Coins of the Hessians in the American Revolution

For some odd reason back on the 4th of July, I started thinking about the German "Hessian" mercenary troops, with their unusual cone shaped brass helmet hats and handlebar mustaches, that King George III of England hired in 1776 and 1777 to help put down the rebellion in the American Colonies. With that, I began wondering what coins these troops might of brought with them on their sea voyage over to the 13 American Colonies.

I have often found the Hessian soldiers of the American Revolution to be somewhat of a bizarre, mysterious, and yet facinating footnote of Revolutionary war. In reality, the combined total of 30,000 Hessian soldiers sent to North American were hardly a footnote. Hessian soldiers were present more frequently than even British units in the many battles against the American colonists during the war.

Anyway, back to the coins. Where were these Hessian soldiers from? The largest of the group came from the German State of Hesse Cassel; hence the nickname Hessian. The second largest of the group was from the German state of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Other units came from Hesse Hanau, Waldeck, Ansbach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst.

Each of these German States did strike coins of many different types and denominations during this time period of 1775-1783. Many of these coins bear symbols and designs which also adorned the Hessian soldier's flags, uniforms, and brass helmet hats such as striped lions, horses, crowns with initials, etc. Actual uniform pieces are extremely rare and unaffordable, but the German state coins of the period by and large are not.

One popular, yet expensive, German state coin of the period that collectors have talked about and collected is the so called "Blood Thaler", and even the 1/2 thaler, of Hesse Cassel struck in 1776. These were also struck in 1778 and 1779, but in my research none of these coins have been found in Hessian soldier campsites in North America.

My desire is to find out what exactly they brought over and used. Most likely the small change they brought over would have been struck prior to 1776-1777 and would have been small billon and copper denominations. Also it is possible that they exchanged their German coins for British coins and paper script\currency.

I have started looking for archaelogical excavation reports online, as well as searching metal detecting forums for German coins that have been found at colonial sites and revolutionary war campsites. So far not a whole lot has turned up. However, it does appear that several small denomination Hesse Cassel Heller and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel pfenning coin varieties, dated in the 1740s through 1760s time frame based on the coin descriptions, have been found at some New York area Revolutionary War campsite locations.

If any of you have more information on archaeological coin finds of 18th century German State coinage in North America or other details about coins of the Hessian soldiers please post it here. Thank you.

 

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My family(German) came to an area south of now York PA. in 1756-57.
Quite a bit of Spanish-Mexican coin was used,
But I still wonder what was in his pocket.

 

I wonder when the soldiers were stationed here, were their german coinage was accepted easily from the locals?

 

My (six greats) grandfather came to America with the Hessians as a boy who cared for horses. He deserted. In my way of thinking, I assumed that the Hessians would either have been paid on account (promises to be paid in their money on return) or in king George's money rather than in German money while actually on British/American soil. I could see there being small change brought over by individuals but would not expect to find much in gold/silver. It would be interesting to know if the German coin finds were alone or mixed with Spanish or other types.

 

Yes, I also think that the soldiers from Hessen-Kassel and other countries (seven HRE countries did that) who were "sold" to the British would then be paid using British money. Of course they may have had some "local" money with them too, and that may indeed have been difficult to use.

How was that dealt with on the "other side"? The French did the very same thing for the American forces, and many of their mercenaries in the War of Independence were from the Duchy of Pfalz-Zweibrücken ...

Christian

 

Most colonial coinage was the coinage that powered world trade during the 18th-century. So in most archeological digs, you find a predominance of Latin American silver, and state-issued coins: Dutch, French, and of course British. Rarely do you find coins of the German states, but they do occur.

Last week I visited Colonial Williamsburg and picked up the only numismatic book in the entire gift shop, 'The Coins of Colonial America", by Joseph L. Lasser et al, 1997. I didn't expect much from the book but it turned out to be surprisingly detailed and informative.

The description of coin 62 from this volume has something you might be interested in...

"62. Württemberg Carolin, 1735, with "S" mintmark.
On the obverse appears the head of Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and on the reverse, the Württemberg coat of arms surrounded by the Order of the Golden Fleece. Several German states issued these carolins in the 1730's. They were debased coins of only .770 gold content, not the usual .900 to .920 of other coins. Visibly larger than the .900-.920 coins, they contain approximately the same net amount of gold as their smaller brethren. Carolins did not successfully circulate in Europe because of their debased gold content; as a consequence, a sizable percentage were melted down. These coins carry considerable historical importance because they were used to pay the Hessian officers who commanded the Hessian mercenary troops employed by the British Crown to fight in the American Revolutionary War."

Now, where the authors got that bit of information is unknown. It's the sort of thing I would have referenced with a footnote. Are there some military documents or archeological data that confirm it?

 

My understanding is that the British Crown had to borrow money to pay the Hessians, so it doesn't necessarily follow that they were paid in British currency. Britain was experiencing a severe silver shortage at this time, and a substantial amount of the coins circulating in the colonies was not British.

Perhaps the Crown made arrangements with the various German princes in charge of the Hessians, to pay them in German coin? And the Crown would repay the debt by other means?

 

Interesting topic.

 

I don't know for sure, but I feel like the soldiers may have been paid by their own countries. I think the British hired the mercenaries from the German princes, not individually. The small German states earned income by hiring out their armies to other powers when they weren't at war themselves. I'd guess the British paid the princes and the princes paid the soldiers.

 

The interesting point to me was that Hessians were not individual mercenaries but units assembled by senior officers by whatever means necessary. Individual soldiers were not necessarily paid in cash while in America but their needs were provided including the promise that they would be disciplined or executed if they did not obey every command. When in America, the individual was offered a plot of 50 acres if they would desert and become Americans. Prisoners of War taken were put to work as farm labor. The incentive not to desert would be that they could never return to their homeland but impressed mercenaries are not known for being the most loyal troops. It is currently in fashion to downplay these stories of desertions by those applying modern standards to the point that we now question everything. I found the following interesting:
http://www.americanrevolution.org/hessians/hess24.html

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Interesting info. One of my ancestors was supposedly a Hessian who switched sides, but I've never been able to find any evidence of it. All I know is that people in the family believed it, as I have found stories about his grandchildren which mentioned it.

 

Yes, this was pretty common then. Pretty much all those mercenaries were sent to North America based on contracts that their governments had with the British side or with the French/American side. Was a fairly normal way, for the rulers in those days, to make money. So mercenaries from what today is called Germany fought on either side of the Revolutionary War, depending on who "bought" and sent them ...

Christian

 

Here are some sources that I have found in my online research which mention Hessian coins that were found at various Colonial Revolutionary War sites:

Source 1: http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibits/search?words=hessian coin

No Image Available of the coins.

stamped: (6), on front of coin: "I/HELLER/SCHEID/.......TZ" (Hessian coin) stamped:
(7), on front of coin: "/SCHEID" (Hessian coin)

"These coins were excavated by the Field Exploration Committee at British Revolutionary War sites in Washington Heights. Five of the Spanish coins were found on Fort Washington Avenue, near the garrison camp of Fort Washington at 181st Street and Bennett Avenue. Three British and on Hessian coin were found in the military camp at 201st Street and 9th Avenue. Spanish coins were often used to pay Hessian soldiers."

Since no photos are available of the coins mentioned above, my guess is the source 1 coin is a similar to this one at:
http://www.poinsignon-numismatique....ii-1751-1760-1-heller-1755_article_71230.html



Source 2: http://books.google.com/books?id=ujAbAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=text

Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, Volume 21
By New York (State). Legislature. Assembly

This book provides descriptions of artifacts found in the vicinity of the garrison of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island, New York.

On Page 365:
"An Italian workman usually places an -extravagant value on finds of coins, and is secretive as to what he has found. Probably he assumes that the law relating to such discoveries is the same here as in his native country, and that the object may be taken from him if its discovery becomes known. Thus some interesting coins found at 176th Street were lost to sight. A local workingman once showed an unusual Saxon coin found "somewhere near 168th Street" which was almost ruined in character by being earned about in his pocket with other coins. It was inscribed " 12 Heller. Iteichstadt, Sach. B. V." with the date on reverse of 1767."

Since no photos are available of the coin mentioned above, my guess is the 1767 12 Heller mentioned is from the German state of Aachen (the Sach. B. V. may have been a misread of the ACHEN in the fifth line) and may be similar to this one at: http://www.aachen-muenzen.com/typen-aachener-münzen/heller/

-------------------------------------------------------------
On page 422:
"We next found a button of the 35th Regiment lying close to part of a sword-blade. The objects connected with these two regiments indicated the use of this part of the camp deposit or "dump" during the years 1777 and 1778. One little object which was at first supposed to be a button turned out on close examination to be a coin of one of the German States, which bore the words "Fennig Scheidemunze," the little coin being pierced with a hole, and probably having been used as a charm by some Hessian soldier, or perhaps a keepsake of the girl he left behind him in far Cassel."

Since no photos are available of the coin mentioned above, my guess is the Fennig mentioned above is from the German state of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel, as Hesse Cassel did not have a Pfenning denomination (Fennig Scheidemunze may be a misread of Pfenning Scheide Muntz) and might be similar to this one at:
http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/mon...nbuttel_1749_1_pfennig_vf/381773/Default.aspx
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On Page 483:
"Several English coins of the period of William III, of George II and of George III, were found near the two cedar trees at the extreme end of the Point. In the river bank a few yards north of these two trees, the complete bowl of a white clay pipe, bearing an English crown and other ornamentation, was unearthed, and at the same spot was found a Hessian coin known as a Heller, near a large Spanish silver coin, while a smaller Spanish silver piece was found about sixty yards to the north. Near the little house once occupied by Mrs. Rowley, a cannon ball was dug out of the river bank."

Source 3: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/318232-1742-4-heller.html

A 1742 4 Heller of Hesse Cassel found at an undisclosed Colonial site.

 

Here is another source about Hessian and their coins, but it doesn't say specifically what type of thalers these were (presumably pre 1776 Hesse Cassel Thalers): http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?416,318393,318393#msg-318393

HAUPT\HOUP\HOUCK, Arnold~ Broad Top's Hessian Soldier

In October 1775 Hoap was notified by the authorities that he was one of the men that was to be sent to America to help the British fight their battles. One month only was allowed him to be ready to start and leave his native country to which he never returned, he left in November of that year. A sad farewell (can’t read??) he left his home and the family - young Houp’s kind mother sewed 3 pieces of money in the lining of is uniform, this money was called Thaler. We will show hereafter what particular use he made of this money and how in a time of great need he kept the wolf want from his door, in his new home on Broad Top. He landed in New York early in August 1776 and had his first taste of war in America in the battle of Long Island, on the 27th of that same month under De-Heisier*the Regiment von Lossberg (Heusser), the Hessian, Commander in which the Americans lost 5 to 1.

 

Cool thread!

 

Really interesting read (although outside my historical period of knowledge or interest). Good stuff.

guy

 

Thank you for this great thread wich I enjoyed reading very much. I am afraid I can not contribute much besides from posting a link to a german tv- show from 1976, wich was about the Hessians in America. The tv- film was in fact the adaption of a much rewarded bestselling novel, so you can see that this particular part of german- american history is well preserved in peoples mind " over here " as well :

 

An old legend of post-Revolution and early 19th century America was the presence of buried "Hessian gold",

Various stories were circulated to explain such hoards.

Some people claimed they could locate the treasures by using magic.

 

Particularly fascinating, one of my direct ancestors was indeed a Hessian mercenary that didn't find his way back to Germany when the war ended. The apocryphal story that they were offered 50 acres and American citizenship could well explain why he stayed on in America and kissed Germany "auf wiedersehen". He settled in Pennsylvania after the war. Other ancestors fought on the American side, one was killed in a battle in May of 1780. So far as I know I have no ancestors other than my Hessian one that fought on the British side. My wife's ancestors were Tories and fled to Lower Canada ca. 1779.

People these days do not realise how indifferent the majority of the population was to the American Revolution. It is believed about 40% of people were in favour of American independence, about 40% were pro-British(Tory) and the other approximately 20% didn't care one way or the other.