The Capture Of Fort Washington New York, Described by Hessian Capt. Andreas Wiederhold

The Capture Of Fort Washington, New York

As Described by Captain Anreeas Wideehold 
Of the Hessian Regiment Knyphausen

My 6th great grandfather, Joannes Zulauf, came to America as a Hessian Soldier in 1776.  He served in the Knyphausen Regiment.

Andreas Wiederhold was captain of Grenadiers in the Hessian Subsidiary Army Corps, of the Staff of the Division Knyphausen. He kept a diary from October 7, 1776 to December 7 1780, and below is an excerpt from the November 1776 battle at Trenton.  The diary  is in Marburg, Germany.

1776 10 November. — Our brigade went to King's Bridge under Col. Kail, since Col. Bose, in whose command we had first been, was ill; we were to reinforce Lt.-Gen. von Knyphausen's brigade. The enemy had erected a fort on a high rocky elevation, which seemed fortified by nature itself,  which they called Fort "Washington. Human skill had also  been employed to make it very strong. Without possession  of this fort we could not keep up communication with New  York, nor could we think of advancing any farther, much  less get quiet winter-quarters. 

11 November. — At 5 o'clock in the morning the entire division of his Ex. Gen. von Knyphausen marched out to attack this place, but a violent rain-storm setting in, we had  to abandon the attack for this day. 

14 November. — Gen. Howe arrived with the entire army  and camped about a mile in the rear of us. Now another plan was made, and 16 November. — was fixed upon for the attack. At half  past five in the morning, we passed over King's Bridge with  the following regiments: Knyphausen, Theyne, Bienau, Ball, Lossberg and Waldeck, which were joined by Wutgenau and the grenadier battalion Kohler, and all formed  in two columns. The right column consisted of the regiments Wutgenau, Knyphausen, Theyne and Bienau, and was led by Maj.-Gen. Schmidt; the whole attack was commanded by his Ex. Li-Gen. von Knyphausen. The latter at all times could be found in the thickest of the fight, where  resistance and attack was the hottest, and he tore down the  fences with his own hands to urge the men on. He was also exposed like a common soldier to the frightful cannon and shrapnell-fire, as well as to the rifle shots, and it is wonderful that he came off without being killed or wounded. 

The advance-guard on the right consisted of a body of Jagers and 100 men, which was commanded by the Major von Dechow. The advance-guard of the left column consisted of 100 men commanded by Oapt. von Medern, of the regiment "Wutgenau, and with this body I went, as well as Lt. Lowenfeld. Both the captain and his lieutenant are dead ; the latter was killed on the spot, the former died the next day. But I am still alive, thanks be to God ! and have escaped unhurt, but for a little scratch in my face caused by a broken twig, although I led the van of this advance-guard, a body of thirty men. Here I thought of the old proverb, Weeds are never hurt — " Unkraut vergeht nicht." At 7 o'clock a violent cannonade was begun to divert the attention of the enemy, so that they should not know where the real attack was to be made. If we had continued in our charge at that time, we would not have suffered one third as great a loss as we did later on ; for I was already nearly halfway up the hillside with my vanguard when Gen. Knyphausen sent me an order to retire. Gen. Howe had sent word to Gen. Knyphausen that as everything was not ready that was needed for the feigned attack, therefore, they were to delay the real one. At half past 7 o'clock the English  Gen. Lord Percy with two English and one Hessian brigades under Maj. Gen. von Stirn (the Erbpring, Donop and Mirbaeh) attacked the lines which were between the fort and New York, and took them without any heavy loss as they had only two wounded, and the rebels left their lines. At 11 o'clock the boats with two brigades of English came down Harlem creek in order to make a landing near the woods on the left to make a feigned attack. At this moment the real attack was begun near us, and we stood facing their crack troops and their riflemen all on this almost inaccessible rock which lay before us, surrounded by swamps and three earthworks, one above the other. In spite of this every obstacle was swept aside, the earthworks broken through, the swamps waded, the precipitous rocks scaled and the riflemen were driven out of their breastworks, from where they had been 

seconded by their artillery — and we gained this terrible height, pursued the enemy who were retreating behind the lines and batteries ; routed them there also, took the batteries, one of which lay on the very top of the rock, and we followed the fleeing enemy to the fort proper. There we seated ourselves at the side of the precipitous mountain to protect ourselves from the cannonade from the fort. But only our Regiment and that of Rail were here. The fort was summoned to surrender, and half an hour later 2600  men came marching out of it, laid their rifles down at our feet and surrendered as prisoners of war to his Ex. Lt-Gen. von Knyphausen, who was present and signed the capitulation. The entire fort with all stores of ammunition and provisions, which were considerable, was handed over to us. 

The grenadier-battalion Kohler occupied the fort in the evening and we went back to our camp, where all those who were well, once more had cause enough to thank God for their preservation. The loss of the Hessians in dead and wounded amounted to more than 300. Among the dead were : Captain Walther of Rail's regiment and Lieutenant Lowenfeld of the Wutgenau ; mortally wounded were Captain Barkhausen, of the Knyphausen and Colonel von Bork of the same regiment. Captain von Medern of the Wutgenau; Colonel von Bork and Lieutenant Briede died the same day, all the rest on the second or third day after. Slightly wounded were Major von Dechow, of the Knyphausen, and Lieutenant Kiihne of the Rail. 

17 November. — All the grenadiers and a brigade of English troops crossed the North River into New Jersey under command of General Lord Cornwallis and conquered forts Lee and Constitution without any losses.