Johann Rall |
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Born | 01/01/1720 in Hesse-Cassel, Germany |
Died | 12/26/1776 in 12/26/1776 |
Biography |
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<h3>Early life and career</h3> <p>He was promoted to warrant officer on 25 July 1741; to second lieutenant on 28 August 1745; and to captain on 10 May 1753. Rall was promoted to major on 7 May 1760, under Major General Bischhausen and transferred, in January 1763, into the Stein garrison regiment, where he was appointed lieutenant colonel. On 22 April 1771, he was transferred to the Mansbach Infantry Regiment as a colonel. He became commander of the regiment in January 1772.</p> <p>During this time, Rall fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and participated in campaigns in Bavaria, on the Rhine, in the Netherlands, and served in Scotland. He fought in the Seven Years' War (also called the French and Indian War) and was involved in many battles. From September 1771 until August 1772, he was in Russia and fought for Catherine the Great under Count Orlov in the Fourth Russo-Turkish War.</p>
<p>General George Washington crossed the Delaware River with his troops on the way to Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessian regiments, camped in and around Trenton, were attacked and decisively defeated by the American Continental Army. The Hessians had supposedly let their guard down to celebrate the Christmas holiday, and Rall himself was misled by John Honeyman, a spy of Washington who convincingly posed as a loyalist. According to one account, Rall was busy playing cards the night before the attack at the home of Trenton merchant Abraham Hunt when he was handed a note from a local Loyalist who'd seen Washington's forces gathering. He placed the note in his vest without bothering to read it and went back to his card game. The following morning Rall was woken by a junior officer and informed of the attack. Rall took command and ordered a counter-attack by bayonets that was scattered by American sniping and artillery fire.</p> |