Customer Reviews

A Hessian Diary of the American Revolution

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Great book to see what a soldier from the 'enemy' was experiencing. From the dull days ("Stood watch"), to days of battles and the deaths of commrades, it really gives a good insight as to the thoughts and daily rituals of someone who was there. An added bonus for me, living in New York, was the descriptions of the East Coast, from Virginia to Rhode Island, given by someone who stood here 225 years ago and marveled at America's bounty. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see what the "other side" saw.

When most people study the American Revolution they get only one side of the conflict. It is said that the victors of war write the history books and thus it sometimes is difficult to get a true picture of what really happened unless we weigh both sides in the conflict. Like Lt. Fredrick McKenzie's and Sgt. Roger Lamb's Diaries, this book gives the reader a view of the thoughts and experiences of the crown forces during the war. It is well written and Bruce Burgoyne does an excellent job crossreferencing other diaries as well. I really felt like I knew Dohla in the end and found it a very valuable research tool. I highly recommend this book to those interested in the history of both sides in the American Revolution and those interested in the contributions of the Hessian regiments.

This is a translation of a Diary of a Bayreuth soldier of the American Revolution written originally by Johann Conrad Doehla,
and translated into English by Bruce E, Burgoyne. This gives an
insight of the lifes of those German auxiliary soldiers who were hired by the British King George III to fight the American rebels. This man went through battles until the end at Yorktown,
became a prisoner, and noted down every days happenings. You'll
find the names of many deserting comrades who later served with
the Americans, and settled after the war in the new United States. This Diary in my opinion follows closely in quality the Diary written by the famous Baroness Friederike von Riedesel. In any event, anybody interested in the American Revolution history
will find this book most interesting.

This diary makes clear the miscoceptions and wrong ideas
about the hessian troops, the most significant that they were not
mercenaries, and they did not want to be in british service in the first place.The author gives excellent discriptions of events, and writes in such a way that the reader gets a very good picture of his personal life and character. He and his unit missed most important combat action, but the few they participated in, like the siege of yorktown, are described in immense detail. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in the daily life, opinions, and observations of a revolutionary war soldier.

This book is an interesting diary by a private in the German Bayreuth regiment, who served in America during 1777-1781. Dohla was captured at Yorktown, imprisoned in Maryland and not repatriated until 1783. Particularly poignant are examples of how German officers maintained brutal discipline and this brutality undermined morale. The diary is filled with desertion after desertion. Relations between British and German troops appeared decent. There is only limited discussion of combat operations in this account because Dohla's unit usually seemed to miss most actions for one reason or another, but there is plenty of skirmishing. Dohla's comments on America are interesting from the point of view of the common soldier. Unfortunately, there are no maps.