Michael Aubrecht, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
HISTORY FRIDAY
To define the life and legacy of Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall, you might use the term “victim of circumstance.” You might also blame his deep fixation on the Royal Game of Chess.
Either way, Rall’s is the ironic tale of a military man whose stubborn nature and bad luck resulted in an untimely death: His own. As the commander of the Hessian Troops garrisoned at Trenton, New Jersey, Rall—sometimes spelled “Rahl”—was on the unfortunate receiving end of General George Washington’s surprise attack that followed the Colonial Army’s brilliant crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776.
There have been many different versions of this story, but a reexamination of the events by modern military historians has yielded a more redeeming conclusion concerning Rall’s defeat. Whereas it was once believed that the Hessian troops were celebrating the holiday and simply too intoxicated to properly defend the garrison and themselves, experts now believe that Rall and a sober regiment of German soldiers may have simply underestimated the resolve of their adversaries.
One aspect of this story that hasn’t changed took place prior to the attack…
A young boy had been given a spy report from a local Loyalist with directions to deliver it to Rall, who was in occupation of the City of Trenton. The note, written in English, was intended to inform the commander that the Continental Army was crossing the river and planning to attack. As the story goes, Rall didn’t want to be interrupted during his chess game, so he put the unread note in his pocket. The story concludes with the note being found, still in Rall’s pocket, unopened, after he died in battle.
Rall had fought in the War of the Austrian Succession, and took part in campaigns in Bavaria, on the Rhine, and in the Netherlands. He also served in Scotland during the Jacobite Rebellion.
From September 1771 until August 1772, he was stationed in Russia and fought for Catherine the Great in the Fourth Russo-Turkish War.
By 1776, Rall belonged to the German infantry regiment of the 1st Division and commanded approximately 1,200 men fighting for Great Britain against the Continentals. He saw action at the Battle of White Plains, Battle of Brooklyn at Flatbush, Battle of Long Island, and the Battle of Trenton.
If any German commander could have proved his mettle against Washington (at least at this point in the war) it was probably Rall. On November 15, his Hessian force of more than 3,000 men attacked Fort Washington, which was located at the northern end of Manhattan. A private in Rall’s regiment named Johann Reuber later recalled that his colonel personally led the final assault, moving onto the field and calling out to his men, “All that are my Grenadiers, march forward!”
Although they were able to take the fort and capture their objective, Rall lost 177 men. This was just a hint of what was to come. Marching on to Trenton, Rall and his troops were met with heavy militia resistance and suffered casualties at the hands of multiple ambushes. Despite remaining in control of the town, the Hessians quickly lost control of the surrounding New Jersey countryside. A seasoned soldier, Rall was completely aware of his situation and sent escorted dispatches to British headquarters informing them of his condition and requesting reinforcements.
Those reinforcements never came.
Due to the frequency of attacks, Rall ordered his men to always remain armed, even while sleeping. That way they would be prepared to fend off an assault no matter when it occurred. Each morning Rall himself left the relatively safe confines of the town and led a detachment up and down the nearby river, hoping to engage the militia that plagued their position with unrelenting assailments.
Some of his superiors suggested that the Hessians construct defensive redoubts outside his perimeter, to which Rall replied, “I have not made any redoubts or any kind of fortifications because I have the enemy in all directions.” Famous last words.
With few options, the Hessians hunkered down, remained vigilant, and set up the standard security measures for any army in their position.
As with most gentlemen of this period, Rall was an avid gamesman and chess player. On the evening of Christmas Day, it is said that he was playing a match at his headquarters, which was set up either in the house of Stacy Potts, or the home of merchant Abraham Hunt, depending on what report you read.
That was when the young Loyalist arrived to deliver the intelligence report with information that the Continental Army was conducting a treacherous river crossing with the intent to attack Trenton. According to some reports, the note said, “Washington is coming on you down the river. He will be here before long.”
An aggravated Rall, deeply contemplating his next move on the chess board, accepted the note but refused to read it right away and stuck it in his pocket instead. This seemingly inconsequential decision in the moment led to disaster for the Hessians.
After successfully moving his entire force across the icy river, Washington committed his men and artillery, entering Trenton from multiple sides and dealing a devastating blow to the Hessians. Rall was struck twice in the side during the attack, and was taken by his men to a nearby church. He was later moved to the Stacy Potts house. Soon after, all three Hessian regiments surrendered themselves and the town.
Generals Washington and Greene visited the wounded Rall at his headquarters, and through an interpreter Rall secured a promise that his captured men would be treated humanely. He died the following day and was buried in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church in Trenton on East State Street. The worn inscription on his tombstone reads, “Here lies Colonel Rall, for him, all is over.”
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Michael Aubrecht is a historian, author, documentarian, and lecturer. You can find out more about his work, including his new book project on Virginia Loyalists During the Revolutionary War, at his website The Naked Historian.
Interesting!