EDWARD JACKSON LOWELL. 563 



During his residence in Germany he became interested in the his- 

 tory of the German mercenaries employed by Great Britain in this 

 country during our Revolutionary War, and in consequence he under- 

 took extended researches among the archives of some of the smaller 

 German states. The most important of these are now preserved at 

 Marburg, in Hesse-Nassau, where are to be found many reports and 

 journals received by the Landgrave Frederick II. of Hesse-Cassel 

 from his officers during the entire course of the war. Others ai-e to be 

 found in the State library at Cassel, and in that of the Prince of 

 Waldeck, at Arolsen, and a few in other localities. Of many of 

 these documents, containing " original German accounts of every im- 

 portant engagement, and of almost every skirmish, of the Revolution- 

 ary War from the year 1776 to the end," he caused transcripts to be 

 made, and was thus enabled to make use of sources of information that 

 had never fallen under the eye of any American writer. The results 

 of these researches were first given to the world in a series of letters 

 to the New York Times, in the winter of 1880-81. After his return to 

 this country, in 1884, they were published in a more extended shape in 

 a volume entitled '' The Hessians and the other German Auxiliaries of 

 Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, with Maps and Plans," New 

 York, 1884. This was a genuine contribution to the history of our 

 country, and it attracted universal interest among our historical stu- 

 dents. It was, indeed, a surprise to learn that a force of between 

 fifteen and twenty thousand Gerraa'ns served for seven years against 

 us, and that more than twenty-nine thousand were brought to this 

 country for that purpose, of whom more than twelve thousand never 

 returned. As but a comparatively small portion of these were killed, 

 we are thus able to account for a goodly contribution to the number 

 of our German fellow citizens. The work was systematically con- 

 ceived and thoroughly executed, and it was enlivened with anecdotes 

 and adventures drawn from the experience of private individuals, in 

 accordance with the intention of the author "to give an idea of what 

 sort of people the auxiliaries were, and of what impression America 

 and the Americans made upon them." It had a decided success, and 

 as a speedy recognition of its merits the author was chosen a member 

 of the Massachusetts Historical Society, in November, 1884. 



Besides contributing articles to some of the leading magazines, Mr. 

 Lowell's studies were now principally directed to the preparation for 

 Dr. Winsor's " Narrative and Critical History of America " of a chapter 

 upon " The Political Struggles and Relations of the United States with 

 Europe, 1775-1782," which appeared in 1888. This bears evidence 



