About Captain Johann von Ewald who wrote the Diary when he was Commander of the Hessian Jägers for the Knyphausen Column
Captain Johann von Ewald commanded the Hessian Jäger corps that was attached to the Leib Regiment. The Jäger corps was a type of light infantry hired by the British to conduct reconnaissance and scout, provide security, serve as advance guards, engage in light infantry tactics (including ambushes), and protect the front and sides of Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen's column. Captain Ewalkd reported to Colonel Carl von Donop who reported to Lieutenant Genral Knyphausen. The Jäger corps main job was protecting the vulnerable assets in Knyphausen’s Column.
The British army when they evacuated Philadelphia on June 18, 1778, had two major columns:
- The Knyphausen’s Column (was slower, burdened with the baggage train, also had all the Loyalist civilians, and non-combatants)
- The Clinton & Cornwallis’s Column (elite troops and rear guard)
Knyphausen’s Column – Key Figures (June 18–28, 1778)
- Troops: ~8,000 soldiers
- About 4,000 Hessians (German auxiliaries)
- About 4,000 British regulars and Loyalists
These numbers are estimates based on returns from Clinton’s orders and eyewitness accounts, such as those from officers and American scouts.
Baggage Wagons
- Number of wagons: ~1,500 to 2,000
These wagons carried army supplies, tents, officer effects, ammunition, food stores, and camp followers’ possessions. Multiple sources, including Clinton’s correspondence and Washington’s scouts, mention that the baggage train stretched for miles.
Women and Camp Followers
- Estimated number of women and non-combatants: ~1,000–2,000
These included:
Wives and children of soldiers (mostly Hessian and Loyalist families)
Laundresses, cooks, nurses, and civilian vendors
Enslaved people who were taken by British troops during the occupation of Philadelphia
British and Hessian armies typically allowed 4–6 women per company, and with hundreds of companies involved, this tracks with the numbers.
The Jäger corps was on the front end and sides protecting these assets.
Captain Ewald's journals were published as “Diary of the American War.”
(An extra bit: When Ewald returned to New York later in the war, he was assigned to the Virginia expedition which was led by the newly turned British officer, Benedict Arnold. )