Special Presentation

1pm in the courtroom

A special feature of the day will be a presentation by Anette Ruppel Rodrigues, who will discuss The British King’s German Allies in the American War of Independence from the perspective of the mother of a German soldier.

Guests will learn about the involvement of German allies of the British Crown during the American Revolution. These soldiers were involved in many of the war’s battles, experiencing victories and defeats alongside the Crown troops. Some even found themselves in what later became Maine. And not only German soldiers crossed the ocean. Some were joined by their families.

During her studies for a Master’s Degree in German at the University of Maine, Anette Ruppel Rodrigues began researching the German troops who were allied with the British Crown. Letters, diaries and even plays from the period document the German side of this time in history. She has translated German letters and plays from the 1780s into English. Her play “The Hessian Officer in America” has been performed on two occasions. Maine writer Ardeana Hamlin described it as “a charming story of historic significance.”