The Washington herald., 1911-10-01
This Week There Comes the 228th Ami
verSary of the Arrival of TeutOn
Pioneers in America.

| Boston port on account Of the tea episode.
the Germans of Philadelphia called a
meeting to consider the situation. when
they appointed a Correspondence COM
mittee. the duty OF which was to COrre-
Spond with their German kinsmen OF the
other colonies urging them to get ready
Tor the conflict, which. to their minds.
was inevitable. The Provincial Assembly
which met in the same year was largely
represented by Pennsylvania Germans.
among whom may b" mentioned Chris
topher Ludwig and George Huhley. of
Philadelphia; Matthias SChluOch, OF Ian
caster; Christian schultz. from Berks:
Peter Kaechlen and Jacob Arndt. OF
Northampton, and Casper WeitZell, from
Northumberland.
Their stand in Convention.
In the convention held in January Of
the next year the Germans were still
more represented. and upon each ocra-
sion were unanimous in their de,crmina-
tion to resist further British aggression,
Urging al tho same time separation from
the mother country" which was no
mother country of theirs and th.y were
not bound to the English colonlsts by
any ties Of blood or kmship. which would
make them hesitate to take a stand
against their English rulers. Later on.
the correspondence committee" issued a
pamphlet in which was set forth that the
Germans Of PENNSYLVANIA had learned
with satisfaction that the people. with
out regard to race. creed. or former ma
tionalitE. whether rich or poor. had given
their unqualified approval to the acts
Of Congress. and that everywhere the
Go"mIns cSpHCiauy we're taking meas
ures to have tn" militia put in shape. and
were forming new military organizations
$" that they should 10 ready to march
wherever they should be needed in the
event Of war; urging upon those Ger
mans that could not enlist for any rea-
son. to contribute to the patriotic cause
according 10 their ability"
All these matters transplred before open
hoStIlitieS. and after thu war was en-
tered upon they Were the first to take
up arms and among the last to lay them
down. TIL" roll of Revolutionary soldiers
! bristles with the names of Pennsylvania
German soldiers, many Of whom rose to
great distinction. Bancroft in his History
Of the Revolution" says of them: The
Germans OF Pennsylvania were on the
! side Of freedom"
The German Regiments.
/ Early in III the Germans organized
armed bodies in support Of Congress.
! The boards Of the German Society of
Pennsylvania and of the Lutheran and
Reformed churches issued manlcestos. ad-
vOcating armed resistance: and German
ORGANIZATIONS began drilling Michael
Hill"gas, Of German parentagc, became
| the first treasurer of the United Colonies
and later of the United States Such
men as George Schlosser. Jacob Schrei-
ner. Jacob Arndt, and Caspar WeitzelI
were leading members in Revolutionary
! organizations Christopher Ludwig, whom
| Washington called my honest friend ="
! became superintendent Of bakeries of tho
Continental armies. At Charleston. S
c.. Michae! Kalteisen raised a company
| of German fusiliers, and on Nav o. 177G
Congress formally accepted a German
| regiment raised in PENNSYLVANIA and
Maryland. At Woodstock, Va. the as
tOnished world beheld the patriotic spec
tacle OF a young German minister. the
Rev. Peter G. Muehlenberg. exchanging
his pulpit for the colonelcy of a German
regiment-thr man who in reward for his
bravery was soon to become a brieadier
and later Il major general of the Ameri-
| can army.
In recounting American deeds of yalor
the glorious fight of the Germans under
Nicolaus Herchheimer against the Brit
ish and Tories at Oriskany, N Y, should
not De lOTBOlIeH. Inc nrSt New York
battalion. like its colonel, Lasher, consist
,, ed largely OF Germaps. and Baron Weis-
senfels. German. commanded other New
York forces. Pennsylvania will never
forget the valiant services of Daniel. John
Gabriel, and Joseph Hester. nor that
brave German, J. P. Schott. and his gal
liant dragons.
Services of Won Steuben.
When the convention wanted a reliable
printer it did we'll to select one from the
race of Gutenberg-Henrich Miller, a Ger
man. Hallowed to every true American is
the ground where that noble German,
Baron de Kalb. shed his blood. fighting
that this country might be free. And
never can grateful people forget the
services of Baron Won Stueben. who had
learned the art OF war under Frederick
the Great. and became the dril!master
and inspector general of the United States
army-"the right arm of Washington, -
as he has been called. and whose memory
our grateful nation has honored with a
magnificent equestrian statue in this city
In the winter of 17Ts. the army of Wash
ington was reduced to 5000 men-and in
that terrible extremity ne considered the
necessity Of a retreat to the west of the
AIleghenies-when, just in the nick of
time, the disheartened remnant of his
army was re-enforced by 1900 recruits
which enabled him to win the battles of
Trenton and Princeton. 1t should be
spread in letters of gold upon the pages
of history that every man of them was
from the soil Of fair GermaniZed Pennsy-
vanla.
When the soldiers of Washington were
starving, the men that gave their own