Friedrich-Adolf Riedesel (3 June 1738-6 January 1800) was a general of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel during the American Revolutionary War. Riedesel commanded a regiment of Brunswicker soldiers (nicknamed "Hessians") in the Saratoga campaign.
Biography[]
Friedrich-Adolf Riedesel was born on 3 June 1738 in Lauterbach, Hesse, and he studied law at the University of Marburg. In 1755, he joined a battalion of Marburg troops and learned both English and French in London, making friends with several British Army officers that would fight in the American Revolutionary War. In 1759, Riedesel distinguished himself at the battle of Minden during the Seven Years' War, and in December 1762 he married Frederika Charlotte Riedesel, and he was promoted to Major-General in 1776. Riedesel was given command of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel's 4,000 foot soldiers and 350 dragoons that were dispatched to fight for Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. Riedesel supported the expulsion of the Continental Army from Canada, and in 1777 he was given command of all of the Hessians and Native Americans involved in the Saratoga campaign under John Burgoyne. On 7 July 1777 he defeated the patriots at the battle of Hubbardton, but Riedesel and his wife were both captured after the Battle of Bemis Heights. In 1783, Riedesel returned to England at the end of the war, and in 1787 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. Riedesel was named commandant of the city of Brunswick, where he died in 1800.