Formation Unable to field sufficient numbers of soldiers to fight in the
American Revolutionary War, the British government hired German auxiliaries from
Hesse-Kassel,
Brunswick, and four other states in Germany. Patriots were angered by this policy and American propagandists made the most of their opportunity. Prompted by the controversy, the
Continental Congress determined to raise a unit from Americans of German descent. What became known as the German Battalion was authorized on 25 May 1776 as an
Extra Continental Regiment. Pennsylvania and Maryland each raised four companies from their ethnic German populations. Congress appointed
field officers from prominent figures in the German community.
Major Nicholas Haussegger of the
4th Pennsylvania Battalion was made
colonel in command of the battalion.
Captain George Stricker of Maryland was promoted
lieutenant colonel and Ludowick Weltner of Maryland was elevated to major. On 17 July the ninth company was recruited from Pennsylvanians at the urging of
George Washington as a way to employ
French and Indian War veteran
Lieutenant John David Woelper of the
3rd Pennsylvania Battalion. The German Battalion was assigned to the Middle Department on 27 June 1776. The unit organized at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the period 6 July to 25 September and it was assigned to the main army on 23 September. The five Pennsylvania companies came from the eastern part of the state.
Frederick and
Baltimore Counties in Maryland each provided two companies. A
Bernese Swiss veteran of the French and Indian War who settled in
Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Haussegger was promoted on 17 July 1776. Because he was serving in the north, he found out about his promotion in August and did not arrive in Philadelphia until October. The unit fought in the
Battle of Trenton on 26 December. Fermoy's brigade marched with the left column which was accompanied by
George Washington. When the column deployed for battle,
Hugh Mercer's brigade was on the right,
Adam Stephen and
Lord Stirling's brigades in the center and Fermoy's brigade on the left. Early in the combat, Washington moved Fermoy's brigade to the east to prevent the Hessian defenders from retreating north to
Princeton, New Jersey. When Hessian commander
Johann Gottlieb Rall attempted to break out to the north on the east side of town, Washington shifted Fermoy's brigade farther east to outflank Rall. Toward the end of the battle, Haussegger's men yelled in German to the Hessians to lay down their weapons and surrender. With Rall and many of their higher officers wounded, the Hessians soon capitulated. As New Years Day 1777 dawned, a reinforced American brigade took position behind a creek south of
Princeton, New Jersey, ready to block the advance of
Lord Charles Cornwallis' forces. Among the 1,000 Americans were Hand's riflemen, now called the
1st Pennsylvania Regiment,
Charles Scott's Virginia Brigade, the German Battalion, and six artillery pieces under
Thomas Forrest. During the morning hours, the Americans repulsed the 1st Light Infantry Battalion and two companies of Hessian
Jägers. It was necessary to commit British and Hessian grenadiers before the Americans pulled back. The British suffered most of the 140 casualties lost during the action. The German Battalion reported 410 officers and men present for duty that day. The next day, Cornwallis brought on the
Battle of the Assunpink Creek when he launched a major push with 8,000 troops and 28 guns. The alcoholic Fermoy abandoned his troops, leaving the capable Hand in charge. There was a clash at Little Shabbakunk Creek, where Cornwallis was forced to unlimber his artillery. As soon as British pressure became too great, Hand pulled back his men to a second blocking position. Later, they fell back to a third position at Stockton Hollow, outside Trenton. As dusk fell, superior British numbers forced Hand's troops into a hurried retreat through the town. During the withdrawal, the British captured Haussegger and some of his men near the lower fords of
Assunpink Creek.
Mark M. Boatner III wrote that the unit "disgraced itself". That evening, columns of British and Hessian troops tried to storm the bridge and the lower fords, but were stopped with heavy losses. Washington posted German Battalion at the bridge in the second line, behind Scott's troops. The next day, 3 January, the battalion was present at the
Battle of Princeton. By this time, the German Battalion shed its status as an Extra Regiment and was counted as part of two state establishments. One-half of the unit was credited to the
Maryland Line while the remaining half became part of the
Pennsylvania Line. When Washington began raising
Additional Continental Regiments he refrained from raising any in Maryland because of that state's responsibility to the German Battalion. Weltner became lieutenant colonel on 29 April 1777, replacing Stricker. On 9 April, two additional majors were added as Daniel Burchardt and George Hubley joined William Klein in that rank. On 22 May 1777, Washington assigned the German Battalion to the 2nd Maryland Brigade, then he quickly changed his mind and reassigned it to the 1st Virginia Brigade two days later. The unit would remain in the same brigade until the summer of 1778. which also included the
1st,
5th,
9th, and
13th Virginia Regiments. Muhlenberg's
8th Virginia Regiment was also known as the German Regiment. After
Sir William Howe's heavy column reached a position in the American right rear, Washington sent the divisions of
John Sullivan, Stephen, and Lord Stirling to block the thrust. After heavy fighting, Howe broke through, threatening to cut off the American retreat. In the crisis, Washington sent Greene's division to the right.
George Weedon's brigade marched east, then north to arrive near Dilworth about 6:00 PM. To expedite the move, Muhlenberg's brigade was ordered to take a different route. South of Dilworth, the 2nd Grenadier Battalion ran into Weedon's brigade and other troops and its commander
Henry Monckton had to call for assistance.
James Agnew's 4th British Brigade came up and one its units, the
64th Foot was roughly handled. Greene's division finally retreated into the night. Muhlenberg's brigade fought in the
Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777. Together with Weedon's Brigade, it formed Greene's 1,500-man division. Greene commanded the left wing, which included his own division, Stephen's 1,500-strong division, and
Alexander McDougall's 1,000-man Connecticut Brigade. Though the other regiments of the brigade are listed, the German Battalion is not mentioned. Stephen's division advanced on the right, Greene's took the center, and McDougall moved up on the left. Part of Muhlenberg's brigade penetrated as far as the Market House. But, caught by converging British units, the 9th Virginia was surrounded and captured. Francis B. Heitman showed the
6th Virginia Regiment in Muhlenberg's brigade at
Valley Forge, along with the German Battalion and the previously listed units. Lieutenant Colonel Weltner and Major Burchardt were listed as the field officers.
Monmouth to disbandment At the
Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, Weltner commanded the German Battalion. By this time, Muhlenberg's Virginia regiments were so shrunken that the 1st, 5th, and 9th Virginia were converged into a single tactical entity. The 1st and 2nd Virginia State Regiments also served in the brigade. The brigade numbered 1026 officers and men, but after detachments only 66 officers and 655 men remained. The others were parceled out to various light infantry detachments in the advance guard. The brigade arrived on the field after 6:00 PM and was not engaged. On 22 July, the battalion transferred to the 2nd Maryland Brigade. The unit was reassigned to Edward Hand's Brigade on 24 November 1778. However, Boatner's order of battle for the 2,500-man expedition only listed the 11th and
4th Pennsylvania Regiments in Hand's Brigade. On 8 October 1779, the German Battalion was detached from Hand's Brigade. The unit transferred to the New Jersey Brigade on 16 September 1780. The battalion disbanded at
Morristown, New Jersey and
Baltimore, Maryland on 1 January 1781. On this date D'Arendt was still colonel and Weltner was still lieutenant colonel. ==Service record==