Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Imperial Baron Wilhelm to Innhausen and Knyphausen (* November 4, 1716 at Castle Lütetsburg, Ostfriesland, † December 7, 1800 in Kassel) fought as a general in the Hessen- Kassel Subsidientruppen under British command in the North American War of Independence against George Washington.
Life
1734 Wilhelm joined by Innhausen and Knyphausen, initiated by his uncle, the General of Berlepsch, in the Hessen- Kassel and services eluded so the Prussian service, which he later difficulties with Frederick earned the Great. He participated in the Seven Years' War, but his historical moment came later. Due to a Subsidienvertrages with Britain led Knyphausen 1776 Hessian auxiliary corps of 6,000 men to North America. Such operations were common at all times, but the propaganda of the French Revolution classified the case as an example later vilest abuse nationwide glorious violence.
In Otter village in the country Hadeln, even before the Declaration of Independence of the United States, which took place in July 1776, he embarked his relief corps, landed after a voyage of 20 weeks on October 18, 1776 in New York and moved his headquarters first to New Rochelle Staten Iceland. Under the pressure of 30,000 men, mostly German, who had the British commander, William Howe, gathered on Long Iceland, New York George Washington must evacuate shortly before. Already on November 16 stormed Knyphausen against Howes command on its own initiative, the heavily fortified Fort Washington ( Battle of Fort Washington ) "on Iceland York in the Hudson ," which at that time - to perpetuate the fame of this feat of arms - " Fort Knyphausen " was given the name. He became commander of this fort, on the grounds, now a part of New York rises, which remained also named a long time after him. Still rise near the northern tip of Manhattan at the highest points of the island, the remains of the fort, "which what heroically but unsuccessfully defended against the British in November 1776 " ( German: that was heroic, but defended unsuccessfully against the British in November 1776).
The main battle front now lay on the Delaware. Howes hesitate played Washington a few aces in the hand. So came Christmas 1776 Knyphausens Hessian regiment at Trenton in American captivity. For this he won at Princeton in early January and freed a portion of New Jersey. Then he commanded a division at the front between Head of Elk and the Brandywine Creek. In the summer of 1777 Knyphausen received the supreme command over half of the entire expeditionary force against Philadelphia. Now was the British- German side the upper hand. Knyphausen beat Washington on September 11 at the Brandywine and conquered together with Howe Philadelphia on September 27. On October 4, he decided the defeat of the American liberation army in German Town. George Washington saw himself thus forced to relocate its winter quarters in the area of Valley Forge, where General von Steuben conducted his famous reorganization of the army of freedom fighters.
Around the same time studied the Englishman also push forward from Canada to the south. Their defeat at Saratoga Springs had the consequence that the French alliance with George Washington received (February 6, 1778). In vain did Howe and Knyphausen to hit Washington's army at Chestnut Hill, to drive them over the Alleghenies. In June 1778 had Lord Clinton, Howe's successor, Philadelphia again clear. Knyphausen covered the retreat of the British at New York. This was followed by fighting in Westchester County. In December 1779 it appointed Clinton as commander of the city of New York, the main objective of the freedom fighters. At the defense of New Jersey against the French Knyphausen leading with his relief corps had share. In January 1780, he left his troops across the Hudson in Paulus Hook and Staten Iceland over the Raritan River proceed. In June 5000 he moved with husband to Elizabethtown Point, and took command of the wounded British General Sterling in the fight against militias and partisans. Following a procedure to Springfield, which was destroyed in the course of operations, he pulled the troops back to Staten Iceland. Since the British were massively harassed by the French in Canada, they decided to deploy Knyphausen with its Hesse in the period 1780-1782 at the Canadian east coast. Knyphausens headquarters were temporarily in Halifax, where at St. Paul's Church are still reminiscent of a monument to him and his coat of arms.
In October 1781 Washington forced the British to surrender in Virginia. 1782 returned Knyphausen with Lord Clinton returned to England, where he. , London by King George III was honorably received and given a lifelong pension of 300 pounds a year. He was returned to Hesse appointed there in triumph to the governor of the city of Kassel. In 1788, he took his leave and returned to Lütetsburg.
Family
In 1771 he married Amelia Seybold Dorff, daughter of Kurkölner General Carl Ulrich Seybold Dorff. She died in 1778 in America. Then he married a Miss von Westernhagen († 1802). Both marriages were childless. He himself died of an eye operation in 1800.