Wayne Township Historical Society

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

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Educational Lecture April 9th, 2025

7 PM at Friedensburg Fire Company

"Hessian Prisoners in Pennsylvania"

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,

that 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. 

FREE admission and parking