Heartman’s Historical Series No. 3
One hundred and ten Copies printed for
CHAS. FRED. HEARTMAN, New York City
[7]The following Historical Sketch is a translationfrom the German of A. Pfister. It was publishedsome fifty years ago in a German periodical and isinteresting enough to be reprinted in English as itcontains hitherto very little known details of thisvoyage. At the end will be found an Extract fromthe Diary of the German Poet and Adventurer, J. G.Seume, a Hessian Soldier and Participator on theVoyage.
January, 1915
Ch. F. H.
[8]Number ...... of 110 copies printed.
Also six printed on Japan Vellum.
[9]The troops belonging to the first Hessian Divisionhad as yet not all been assembled in the harbor ofPortsmouth, for, on account of the lack of transportships, General von Mirbach with his regiment andthat of Commander Rall, a Knyphausen Company,and a part of the Commissariat still remained atBremerlehe, when the fleet was ready and the windoften long in coming, was just then very favorable toleave the channel. Then a rather peculiar circumstanceoccurred to prevent the start. Heister, theHessian Commander-in-Chief, refused to start, feelingbound by the land grave’s express orders to keepall his divisions together. The king became exceedinglyimpatient, for the delay set an incalculableamount at stake—at last the Hessian minister atLondon, General von Schlieffen, took upon himselfthe responsibility of this urgent matter, and Heister,with a spirit of true faithfulness to service, went overwith his Hessian troop ships to the remaining squadronat anchor at St. Hellens in the immediate vicinity.
The fleet as gathered here numbered 100 sailingvessels, among which were 2 men-of-war with 50cannons, 4 frigates of 36 cannons, and 2 fire-ships forthe protection of the transports and provision ships.These vessels carried in all about 12,500 land troops,of which the 7400 Hessians were distributed in 52[10]ships. William Hotham, their Commodore, was onthe man-of-war Preston. When the ship captainshad received from him the signaling directions andtheir sealed instructions (which may be opened onlyafter a ship has sailed in order to learn its destination),he gave the signals to weigh anchor and tosail by means of a cannon shot and the displaying ofa flag. This was on the evening of the 6th of May.
Very soon an adverse and violent storm arose, thesea became turbulent and there was much seasickness.No one could stand upright in the cabins,everything was tossed about pell-mell and sailors felloverboard and could not be saved; yet the fleet bythe evening of the 9th was sailing with calmerweather through the dangerous region of the ScillyIslands, where, over a mass of rocks and reefs awarning lighthouse stood. After sunset the lastland was seen to disappear under the horizon, thepromontory, Landsend. On