Distinguished scholar Friederike Baer won the the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize for her book “Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War”.

Baer leads the Division of Arts and Humanities and is an associate professor of history at Penn State Abington.

The prize is given annually to an author who advances understanding of the American Revolution and its legacy.

Between 1776 and 1783, Britain hired around 30,000 German soldiers to help put down the American rebellion. The German soldiers and accompanying civilians penned a large body of private and official records that provide detailed accounts of the war.

Based largely on these records, most of which are in German and unpublished, Baer’s book offers a reimagining of Britain’s war against American independence from the perspective of the German soldiers.

The award letter describes the text as “a landmark work that expands and enriches our understanding of this fascinating and important aspect of the American Revolution.”

Baer hopes that this award will draw more attention to the participation of the German soldiers in the American Revolution.

“German soldiers played a major role in the conflict, on and off the battlefield, and their descriptions and insights broaden our understanding of this momentous period in American history,” she said.

Baer will accept the award early this fall at a reception in her honor at the Anderson House in Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati.

To see the annotated transcriptions and translations visit Baer’s companion website.

Read more about Baer’s new book on Penn State Abington’s website.

Friederike Baer on Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.