Talk:Friedrich Adolf Riedesel

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Military history: Biography / British / European / German / Early Modern / American Revolution

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Mercenary?

Why is General Riedesel in a category for mercenaries? Mingusboodle 03:46, 5 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I removed Hessian Mercenaries category. Although Riedesel was from Hesse, he was a professional soldier, not a mercenary. When he was sent to the American Revolution, he was a Braunschweig officer, not a Hessian officer.Mingusboodle 15:37, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I just removed the same category again, for the same reasons. Canute (talk) 17:14, 6 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Do understand that "mercenary" was used by the Patriots as a derogatory term for all of the German soldiers sent to fight here, under treaties between their respective Landsherren and the British crown. There was precedent for using the word in that way, when we were still British. During the Jacobite rebellion, and in the Seven Years War, when German troops were deployed to Britain because British troops were deployed elsewhere, those opposed to that move called them mercenaries. Just as "Hessian" is an inaccurate term to refer to some of those German soldiers deployed here, it became the common term (that, too, follows on earlier usage, in Britain).

Was Riedesel a mercenary? Of course not. But it is common American usage.

Best regards

theBaron0530 TheBaron0530 (talk) 14:58, 15 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

1783 or 1784?

The article gives the impression that he left the Americas in 1784, then states 1783 in the final paragraph? Which is it?1812ahill (talk) 09:58, 10 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Freiherr

I put the title before the name, and removed: <ref group="note">Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as 'Baron'). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.</ref. Since, as it says, this usage is only after 1919. Creuzbourg (talk) 13:24, 21 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]