Aumann Chronik_englisch_neu_Layout 1

Johann Heinrich Aumann a German Immigrant.1
Written by Dieter Aumann
The German roots of the Aumann males had been researched by Genealogists in America.2 The history of the German
emigrants is based on documentation from Germany where it was stated that Georg Heinrich, born Mar 28, 1755 in
Babenhausen, was the son of Johann Phillip Aumann and Anna Magdalene Breitwieser of Kleestadt. They got married
on Feb 24, 1752 and are considered the founders of the line of Aumann males in America. This assumption, however,
proved to be wrong since Georg Heinrich never had the intention to leave his country. According to the registry book
of the church in Babenhausen he married Friederike Schoefel on Apr 03, 1783 who gave birth to his first child named
Anna Catharina. Sadly, the mother died shortly after giving birth and Georg Heinrich remarried the same year on Dec 28,
1784 a Margaretha Seliger who gave birth to four more children, three of which were sons. Their male ancestors were
the creators of the entire Hergershaeuser-Aumann family line.
Discrepancies in genealogy are a common occurrence especially when the information is not from within. In some cases
personal insight into the Registry books of the churches is not permitted and therefore the information given by pastors
or other related persons is unreliable. Research in genealogy is very time consuming and often on a voluntary basis which
frequently leads to lack of accuracy.
1 All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written
permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
2 Journal of the Johannes Schwalm Association, Volume 5, Nr.4, dated 1996 by M. A. Schwalm.
Translated by Elke Hinrichsmeyer-Boaz
Layout by Heike Heseler
1
Only a few pages after mentioning Georg Heinrich, the
Babenhausen church register proves the birth of Johann
Heinrich on Aug 01, 1756, the youngest son of seven
children emerging from the marriage of Philipp Nicolaus
Aumann and Anna Catharina Mueller. According to his
military mustering in the courtyard of the Babenhausen
castle, he was a Protestant, a remarkable 5 foot and seven
inches tall and he had five siblings. His total assets were
100 Gulden. The age of his father at the time was 65
and that of the mother was 56. His father held several
properties in Babenhausen and Harreshausen. These
statistics are proven to be reliable.
Castle of Babenhausen
Speculations by the Schwalm Association, why the emigrant called himself Johann Heinrich in America when he was
listed in the Babenhausen Church Registry as Georg Heinrich became obsolete since his name in both countries was
Johann Heinrich Aumann3.
The chapter in the Aumann Chronicle referring to the sons of Alexander Aumann, already gives detailed information
on the hiring of soldiers to serve as mercenaries by the Counts of Hessen-Kassel and Darmstadt.4
3 Please note that Johann Heinrich was not the only Auman mercenary who served in the American War of Independence.
The Hedrina List shows two more males from the Auman line in upper Hessia.
4 Over 500 Years of Family History Aumann. Their Lives Influenced by the Events of Time. By Dieter Aumann. ISBN 3-00-008589-0
2
„Fat Freddy“ ...
Count Friedrich von Hessen-Kassel, nicknamed Fat Freddy by the
English people had a great need for additional revenue so he could
afford his elaborate palaces and numerous mistresses and their out
of wedlock children.
Of course, there was the rule by the English court, then headed by
King George III, that families support each other when in need.
But he also had great difficulty to recruit enough soldiers for the
revolutionary war in America since many families had relatives who
had emigrated to the New World. King George III was not a great
example of virtue and modesty. In his book “Gentleman Johnny
Burgoyne”, F. J. Hudleston remarked that the King was entertaining
numerous love affairs and that he was secretly married to the
beautiful Hannah Lightfoot.
Friedrich II from Hessia-Kassel.
Painting by J. H. Tischbein.
3
Johann Heinrich’s new and decisive life began in the courtyard of the Babenhausen castle where during his mustering he
was immediately enlisted and he entered the military barracks in Hanau on Feb 6, 1776 as a Musketeer. For his family this
only meant that some of the imposed annual duties were reduced or eliminated.
Thanks to Wilhelm Ziegler, a chronicler from Hanau who wrote several extensive volumes on the history of the city of
Hanau, we learn that all units were loaded onto seven passenger ships that were docked along the Main River near
Hanau on Mar 15, 1776. A parade viewed by the royals and a church service was their last farewell.
The journey set out on the Main and Rhine rivers traveling to Nimwegen, Holland where the newly trained soldiers swore
their loyalty to the English flag and King George III. The journey was broken up into three stages and the first stage alone
took almost half a year according to a report from Gottlieb Mittelberger5. The journey on the Rhine River required passing
almost 25 borders where each time the ships and passengers were searched. There were custom duties to be paid and
during the long waiting period new provisions had to be obtained. This journey on the Rhine River lasted on average 4
to 6 weeks and the same amount of time was needed for the journey from Holland to England. Due to the high cost of
custom duties, travel expenses and provisions, many of the passengers were running out of money before they left for
England.
The second part of the crossing was the journey from Rotterdam to an English port. New waiting periods, lasting two to
three weeks had to be endured due to delays in customs and unfavorable winds. Only then, after 14 weeks, began the
third episode of the journey which brought much suffering and hardship. For weeks the passengers on the overloaded
ships were crowded together without sufficient water and nourishment, eating mostly herring fish. No wonder that soon
many of the passengers fell ill and especially young children died in large numbers. According to Mittelberger 35 children
on his ship died during the crossing. Johann Heinrich’s ship on which he traveled along with several other young men
from Babenhausen and Hanau had similar adverse conditions and the fact that weapons and ammunition were also
loaded onto the ships made matters even worse.
5 Gottlieb Mittelberger journey to Pennsylvania in 1750 and his return to Germany in 1754. By Carl Theo and Eben.
4
Great danger was imposed by then prevailing storms which the poorly built and overloaded ships could barely
sustain. Huge waves which looked like mountains to the passengers were rocking and rolling and flooding the ships.
Mittelberger wrote that a tremendous fear overcame the emigrants and soldiers and loud screams and praying were
heard everywhere. The passengers were not prepared for such disaster and it took a chunk of luck to reach their new
homeland alive.
As the challenge was met with much sacrifice and death, a new task was awaiting them. Medical doctors had to
attest to the full health of the passengers before they were permitted to disembark. If the examination of the ship was
negative, the vessel had to drop anchor one mile away from the harbor and remain there until the disease was cured.
Arrival of British ships in the Quebec harbor.
Painting by Charles or his son Alfred William Warren.
5
The ship carrying the Hessian soldiers who went down in history
as “Hessians” arrived near Quebec, Canada on Jun 03, 1776 and
experienced a much faster processing. After all, they were desperately
awaited to fight the war that was provoked by the famous “Boston
Tea Party” in 1773.
Numerable ships loaded with soldiers crossed the Atlantic from 1776
to 1778, of which 29.875 mercenaries6 came from Old Germany.
The two regiments from Hessia-Kassel and Hessia-Hanau called
“Hessians”, made up approximately two thirds of the entire force.
Johann Heinrich was assigned to the regiment “Erbprinz” which,
along with the soldiers from Braunschweig were under the command
of General von Riedesel of Eisenbach whose company was headed by
Colonel von Gall.
Boston Tea Party.
In the archives of the town of Marburg we can find a complete list (Main list B) of the names of the 109 soldiers serving
in the company of Colonel Gall. Many names of families from Babenhausen und surrounding areas were found, as Kressel,
Aumann, Metzler, Gruner, Seibert, Heyl, Beck, Bender, Diehl, Will, Breitwieser, etc.
Among the list of soldiers was Heinrich Aumann who was assigned the number 93 and whose name was changed immediately
to Henry. Also, under the assigned number 86 we find a certain Ulrich Zeth from the town of Billings, Odenwald, whose
life story during the years of war and his settlement and family in Pennsylvania was already researched.
6 Pennsylvania German Pioneers, W.J. Hinke, Auburn, NJ
6
The 668 soldiers of the regiment named “Erbprinz” learned about General von Riedesel in the English harbor of Plymouth.
He had returned to England to discuss the military and strategic details with the English General and Commander
Sir John Burgoyne. After their arrival in Quebec the entire regiment entered a training camp in La Prairie near Montreal.
It was of great importance to combine the entire British force into a solid army. However, this consolidation was far
away from happening.
Sir John Burgoyne was in good standing with King George III and with his brilliant
action plan to defeat the American Rebellion, so he thought, had become the
commander in chief of all forces. His plan was to attack the stronghold of
the rebels by using three battle ready armies who were to approach the
target from three different locations and to capture it. Thus a smaller
unit commanded by Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger of Oswego, Ontario
was ordered to move eastward towards Albany; great emphasis
was given to the use of water ways to save the soldiers from the
dangers of the wilderness surrounding them. Sir John himself
had orders to move southward from the British stronghold at
Montreal, Canada towards Albany via Lake Champlain and the
upper Hudson River with the help of the other two units of
the second Army. Finally the third Army of General Howe
stationed near New York was to cross the Hudson River and
to move in a northern direction towards the final destination
of Albany. The second war plan called for Burgoyne to
capture New England after the merger of the three armies
in Albany. General Howe, commander of the main army
was to move towards Washington.
7
His at least theoretically convincing strategy found approval with the respective authorities in England, but his plan and
personality were not accepted everywhere. Sir William Howe, however, a big supporter of the Burgoyne plan felt a lack
of respect and felt betrayed. Lord Germain, British Secretary of State of the colony, also did not consider him a favorite.
Sir William Howe who was an important supporter of the Burgoyne plan for example felt neglected and was not given
enough respect.
However, the strategy stood firm and all measurements were taken to be prepared for the attack in a timely manner.
Much had to be accomplished and coordinated during the summer of 1776 until the entire army had grown into a strong
and well trained force. The merger of the army showed many challenges which had to be met. Thus the regiment of
Burgoyne consisted of 9.861 British, German and Canadian men from provincial locations and approximately 400 Indians.
The enormous language problem and the unification of the top
commandos presented a great challenge that had to be solved.
Another challenge which later on became an important
aspect in the defeat, was the equipment of the soldiers.
Europe’s national and international military traditions in regards
to the uniforms of the soldiers that had developed, were adopted
by Burgoyne’s army. The image and the equipment of a Hessian
grenadier presented the following look: His hat showed a metal
plate in front and he wore a mustache which was colored the
same color as his shoes. His hair was long and styled into a braid
and locks. With his blue uniform he wore a wide leather belt, an
ammunition pouch, his brass sword and a bayonette. Underneath
the uniform coat was a yellow vest and the pants were tucked
into high boots.
American soldier.
Hessian soldier.
8
In contrast, the American uniform consisted of a lightweight hat made of felt and a knee length woolen coat with a
lightweight woolen shirt underneath. The pants were made of leather and the soldier wore a belt with gun powder and
a hunting pouch. A gun and knife and sometimes a tomahawk were his weapons. It was so much easier for an American
soldier to move through the rough wilderness than the Hessian soldier who in addition had to carry a heavy metal case
plus other unneccessary utensils. A perfect example was Sir John himself who insisted on his life essential supply of
grooming paraphernalia and alcohol, filling three carts which had to be pulled along.
The Baroness Friederike von Riedesel’s comment on this situation was: “Burgoyne was indeed a happy fellow who spent half
the night singing and laughing with his mistress and drinking his beloved champagne”. Numerous wives of the officers
and brides of the soldiers were also found in the camps. This prompted the above cited Friederike Charlotte Louise von
Riedesel and her three chilren to travel to America to be at the side of her husband, Major General Friedrich Adolph
Baron von Riedsel as his assistant. The Baroness, with her sharp sense and great down to earth vision was well respected
and admired. In her diary she recorded important background information which was later published.
Burgoyne’s Army spent the summer months in their camp near La Prairie before the entire unit moved to their winter
camp by the end of October of 1776. Bardieux and Masquinonge were located approximately five hours from Montreal
and Trois Rivers.
There was plenty of time to shape a group of young men, originally from many different countries and who spoke
different languages into a consolidated army with military readiness. An army that was not only capable to execute a
specific plan of war but who was also trained to sustain the hardship that was brought on by the wilderness of the
region. One year later, on Jun 02, 1777, the entire Army received the order to move southward via Lake Champlain.
The date to start the movement put Burgoyne one month behind schedule but he nevertheless decided to spend the rest
of the summer in Albany. The seemingly impressive army, at the onset of the movement was, however, unable to sustain
the hardship the regions put upon them. Accustomed to developing a strong battle force over a short distance only, like
in Europe, they were unable to overcome the stressful conditions of the wild and undisclosed regions during a longer
march. Taking these circumstances into consideration was one of the top priorities of the commanding General Burgoyne,
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or “Gentleman Johnny“, as he was called in England. The takeover of Fort Ticonderoga on the way to Albany was the first
touchstone of their mission. The Fort was located at the end of Lake Champlain in a small area where the lake merged
with Lake George. Under the command of Major General Arthur St. Clair, 2000 unmotivated soldiers in poor health took
occupation of the camp. 2000 more troops were stationed 40 miles away at Fort Edwards under the command of Major
General Philip Schuyler and later by Major General Horatio Gates.
On July 02, 1777 Burgoyne’s Army was moving southward on the waters of Lake Champlain to reach Fort Ticonderoga.
A clever but life threatening idea to position cannons across the Fort on top of Mount Defiance, which was declared
insurmountable with military equipment, caused the American soldiers to flee during the night and to move southward
to unite with the rest of the troops.
Major General William Phillip, a British vice commander who was advised of the strategic value of Mount Defiance by
an officer replied:
“Where a mountain goat can go, so can a soldier, and where a soldier goes, so can a cannon.”
Accordingly, under enormous physical stress soldiers worked all through the night to transport two cannons and their
ammunition to the top of the mountain.
After his first successful mission, however, “Gentleman Johnny“ unfortunately made another poor decision besides the
already known basic mistake of equipping his troops with too much unneccessary and heavy gear. Instead of retreating
to their sieged Fort to gather new strength for the difficult march, he ordered his troops to reach Fort Edwards, which
was 50 miles away by land and not via Lake George, as previously planned, to form an attack. Instead of a blitz attack,
the Army was moving at the pace of a snail which had numerous consequences. It took the army 24 days to move the
50 miles, where 40 bridges had to be built with one bridge measuring as much as two miles. The further hardship and
losses are not mentioned at this point.
10
The enemy, however, did everything possible to make the advance of the British
troops as difficult as possible. Trees were felled, rivers raised to flood the
surrounding areas to delay the advancing of their enemy as long as possible
and to demoralize the enemy soldiers whose physical strength was
vanishing and their provisions running low.
Following the war plan and at the same time as the Army set out from
Montreal, the division stationed in the west and under the command of
St. Leger was to move eastward on the water. Their task was to take the
enemy’s Fort Stanwix and unite with the remaining British troops near
Albany. This mission also did not follow as planned. The takeover of
the Fort proved enormously difficult despite the fact that the attacking
troops were outnumbering the enemy and their equipment was superior.
This resulted in a long lasting siege of the Fort instead of a takeover,
thus deviating from the main strategy. Matters got worse for St. Leger
as General Nicolaus Herkimer hurridly recruited a troop of 800 men,
mostly young men from the region and several friendly Indians.
ST. LEGER’S ROUTE
On Aug 6, they attacked the soldiers holding siege and caused
them to flee and break up the unit. The news about the success of the
Americans spread quickly among the population and had great influence
HOWE’S ROUTE
on the morale of the American people and the Army, realizing their
capability to defeat an enemy.
QUEBEC
BURGOYNE’S ROUTE
ALBANY
NEW YORK
11
In the meantime, the consequences of Burgoyne’s bad decisions unfolded. The procurement of provisions for the soldiers
fell apart. On Aug 11, he ordered Lt. Friedrich Baum and 800 men, mostly German, to march to nearby Bennington,
Vermont, to rob a military storehouse of its provisions and to bring them back to the troops.
Baron von Riedesel was not in favor of the order. It was his decision that another 30 mile long and stressful march
would weaken the soldiers and the Army. Furthermore, the region was crawling with scattered enemy soldiers who were
experienced with the landscape and whose superior physical condition would threaten the return of the soldiers.
Burgoyne’s stubborness revealed the expected. Baum’s troop never reached Bennington and had to endure numerous
surprise attacks.
Finally the rest of the unit that managed to stay alive,
met the unit of the American Colonel John Stark which
forced them to take refuge und to deliver a message to
General Burgoyne for immediate help. On Aug 16, they
were attacked by Stark’s unit long before the help from
Burgoyne arrived. Stark’s troops defeated the unit
during the very first attack.
Heinrich Breymann, commander of the 550 soldiers
who came to their rescue also was attacked by Stark
and his unit was defeated as well. As the result of
“Gentleman Burgoyne’s” poor decision, 207 soldiers
on the British side died and more than 700 men were
taken prisoner. Lt. Friedrich Baum paid with his life
for this senseless mistake.
Picture of Baum’s death, painted by Roy Williams.
12
For Johann Heinrich Aumann, who was recruited by Lt. Gall and at the time belonged to the chief regiment of Baron
von Riedesel, more calamity lay ahead. Demoralized and with little physical strength left, the Hessian mercenaries were
waiting for further orders. Many of them missed their homeland in Germany and had regrets over their brave decision
to endanger their lives for a cause unrelated to them, while serving under an incompetent and displaced British General.
As the morale of the British Army was sinking, a sense of victory was rising amongst the rebels. More and more young
men were determined to defeat the British command on the American continent and to fight for their independence.
American and British chroniclers recorded the details of the course of war for many years later and enabled us to present
a short version of the end of Burgoyne’s war mission as follows.
On Sep 13, the rest of General Burgoyne’s Army crossed the Hudson river near Saratoga via a pontoon bridge. Sir John
again deviated from his original strategy, thereby cutting off his supply channels to Canada. Depending on himself only
and without backup, his plan resembled a gamble of “all or nothing at all”. This was the last link in a chain of fatal
mistakes. Burgoyne deserved a high grade for his vanity but his lack of accomplished war strategies left a lot to be
desired.
The decisive battle was yet to come. At the time when Burgoyne and his troops were crossing the Hudson, the Americans
under the command of General Gant, were stationed 24 miles north of Albany in Bemis Heights where they took their
fortified position. At this point General Burgoyne divided his Army into three wings to create a wide field for the attack
of the enemy and to eliminate snipers and ambush from both sides. The right wing was led by Simon Fraser, Sir John
himself led the center field and Baron von Riedesel positioned himself in the left wing. The British troops marched
forward until one o’clock when the troops of the center encountered the enemy soldiers led by Commander Morgan
near the Freeman Farm, a small settlement the size of 6 acres. A hail of bullets killed several “Redcoats” and the surviving
soldiers returned to their Infantry for their safety. Attacks on both sides followed until the territory was completely in
the hands of the British troops.
13
New fights arose constantly and the
snipers of the American troops were
highly successful to intimidate the
enemy and to widen the battlefield.
By 2 o’clock, Commander Morgan,
with the support of the New Hampshire
Continentals, launched a massive
attack on Burgoyne’s position and
with six attacks drove the British back
into the almost inaccessible forest
behind the Freeman Farm. This fierce
fighting by both sides went on for
more than three hours until Bugoyne’s
men were forced to retreat because
of too many losses. It seemed like the
third Wing of the British attack was
to collapse.
The battle of Saratoga on 19 September 1777. Painting by Charles H. Hutchins.
Seemingly at the right time, the Regiment of Baron von Riedesel came to the rescue of the desperate British and forced
Poor’s Brigade to retreat. With this attack by Baron von Riedesel, the first battle for the Freeman Farm had come to end
and the American troops retreated to their support camp in Bemis Heights.
After this unsuccessful battle which caused many casualties, few of the British officers were as hopeful as “Gentleman
Johnny” who accredited this victory of the day to the British side and announced a new attack the next day, Sep 20.
The overestimation of himself was lowered only when news arrived that British General Sir Henry Clinton was about to
attack an American Fort located at the lower Hudson river and later offered his aid to the Regiment of Burgoyne.
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He, Burgoyne, considered Clinton’s plan but preferred to position himself in the same location. Despite the fact that the
troops were in need of rest, the general condition of the troops was worsened by illness and lack of nutrition. In the
months to follow, many of the soldiers searching for food were killed by snipers. Dozens of soldiers deserted, having lost
faith in a victory.
By the beginning of October, the entire Regiment was in such bad shape that Burgoyne abandoned the plan to wait for
Clinton and on Oct 7, launched a new attack on the Americans. In the morning, around 11 o’clock, Burgoyne led his men
forward for a last battle. After an hour into the march he gave the order that the Regiment was to divide once more into
three Wings. This time, Baron von Riedesel’s unit was to take the center position, Fraser the right side and Major Acland
the left one. This plan of the British, however, was closely observed by enemy spies who brought the results back to Bemis
Heights. Gates was not alarmed by the actions of Burgoyne’s Army and with a cool head and determination planned for
the counter attack by his Brigade. His tactic was to aggressively attack the right and left wings of the enemy in order
to weaken them, and to have Learned and his brigade
attack the troops covering the center.
The actions by the Wings that followed showed the
same pattern as the fighting at the Freeman Farm. Each
attack was followed by a counter attack and soon the
British soldiers were incapable of enduring the physical
stress. The many casualties, among them Major Acland
who lost his life in the attack, made the surrender of the
left and right Wings ominous. Morgan positioned Captain
Alexander’s support troops in front of him and they were
finally able to retreat to safety. Learned finally advanced
with his Brigade, which was five to six times the size of
General Riedelsel’s unit thereby seizing control of the
entire British front.
Surrender of Burgoyne. Painted by John Trumbull.
15
For the British soldiers the only options in this situation were to be taken prisoner or to reach the pontoon bridge on
the Hudson and to find an escape route to Canada. The Americans, however, realized the intentions of the enemy and
followed them along on both sides of the river to pass them and thereby preventing their retreat.
On Sep 14, Burgoyne and his remaining minute unit realized that they were completely surrounded and unable to resist
the 20.000 American enemy soldiers. In the end, this hopeless situation gave him the chance to finally make a sound
decision – to declare his surrender.
Thus the campaign had found its bitter end. The signal that was received, undoubtedly showed the change in the American
and British War of Independence. Numerous fighting preceded the battle of Saratoga with more or less consequences for
England, like the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, as well as Trenton, Princeton and Germantown. Since the
battle of Saratoga, the American Army was convinced of a final victory which gave it new strength and the feeling of
moral superiority. The battles of Monmouth, Cowpens and Yorktown were the result. The War of Independence had
officially ended with the signing of the Declaration of Independence by England on Oct 19, 1781.
Let us briefly look at the question of what happened to “Gentleman Johnny”. It was said that for the rest of his life he
could not understand the cause of his defeat and found the Hessian soldiers at fault. After returning to England he
acquired a seat in the British Parliament, moved to London and spent his remaining time writing unsuccessful stories and
trying his luck at the casinos. In his book “Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne”, F.J. Huddleston tried to reinstate Burgoyne’s
character and to justify his actions. The facts, however, could not be ignored and the book turned into fiction.
The soldiers taken prisoner at Saratoga on Oct 17, 1777, gave little merit to Burgoyne. Their main pursuit was, especially
by the soldiers from Germany, that the uncertainty of the war must come to end and that their time of imprisonment
were short and bearable.
16
The first command which included approximately 5000 English soldiers, Indians and mercenaries from Braunschweig and
Hessia-Hanau, was to march to Winter Hill to gather at a prisoners’ camp near Boston. They spent the usually long and
cold winter in the barracks of the camp until the rest of the year 1777. On November 1778, they received further orders
to march to a camp in Charlotteville, Virginia. The almost 621 miles from Winter Hill to Charlotteville took three full
months and they finally arrived in Virginia in February of 1779.
According to hearsay, the Americans were in hope that during the march many of the prisoners would escape to cut the
cost of their maintenance and provisions. The inattentiveness of the guards made it possible for many of them to escape
to freedom.
During the first days of the march to Enfield, sixteen prisoners from the Hanau Regiment took a chance to flee. During
the long and stressful march, the number of deserters steadily increased. On Christmas Eve, the demoralized troops
arrived at Lancaster, a city with a mostly German population. They were celebrating Christmas in the German tradition
in their five churches and the soldiers were overwhelmed with sentiment. During the night at least 18 soldiers, who
missed their German homeland, separated and stayed behind in Lancaster and the surrounding area.
After a short break the journey continued and they arrived in York on December 31. It was here that Johannes Bluemler
from Babenhausen and his friends made the decision to escape, and they never left York. More and more small groups of
soldiers separated from the troop. They were tired of the ongoing war and longed for a normal and civilized new life.
17
Johann Heinrich remained with the convoy and most of his friends from the German homeland and together they
patiently awaited their fate.
The new camp at Charlottesville, Virginia, still did not promise a release of the prisoners since the war had not officially
ended. Reflections of this time period, recorded by Baroness Riedesel, look like this:
“We arrived in the middle of Feb, 1779 after traveling on foot from Boston through the provinces of Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. It took 12 weeks to travel the 678 miles. The troops were stationed
two hours away in Charlottesville. To reach them we had to march through heavy forests and in the beginning their
quarters were poorly built and they had to brave the cold in block houses that were unsealed and without window panes
and doors. They worked very hard to build better homes for themselves and in a short period of time, it looked like a
pretty village. Behind each dwelling there were lovely gardens with nice fencing for the poultry. As the old provisions
were coming to an end, they received fresh meat and plenty of flour for baking bread and making pancakes and
dumplings. They were missing nothing except money. From England they received very little and credit was hard to get,
especially for the common soldiers.”
At the beginning of May 1781, after a two year stay in the camp, a new order to march towards Reading in Pennsylvania
was issued. Since the beginning of the war numerous prison camps had been built in the towns of Reading, Lancaster
and York plus several town halls, churches and other public facilities were provided to the prisoners. Furthermore,
Pennsylvania was one of the preferred states for German immigrants to settle in since the 16th century. The young men
from Hanau realized that here they would be treated with dignity and saw an opportunity to establish contact with
German soldiers who were previously taken prisoner, while fighting in the battles of Trenton and Princton. Many of
them took advantage of the rule of 1777, to help the farmers with their agricultural tasks, especially during harvest time.
Other trade sectors also had the opportunity to hire prisoners of war for cheap labor which was well received from both
sides. The two Hessian Regiments were divided between the towns of Lancaster and Reading and from a historical
notation7, I learned that Hessian troops were housed in the poor house of Lancaster. At their arrival in November of 1781,
the German settlers received them with politeness, speaking German and offering gracious hospitality.
7
Notes and Queries, Historical and Genealogical, William Henry Egle, Fourth Series Vol. II.
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Baron von Riedesel and his German officers enjoyed the privilege that upon their
word of honor, the prisoners were allowed to freely move about. Furthermore,
depending on their rank, they were allowed up to three personal aides. It is likely
that Johann Heinrich, after his arrival in Reading found work on a nearby farm
during the day and so did his 100 fellow prisoners from Babenhausen who were
imprisioned nearby. On one side, the friendliness of the German settlers could change
the monotony of imprisonment into a meaningful life experience. On the other hand,
it made it possible to establish lifelong relationships after imprisonment.
At the time, Johann Heinrich was a young man of 26 years and willing to work hard continuing in the tradition of the
skilled and ambitious craftsmen of his Aumann ancesters in Germany. He looked to the future with a positive attitude
and utilized every opportunity that was given to him. Hard working German men were desired to work in the fields of
agriculture, but also in making shoes, forging of cannons and as a blacksmith. The opportunity to change from life in
imprisonment to having a profession and family life, was hereby given to the abused and mistreated former mercenaries.
When forced to march from camp to camp, they put hundreds of miles behind them, and the march to Charlottesville,
was a mere 621 miles long. It made it evident that such physical endurance could only be performed by men in excellent
health and with great determination, of which few were left.
Johann Heinrich seized his chance with great enthusiasm. When the American Government enacted a law at the end
of 1782 that offered the possibilty to be ransomed by a farmer or manufacturer, Johann Heinrich immediately found a
promoter who freed him on Oct 24, 1782 for the amount of 80 dollars. This amount was the fixed price for a German
prisoner to be released from all military engagements. The commitment to be a “servant to his Master”, however,
remained for another 3 years.
19
➀ Marching route of the prisoners
from Saratoga to Winter Hill
on Oct to Nov 1777.
➁ Marching route from Winter Hill
to Charlottesville in 1778 to 1779.
Saratoga ●
● Winter Hill
➀
Albany ●
➁
Newsburgh ●
➂ Marching route from
Charlottesville in 1781.
● Reading
● Lancaster
Frederick ●
➂
● Charlotteville
20
A description of Johann Heinrich’s life after bail is not availabe but it is recorded that he married the love of his life,
Maria Beatom, on July 03, 1784. The marriage was consummated by the Reverend William Boos. It was a desirable and
unforgettable time for Johann Heinrich who until now had spent his youth separated from his parents and homeland,
training in the military and learning the skills and duties of a soldier. Here in Reading, Pennsylvania, his life took on a
meaningful purpose and human dignity, with the help of the German settlers who had left Germany in early 1600 for
religious reasons. Over the next several years, he was blessed with seven children who established the roots of the
Auman line in Pennsylvania until this day and whose existence was spreading to other states of the USA as well.
Tracing the history and influential events of the Hessian soldiers during the War of
Independence in America, have long raised a new curiosity in myself and my wife.
We decided that part of our vacation in America during the month of October
2000, would be spent with research of our ancestors in Pennsylvania. The focal
point of our exploration was Reading because of its two Archives which held the
records of the history of the settlers and the genealogy of its people.
For three days we spent the afternoon in the Archives where an outstanding
supply of records of genealogy, copies of church and cemetery registries and
census lists were available. With the help of these resources and the friendly help
of the volunteer staff of the Archives, we were able to establish the marriage
of Johann Heinrich to Maria Beatom in the Zion Spiess Church, as well as the
dates of birth of their children. A visit to the church was a great experience
for us, despite the fact that the original church building was replaced with a
larger one.
Zion Spiess Church.
21
The visit to the St. Paul Union Church near Amityville was a pleasant
surprise as well in that the small old church was still in existence,
when only a few feet away a second and larger church was built.
The biggest surprise, however, was the cemetery of the church where
gravesites dated back to 1700 and showed the original headstone.
At the office of the church we were able to obtain a list of people
buried here and a copy of excerpts from the Church Registry. It was
amazing that the gravesite of Johann Heinrich’s daughter Sarah,
April 04, 1798 – March 03, 1860, as well as two gravesites of the
two children of Jeremias Aumann, as well as the grandson of Johann
Heinrich and Maria Beatom, born on Sept 09, 1814, were preserved.
The names of the two children were Daniel and Albert.
St. Paul Union Church.
Headstone of Daniel and Albert.
22
While visiting Reading and its surrounding area, we also incorporated a visit to Weavertown, Yellow House and Amityville.
Traveling the countryside, it became obvious why the German settlers took a liking to this region with its rambling
mountainside resembling the homeland regions of the German Odenwald, Spessart and Taunus. The prevailing of the
German language in schools and church services contributed to overcome the longing for the homeland. We learned that
Johann Heinrich and his family relocated to Weavertown, in the township of Amity in Pennsylvania, where he taught the
German language in the churches of Amityville and Yellow House. After a long and eventful life and at the impressive
age of 83, Johann Heinrich passed away in Weavertown on Mar 13, 1839. It is gratifying to know, that after all the hard
years of war, long imprisonment and sacrifices to establish a new life, he was fortunate to spend many peaceful and
happy years with his family in his new homeland.
We were, however, unable to trace the history of his two daughters, Elizabeth, born on Feb 19, 1785 and Maria, born
July 19, 1809. The oldest of the three sons, George who was born on Jun 6, 1787, was married to Maria Spiess on May 13,
1810. The desire to have more children continued as a tradition and George was blessed with the number of seven.
Heinrich, born Aug 29, 1789, married Catharina Breyman and the marriage produced an impressive number of ten
children. Finally there is Samuel, born Aug 11, 1803, who married a woman called Catharina whose family name
unfortunately could not be determined. Unlike his brothers, he had to settle for the birth of only two children.
Daughter Sarah, born Apr 28, 1798, whose gravesite was described earlier, remained unmarried. It is of interest that
Catharina, born Oct 23, 1793, was married to Christian Breyman, born May 14, 1814, the son of Lt. Heinrich Breymann,
a then high ranking officer in the Regiment of Baron Riedesel. The wife of the forementioned Heinrich, with the name
of Catharina Breyman, belonged to the same family who had changed the Breymann name to Breyman.
The following facts demonstrate how exciting and surprising Genealogy can be. While researching the internet about
the American version of the name of Aumann, I came across a lady from Nevada, who was in possession of a family Bible
with the mention of the names of Auman, Rosengarten, Winans and Ogden.
23
More research revealed that this was the family bible of William Aumann, the grandson of Johann Heinrich. Four pages
between the Old and New Testament revealed in detail the date of birth, marriage and death of the family members.
This exciting discovery prompted my internet friend to dedicate the Bible to me where “it rightfully belongs”, as she said.
William, a son of the American War of Independence, remained with the military and distinguished himself through his
skilled military capabilities and sense of responsibility, resulting in a steep career and highranking position. By the time
of his retirement from the military he had achieved the rank of Brigadier General and received many awards for his
actions in the civil war.
Auman Family Bible in America.
24
Samuel Auman in Pennsylvania TWP.
Amos Auman in Weavertown, Amity TWP.
He is buried at the military cemetary of Arlington together with his wife Emma Elizabeth, whose maiden name was
Rosengarten. Unfortunately, the entries in the Bible show that his sons William Jr. and Frank both died at a young age
during March of 1888. An early death of one of his daughters is also recorded. No further information is available of both
of his daughters Edith May, married to Edwin B. Winans, and Catharina Regina who was married to Charles Cornel Odgen,
who passed away in 1893, the year they got married.
25
In the end all was well as more and more Hessian men and their descendants became citizens and through
their ambition and reliabilty helped to build a strong nation.
Their dedication is reflected in the change of names as follows:
Bär
➻ Bear
Buchmann
➻ Bookman
Braun
➻ Brown
Bock
➻ Buck
Gutmann
➻ Goodman
Lang
➻ Long
Mertz
➻ March
Schuhmacher ➻ Shoemaker
Jung
➻ Young
Aumann
➻ Auman
No other state than Pennsylvania reflected more of the influence of the German immigrants. Their superior
craftsmanship and artistic talent identifies with the state until this day.
26
„Pennsylvania Germans“
It was the “Pennsylvania Germans” who invented the
Pennsylvania Rifle and the Conestoga wagon8, which
was the practical solution to a transport vehicle with
the capability to carry heavy loads over a long distance.
The influence of the “Pennsylvania Germans” on the
economical and cultural development during the
development of the Colonies was substantial.
It is not surprising that after the official end of the war,
the Count Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand of Hessia, on Feb 08,
1783, ordered Baron von Riedesel to initiate the return of
the troops to Germany. The order, however, included the
option for soldiers who preferred not to return to the
homeland, to be honorably discharged. The rest of the
troops started their return to the homeland where they
arrived in October. It was learned later that several of the
returnees decided to emigrate to America for a second
time.
8
Conestoga wagon.
Pennsylvania Rifle.
Named after the Conestoga Valley near Lancaster, Pa.
27