HETRINA

HETRINA is a six volume index of Hessian troops who fought for the British in the American Revolution. The full name of the work is Hessische Truppen im Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskreig (I love unabhängigkeitskreig, it's such a sprawling octopus of a word).

Volume 3 of HETRINA lists two Dirlams, Konrad and Wigand, both from Ottrau. Ottrau is a little farm community in the former Hesse-Kassel. Were these Dirlams brothers? Cousins to our ancestor?

Konrad and Wigand served as Privates in Company 3 of the Fusilier Regiment von Knyphausen. Fusiliers were specialized infantry troops, lightly equipped so they could move quickly, and usually used either to harass enemy troops or to protect the main body of their own troops from similar attacks by the enemy.

The Regiment von Knyphausen, commanded by General Werner von Mirbach, was garrisoned at Ziegenhain, just 18 miles north of the Dirlam home town, Ottrau. They got on a ship in April 1776, and arrived 4 months later in New York. They fought at Long Island and White Plains before General Mirbach suffered a stroke. He was replaced by Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall, and on October 28 they fought again at Fort Washington. These battles resulted in capture of New York City by the British, and flight into New Jersey by the Continental Army.

Konrad Dirlam, who was born 1753/54, has just one HETRINA entry - his death in November 1776.

Wigand (also spelled Weigand) Dirlam, born 1758/1759, survived to fight at Trenton in December 1776, before being listed as a Prisoner of War in February 1777. According to the Journal of The Johannes Schwalm Historical Assocation, Inc. volume 3, number 1, he appears on a list made by the Germans on 27 February 1777 of prisoners taken as a result of the battle at Trenton: he was sent 100 miles west as a prisoner to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was parolled in July 1783 after preliminaries to the Treaty of Paris ended the war. He was still in the army in 1785, 2 years later.

So, these two Dirlams helped drive Washington's army from Manhattan. Unfortunately, HETRINA's first 5 volumes do not list John O Dirlam, and my local geneology library doesn't have Volume 6.

Update: I've since had a chance to review Volume 6 in San Diego, and there are no Dirlams listed. None. But a John Dirlam does appear on a less well known list. See my post on the von Scheither Recruits.