Captain Ewald's Odyssey: Some Context for the 1777-78 Philadelphia Campaign

Summary

This paper interprets the various actions and violent encounters between the American Revolutionary Army and the British Crown forces in the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777-78. Probably one of the most significant narratives imbedded in these events is the role of the Hessian mercenaries fighting for the Royalist cause. Fortunately, the diary that Captain Johann von Ewald wrote has survived to brilliantly annotate this critical moment in the history of the war. He was an unusually candid and keen observer, meticulous in his descriptions, and critical of both sides, even of his own superiors. This paper follows him through most of the site presented in this session. Ewald's experiences eloquently testify to the comples range of emotions and loyalties which faced a hired officer fighting in a strange land.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• "Not A Trade For One To Follow Who Has No Knowledge Of It": Captain Johann Ewald And The Historical Archaeology Of The 1777 Philadelphia Campaign   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 773