who were the hessians?

Hessians were German soldiers hired by the British to fight in several 18th‑century wars, most famously the American Revolutionary War. They served as auxiliaries rather than as mercenaries in the strict sense, remaining in the service of their own German rulers while attached to British forces and operating under their own banners and officers. In the American Revolutionary War, tens of thousands of Hessian troops—from roughly 30,000 to 37,000 individual soldiers drawn mainly from the states of Hesse-Kassel and Hesse- Hanau—augmented British land forces and fought in key engagements such as White Plains and Fort Washington. Their involvement helped sustain British military efforts but also intensified American colonial resentment and became a notable point of grievance cited in the Declaration of Independence. Historians commonly characterize Hessians as German auxiliaries rather than outright foreign mercenaries: they were paid and deployed by Britain, yet they retained allegiance to their home governments and continued to wear their own uniforms and command structures. If you’d like, I can tailor a concise timeline or a short biographical sketch of notable Hessian units and commanders.