Anyway, on to today's story. I have known this story for several years. It is one of my favorites because it is a wonderful glimpse into a piece history that I didn't think was that interesting or important until I realized that I would not exist if it hadn't happened the way it did.
In 1776, the Landgrave (prince) of Hesse-Kassel, Fredrick II, was the son in law of King George II. Hesse-Kassel was, at that time Europes's most militarized state. All Hessian men began their military training as youth and continued well through adulthood until they were deemed unfit or too old to serve. Similar to our National Guard, they would take a few weeks every year to drill. Frederick II hired his professional army out as mercenaries to King George for the war in America and pocketed the money, a very unpopular move.
Fredrick's agreement with King George required a minimum of 12,000 troops in America. These soldiers were a part of every major battle in the war; from Quebec to Florida. They fought at Fort Lee and Fort Washington. American leaders in a stroke of brilliance printed pamphlets and posters aimed at the soldiers. They offeredfreedom and land to anyone willing to desert and sign up with the American troops. At one point Congress was offering soldiers land, two pigs, a cow and citizenship to deserters, more than most of them would have once they returned home. The soldiers were so excited about the opportunities they had in America that thousands of them choose not to return after the war. In fact, the American Revolution was the beginning of the end for Hesse-Kassel as a mercenary state. They had an estimated 5,000 casualties and 3,000 desertions.
One of these deserters* was a man by the name of Fredrick Spees (Spies, Spiess, Speece, Speese). Born about 1757 in Schwebda Hassel, Hessie Cattle, Hessen, Germany to Adolph Christon Spies. Fredrick married Elizabeth Mozier of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They settled in Bracken, Kentucky and had 8 children. Fredrick's great, great granddaughter was Beulah Mae Spees. She was my great, great grandmother.
*There really is no way to verify that he was a deserter. It is possible just because so many did it. I have read some places that he was and in others that he was captured in Trenton and taken as a prisoner. Either way, it was his choice not to go back home. In the book, "The Genealogy of the Spees Tribe", by J.C. Spees (my 4th great grandfather) he says that Fredrick came to the U.S. before the war to fight for Washington. I find this very unlikely. It is more likely that the author did not want to write that his grandfather fought for the British.
