Wayne Township Historical Society

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Schuylkill County History Fair

Febuary 8th, 2025

Fairlane Village Mall

"Hessian Prisoners in Pennsylvania"

7 PM at Friedensburg Fire Company

guest speaker Michael Jesberger

The program focuses on how the Continental Army delt with enemy prisoners captured in battle

and uses eyewitness accounts to highlight some of the experiences of German as well as British

prisoners of war during the American Revolution in the Pennsylvania region.

Between 1776 and 1783, Britian employed at least 30,000 German soldiers in its quest to put

down the American rebellion. The rulers of six German territories within the Holy Roman

Empire hired out these troups in exchange for subsidy payments. By 1781, more than one third

of the British army's strength in North America consisted of soldiers that soon became

known as the "Hessians" regardless of place of origin.

These troups, which were accompanied by hundreds of cilvilans, including women and children,

produced a wealth of private and public records that offer unique perspectives on American

society during the revolutionary period. Based on these German-authored accounts, the

lecture will also highlight some of the experiences of the German auxilliaries in the

War for American Independance.