Brunswick troops in the American Revolutionary War

At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Britain felt the need to augment her troops with German auxiliaries, as it had done in previous wars. Duke Charles I was the reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; his son and heir, Charles William Ferdinand, was married to Princess Augusta of Great Britain, the sister of George III. The Brunswick army had previously served alongside the British during the Seven Years' War (1756–63), successfully campaigning in the Low Countries, but had not been used since. Colonel William Faucitt, the British emissary, entered into negotiations with Brunswick, and the outcome was the first auxiliary troop treaty of the war between Great Britain and a German state. ==Treaty between Brunswick and Great Britain==

The treaty between Brunswick and Great Britain was ratified January 9, 1776. It stipulated that Brunswick would make a corps of 3,964 foot and 336 light horse available to Great Britain for service in Europe or America. The corps had to be properly officered, and the men ready for campaign service; the corps had to be fully equipped with the exception of the horses for the cavalry. The corps should be formed into five regiments and two battalions. Brunswick would maintain the number of men in the corps through annual recruitment if necessary. Britain would give the corps the same pay and allowances as enjoyed by British troops, and wounded soldiers would be treated in British military hospitals in the same way as British troops. As levy money Britain would pay 30 Banco-Thaler per man; the Thaler valued at 4 shilling, 9 3/4 pence sterling. For each man killed, or three man wounded, the same amount would be paid. For each year of service, Britain should pay 64,500 Banco-Thaler to the Duke of Brunswick. The total subsidies paid to Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel for these troops were 5,250,000 Banco-Thaler, or 750,000 pound sterling. In an appendix to the treaty between Great Britain and Brunswick, the number and composition of the troops to be raised were stipulated in detail: • General staff, 22 officers and other ranks. • Regiment of foot • Staff, 25 officers and other ranks. • Company of foot, 131 officers and other ranks. • With five companies, a regiment of foot contained 680 officers and other ranks. • Battalion of grenadiers • Staff, 8 officers and other ranks. • Company of grenadiers, 139 officers and other ranks. • With four companies of grenadiers, the battalion contained 564 officers and other ranks. • Regiment of dragoons • Staff, 24 officers and other ranks. • Company of dragoons, 78 officers and other ranks. • With four companies of dragoons, the regiment contained 336 officers and other ranks. • Light battalion • Staff, 11 officers and other ranks. • Company of chasseurs, 147 officers and other ranks. • Light company, 125 officers and other ranks. • With one company of chasseurs and four light companies, the battalion contained 658 officers and other ranks. ==Organization of the Brunswick Corps==

The peace-time military establishment of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel consisted of the regular Dragoon Regiment, Life Regiment, Regiment Prinz Friedrich, Regiment von Rhetz, Artillery Battalion and Corps of Engineers. Each of the three foot regiments had two battalions. In addition the reserve troops consisted of the Garrison Regiment, the Land Regiment (militia) and two invalid companies. Original organization in 1776 The Brunswick Corps contained four foot regiments, a grenadier battalion and a light battalion, as well as a dragoon regiment: The field regiments Prinz Friedrich and Riedesel and the Grenadier Battalion were raised from five musketeer companies and two grenadier companies from the regular regiment Prinz Friederich. The field regiments Rhetz and Specht came from five companies of the regular Regiment Rhetz as well from two companies from the Prinz Friedrich Regiment that had not already been used to raise the Prinz Friederich and Riedesel field regiments. The Light Infantry Battalion was created through drafts from the Life Regiment and from the companies of the Prinz Friedrich Regiment that remained at home. Its Jäger-company was to be raised from scratch, however, and was recruited from crack shots and woodsmen, mostly sons of state game keepers. Each regular company was divided in two, thus creating 28 field companies. The regular Dragoon Regiment Prinz Ludwig marched off in its entirety, although ten new dragoons had to be enlisted in each squadron. In this way 2,011 already serving NCO's and men were raised for the Brunswick Corps. Landeskinder (Brunswick natives) in the field regiments were as far as possible exchanged for soldiers enlisted outside the principality who served in the units that remained at home. To reach the stipulated strength of the Corps, another 2071 soldiers, servants and other support staff were recruited. At home, only the Life Regiment and the Artillery Battalion remained as regular units; the remaining companies of the Prinz Friedrich Regiment would reinforce the Land Regiment until the contingent in British service returned. Each field company would have four officers, a captain, a first lieutenant, a second lieutenant and an ensign. They were to be recruited from the regular regiments, with the exception of the Life Regiments. If necessary, retired officers could be used. Reorganization in Canada 1777 In the spring of 1777, as a preparation for the Saratoga campaign, a command for garrison duties that would remain in the winter quarters at Trois-Rivières, was created by detaching a company from each of regiments Prinz Ludwig, Prinz Friedrich, Riedesel, Specht, von Rhetz and the Hesse-Hanau Regiment Erbprinz and from the battalions von Breymann and von Barner. The "Canadian Command" contained 19 officers, 48 nco's and 600 private soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel von Ehrenkrook. Reorganization in Canada 1778 After the surrender at Saratoga in the fall of 1777 Ehrenkrook's Command and Regiment Prinz Friedrich, which had been left as garrison at Fort Ticonderoga with the British 53rd Foot, were the only Brunswick units that remained effective. It was determined that Prinz Friederich would be made complete through 450 new recruits that arrived from Germany, and that a new battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel von Ehrenkrook would be formed from the infantry and dragoons that had remained in Canada. The remaining old soldiers and new arrivals would be used to re-form the light battalion under Lieutenant Colonel von Barner. Reorganization in Canada, 1781 before they returned to Canada. As the Convention of Saratoga faltered, regular exchange of prisoners took place between the belligerents. About 440 exchanged soldiers from the Brunswick Corps were gathered in British-held New York City, where General Riedesel stayed on parole. When the general in was exchanged against three Patriot officers, he and the exchanged soldiers were returned to Canada where another reorganization took place in 1781. With the addition of fresh recruits from Germany, the original regiments would this time be restored to the greatest extent possible. Detached soldiers should return to their mother regiments, and new recruits who already in Germany had enlisted for specific regiments were to be enrolled in these. The Grenadier battalion was to weak to be restored, and its soldiers were used to create one incomplete grenadier company per musketeer regiment. ==Strength of the Brunswick Corps in British America==

The Brunswick Corps participated in the Siege of Ticonderoga, Battle of Bennington, Battle of Freeman's Farm, Battle of Bemis Heights. The corps, except Regiment Prinz Friedrich (remained at Fort Ticonderoga) and Battalion von Barner, surrendered at Saratoga and became prisoners of war in the Convention Army. ==See also==