province, two are
entirely German, two half German, half English, and but two are
entirely English. They have one German newspaper, and one half
German. Advertisements intended to be general, are now printed in
Dutch, (German) and English. The signs in our streets, (Phila.,) have
inscriptions in both languages, and some places only in German. They
begin of late, to make all their bonds and other legal instruments in
their own language, (though I think it ought not to be), are allowed
good in courts, where the German business so increases, that there
is continued need of interpreters, and I suppose in a few years,
they will also be necessary in the Assembly, to tell one-half of our
legislators, what the other half says. In short, unless the stream
of importation could be turned from this to other colonies, as you
very judiciously propose, they will soon outnumber us, that all the
advantages we have, will, in my opinion, be not able to preserve our
language, and even our government will become precarious.”
Some of the adverse criticisms in the foregoing letter are manifestly
unjust; but as they were made to harmonize with English sentiment,
there may have been an element of policy in them, as Franklin was at
that time an attache of the proprietary government, and supplicant for
royal favor. The letter also bears on its face its own contradiction
in some essential particulars. The statement that the Germans “import
many books from Germany,” which they are presumed to have read, does
not bear out the statement that they were “the most stupid of their
nation,” which contradiction is emphasized by the fact, as asserted
by Franklin that out of the six printing houses in the province, the
English had only two; the Germans two, and the remaining two were half
German, and half English.
A people among whom printing houses, books, and newspapers abound, can
safely be accredited with a fair amount of intelligence, although they
may have obtained the inspiration of their knowledge from German books
and German newspapers.
There is no doubt that Franklin thought better of his German
fellow-citizens and compatriots, when in less than a quarter of a
century later they stood shoulder to shoulder with him in the cause of
American independence.
THE GERMANS IN THE REVOLUTION.
When the first murmurings of discontent, which later culminated in
open revolt, were heard throughout the colonies, the Germans of
Pennsylvania were among the first to place themselves in harmony with
those ideas, which determined the colonies in favor of independence.
Even some time before separation had been determined upon, the Germans
were active among their countrymen in their efforts to promote that
step. It required a great deal of resolution on their part to espouse
such a policy at that time, with the formidable influences opposed to
them. The government of the colonies was in the hands of the royal
representatives of the British crown; these sustained intimate personal
and social relations with leading colonists, some of whom supported
the royal authority, while others were resisting British aggression,
but were not decided in favor of separation at that early stage. The
English ties of blood no doubt kept many patriots from favoring
extreme measures, before independence was declared, but the Germans
were not influenced by any such considerations. They had inherited
a fierce hatred of oppression in their native country, and they had
no sympathy with a temporizing policy, and declared in favor of
independence long before the events of Lexington and Bunker Hill.
The Germans of Pennsylvania exerted a potent influence, not only in
bringing their own colony to the side of independence, but they were
actively employed in influencing their countrymen in the other colonies
to take a similar step. They put themselves in communication with
the German settlers everywhere, and urged upon them to espouse the
cause of separation and freedom; and by the time that the first gun
of the Revolution was fired, the Germans in all the colonies were in
line against the British government. In Pennsylvania they became the
mainstay in furnishing troops to fill the quotas of its regiments, and
from their ranks came many officers who gained honorable distinction
during the war. Many had been soldiers in their native country, where
they fought against oppression, while others inherited the spirit of
freedom from their fathers, who had felt the hand of persecution in
other lands.
The historian has faithfully chronicled the distinguished services
rendered by all classes during the Revolution, with the exception of
the invaluable services of the Germans of Pennsylvania; their services
have been dismissed with curt brevity. Even Bancroft in his history of
the Revolution passes them by in the following words: “The Germans who
constituted a large portion of the population of Pennsylvania were all
on the side of freedom.”
The importance which was attached to the influence which the Germans
might exert, in the event of hostilities between the colonies and
the British crown is shown, upon the occasion when Franklin appeared
before the British ministry, urging the repeal of the Stamp Act, and
of other oppressive measures. He was asked how many Germans there
were in Pennsylvania at that time. He replied that not less than
one-third of the population, and probably more, as he had no means to
tell accurately. He was then asked whether any of them had served as
soldiers in the European wars; to which he replied, that they had not
only been soldiers in Europe, but that many of them had served in the
colonial wars. The ministry also wanted to know whether the Germans
were as much dissatisfied with the stamp tax, as the English born
citizens; to which his reply was that they were even more hostile to
it. If this colloquy had any significance at that time, it must be
construed to have meant, that the English had a wholesome dread of the
Germans in the event of an open rupture, between the mother country and
her colonies. Whatever the moving cause may have been, the Stamp Act
was repealed.
As early as 1772 the German residents of Philadelphia, who at that
time exercised a controlling influence in business and civic affairs,
organized an association under the name of “The Patriotic Society of
the City and County of Philadelphia.” The purpose of this society
was to make ready for the struggle which the Germans regarded as
inevitable. In 1774 after the threat had been made by the British
ministry, of closing the Boston harbor, and indicating the intention
of a resort to force, to crush the revolutionary spirit manifested by
the Massachusetts patriots, a meeting was called by leading Germans of
Philadelphia to consider the threatening situation, at which meeting
a “Correspondence Committee” was appointed, the duty of which was to
correspond with the Germans of other colonies, urging upon them to
organize, so as to be ready for the conflict, which to their minds
could not be much longer delayed.
In the Provincial Assembly which was held in the same year, to consider
the condition of affairs, the German element was strongly represented,
and their views received earnest and careful consideration. Among the
Germans who occupied seats in that convention were such prominent
representatives as Christopher Ludwig, George Schlosser, Adam Hubley,
Jacob Barge, from Philadelphia; Matthias Schlauch, Moses Erwin, Joseph
Ferree, and George Ross, from Lancaster county; Christopher Schultz,
and Jonathan Potts from Berks county; Peter Keichlein and Jacob Arndt,
from Northampton county, and Casper Weitzel from Northumberland county.
In the convention which met in January following, the Germans were
still more largely represented. This convention declared in favor
of the utmost resistance, against any further British insolence and
tyranny, and issued a call for a Colonial Congress.
The Germans residing in the colonies of New York and North Carolina,
were undecided at first with regard to taking sides, before the
actual breaking out of hostilities, until they were appealed to by
their kinsmen in Pennsylvania by means of correspondence, and also
by messengers sent among them, to urge them to go with the Germans
of the rest of the colonies. A pamphlet was written and published by
the “Correspondence Committee,” which was especially designed for the
Germans of New York, and North Carolina, in which it was set forth,
that the Germans of Pennsylvania had learned with satisfaction, that
the people without regard to race, creed, or former nationality;
whether rich or poor, had given their unqualified approval, to the acts
of their Congress, and that the Germans especially, everywhere were
taking measures, to have the militia put in shape, and were forming new
military organizations, so that they should be ready to march wherever
they should be needed in the event of war, and urging upon those
Germans that could not enlist for any reason, to contribute to the
patriot cause according to their ability.
The pamphlet went on further to state, that they were grieved to learn,
that there were numbers of Germans, in various parts of New York,
and many in North Carolina, who were indifferent to the cause for
which their kinsmen had enlisted and were preparing elsewhere. That
the efforts of the Germans in Pennsylvania proved successful is not
doubted, for after the first shedding of blood at Lexington, there were
no Germans in any of the colonies, that did not espouse the cause of
the patriots in behalf of freedom.
In May 1776 before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence the
Continental Congress determined to raise a battalion for immediate
service, and called upon Pennsylvania and Maryland to furnish four
companies each. On July 17, following Pennsylvania reported--not
only with the required four companies--but with five full companies,
enlisted from the Germans. The greater number of the Maryland companies
raised for this battalion were also recruited from the Germans. Every
officer of the battalion was a German. Soon after its formation it took
the field, and rendered conspicuous service at a critical period during
the early part of the war.
As there are no doubt many descendants of the rank and file of this
battalion, still living throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland, the
names of its commissioned officers are here given: Colonel, Nicholas
Hausseger; Lieut. Col., George Striker; Major, Ludwig Waltner;
Adjutant, Louis von Linkendorf. The Captains and Lieutenants of each
company follow in the order of their rank: (1) Daniel Burkhard,
Friederich Rollwagen, George Habacker; (2) Philipp Grebel, Johann Lora,
Christian Meyers; (3) George Hubley, Peter Boyer, Johann Laudenberger;
(4) Heinrich Fister, Karl Balsel, Michael Boyer; (5) Jacob Bunner,
Wilhelm Rice, George Schafer; (6) George Kieport, Jacob Kotz, Adam
Smith; (7) Benjamin Weiser, Jacob Bower, Friederich Heiser; (8) W.
Heiser, Samuel Gerock, Wilhelm Ritter; (9) Daniel Woelper, Bernhard
Hubley, Philipp Schrader.
There was one piece of ill-luck which came to this battalion. Some
complaint was made against its Colonel, under the pressure of which he
resigned and afterward turned traitor to the cause of the patriots. His
successor was Baron von Arendt, who afterwards resigned on account of
ill-health, after which Major Waltner succeeded to the command. In the
following September the battalion was ordered to join Washington’s army.
The cause of the patriots did not look very promising at this time. The
British had possession of New York; New Jersey was wholly defenceless;
Philadelphia was threatened, and a large and influential party of
Tories was watching for an opportunity to strike the patriots in
the rear. The leaders were disheartened, Washington’s army was not
much more than a ragged mob of undisciplined, “uncouth, intractable
ploughboys and farmers.” Many of the German officers had experience as
soldiers in their native country, and they became useful in helping to
establish discipline, and in making the army fit to fight.
The German battalion participated in the affair at Trenton in December
1776, which inspired the army with confidence, and the people with
hope; it was at Princeton; with Washington at the ill-fated fields of
Brandywine and Germantown, and spent the terrible winter of 1777-1778
at Valley Forge. The deeds and sufferings of this German battalion
furnish a proud memorial of the German soldiers of the Revolution, and
it is hoped that some one with the laudable inclination, and access to
such of its history as may be yet preserved, will give to the world
a faithful account of its heroic deeds, on many a battlefield of the
Revolution. Many German soldiers also served in other commands, and
it is a matter of history that Washington greatly relied on their
fidelity, no matter in what situation they were placed. If we will scan
the lists of company, regimental and brigade officers of the commands
from Pennsylvania, we will find them bristling with German names.
It is generally believed that the German Quakers, Mennonites, and
Moravians held entirely aloof from the struggle for independence, on
account of their religious faith against bearing arms. This is no
doubt true of all those who remained loyal to their sect, but there
is authority for the statement, that not a few young Quakers, and
Mennonites, did enlist and fight with the patriots for freedom. All
such however either voluntarily withdrew from their church, or were
shut out from all fellowship with it.
Before the Revolution many German Catholics had settled in
Pennsylvania, and they were prompt in enlisting on the side of freedom,
and their blood mingled with their Protestant compatriots on many a
sanguinary field of the Revolution.
In the German Catholic emigration to America, may be found an argument
showing that the direct cause of the great exodus of Germans to
America was not altogether the result of religious persecution, but
rather the desire to get away from the incessant European wars and its
desolations. It was not an unusual thing during the later years of
the German emigration, for the Protestant and the Catholic, to cross
the ocean in the same ship, and upon their arrival settle in the same
neighborhood, and in later years fight side by side in the cause of
civil liberty.
* * * * *
The just tribute to which the Germans of Pennsylvania are entitled for
their invaluable services, during the Revolutionary War has never been
duly chronicled, and it may be hoped that with the revival of interest
in their history through the Pennsylvania German Society, that some
chronicler will some day do them full justice.
GERMAN MERCENARIES.
There is a popular belief among some people, that the Hessian
mercenaries brought here by the British government to fight the
Americans, remained here after the war was over, and that their
descendants constitute a considerable element of the Pennsylvania
Germans of to-day. Comparatively few remained here after the war,
because the British government was under contract to return such as
escaped the casualties of the war, after it was over. The few that
remained made good citizens, as they made the very best soldiers
against the Americans, and whenever it was practicable to do so, they
were put in the most responsible places by the British commanders. The
intense hatred at one time, against the so-called Hessian soldiers,
some of which still lingers with the present generation is very unjust,
because they did not volunteer to fight against the Americans, but
they were forced into the British service, by the impecunious German
princes who sold them to the British like so many slaves. The Hessian
soldiers would sometimes take a notion to desert, and they invariably
found refuge among some of the German colonists. A considerable number
of them were left behind from time to time on marches, on account of
sickness or wounds; these always found a ready welcome among the German
settlers; few of them ever found their way back to their native land.
While all the German mercenaries are known as Hessians, they were not
all subjects of the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, although the larger
portion of them were furnished by that prince. The first contingent
of German mercenaries was made up as follows: The Landgrave of
Hesse-Cassel, furnished 12,104; the Duke of Brunswick 4,084; Prince
of Hesse 663; Prince of Waldeck 670, a total of 17,521, for which the
several princes received $30 for each man. Later there were additional
troops furnished by the German princes, some of whom came from
Anspach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst. Authorities do not agree as to
the exact number of mercenaries furnished by the German princes. The
German historian Frederick Kapp, who is said to have investigated the
question closely, places the entire number at 29,166. Kapp informs us
that 17,313 returned to their native land after the war, which would
leave 11,853 unaccounted for in America. From this number there must be
taken the casualties of war, which must have been exceedingly large,
because they had to do their campaigning in a new, and for a great part
in a wild country, in some parts of which pestilential fevers carried
the soldiers off much faster, than the bullets of the enemy. There were
none of the sanitary conditions of an army in those days, to guard the
health of soldiers, which prevail nowadays. Military surgery had made
little progress, so that the percentage of deaths among the wounded
was much larger than it is in modern times. From these conditions a
calculation based on the casualties of our Civil War, will enable one
to form an approximate idea of the casualties of the Hessian soldiers
in the Revolution. According to such an estimate, the losses of the
Hessians from all causes could not have fallen short of 5,000, leaving
less than 7,000 who remained in America, some of whom settled in the
Canadian provinces, but the majority of them settled in the states of
New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North, and South Carolina.
It is interesting to note, that appeals were made by the British
government to some of the other European sovereigns for hireling
soldiers, to fight against the Americans, besides the German princes
herein mentioned. Holland and Russia were both appealed to, but their
rulers refused to entertain the proposition. Frederick the Great
was also approached upon the subject of hiring his soldiers, but he
not only declined the tempting offer of $30 a head for them, but he
prohibited, any of the hireling soldiers of the other German princes,
to go through his territory on their way to the seaports, whence they
were to embark for America.
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