ABSTRACT
The Hessian detachment was landed from the frigate; there is no doubt about that; plenty of witnesses to the landing, and the uniforms they wore matched the priest's description. Hessian had a prisoner whom he could not release and who would incommode his march, and within his training there was a solution. So no one bothered the Hessians or spoke of them, and perhaps even Jacob Heather would have looked at them as pretty toy soldiers if the thing had not happened right under his nose. Hans Pohl, the drummer boy, said afterwards that he felt the decision the captain was coming to and it made him sick at heart to think about it, and possibly others felt it too and had the same reaction. The sergeant detailed four men to drag the rope, and the captain ordered Hans Pohl to beat a roll.
