Defeat, Disaster, and Dedication

$18.00

The two diaries contained in this volume were written by Lieutenant Jakob Piel of the Hesse-Cassel von Lossberg Regiment and Captain Andreas Wiederhold of the Hesse-Cassel von Knyphausen Regiment. Their careers in America paralleled each other for a part of the war: they were both members of Colonel Johann Rall's Brigade which suffered a humiliating defeat at Trenton, and both set sail from New York to Canada in 1779 in a fleet which lost ships not only to hurricanes but also to American privateers, and which did not reach Canada until the following year. Thus, the book's title: Defeat (at Trenton), Disaster (at sea), and Dedication (demonstrated by the officers continuing to perform their duties and fulfill the obligations of their positions). The two men were different enough that their accounts, while agreeing on the main facts, offer different views, interests, and emphasis on their military experiences in America. Mr. Burgoyne is a recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Revolution Roundtable of Philadelphia.

 

Bruce E. Burgoyne

 

(1997), 2008, 5½x8½, paper, index, 158 pp.

ISBN: 9780788407154

101-B0715