Jacob Hoover | Nation Maker

"Nation Makers"
Howard Pyle 1906

Jacob Hoover Military Service:

1755 Listed as "wagoner" serving under General Braddock in French and Indian War at the Battle of the Monongahela.

1776 Enlists in the Continental Army and is assigned to German Regiment with the rank of Private.

1776-1779 Participates in the following major battles: Battle of Trenton; The Forage War and Battle of Spanktown; Battle of Assunpink; Battle of Princeton; Battle of Brandywine Creek; Battle of Germantown; Battle of Monmouth; the Sullivan Expedition.

25 December 1776 German Regiment accompanies General George Washington crossing the Delaware River for a surprise attack on German Hessian mercenaries fighting for the British.

1777-1778 German Regiment encamps at Valley Forge during winter into early summer.

12 October 1779 Jacob Hoover receives discharge from the Continental Army.

The Hubers/Hoovers Planting Roots in America

1720-1730 Johannes Jacob Huber and Maria Huber arrive in the American Colonies from Germany and set roots in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

1730 Jacob Huber/Hoover, the Patriot, is born in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

1749 Jacob Hoover marries Anna Christina Good in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Historical records indicate there are a few Jacob Hoovers in eastern Pennsylvania during this time. Of course, there is Jacob's own father, and he died 1784. There is a possibility that any brothers Jacob may have had, they could have named of their sons after Jacob Sr. More research is needed on this point, but here are four instances where a Jacob Hoover appears in official documents from the area:

Jacob Hoover is listed in the Septennial Census 1779 as living in Martick Twp., Lancaster, PA

Jacob Hoover is listed in the Pennsylvania, Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801

Jacob Hoover is listed in the 1790 Census as living in German, Fayette, PA.

Jacob Hoover is listed in the 1800 Census in Woodbury Twp., Bedford, PA.

Between 1810-1816 Martin Hoover, son of Jacob the Patriot, moves with several of his sons and their families, to Jefferson Twp., Montgomery County, Ohio.

Eyewitness to the French and Indian War

Pennsylvania state archives show a Jacob Hoover listed as a "wagoner" serving under General Edward Braddock in 1755 at the Battle of the Monongahela (aka Battle of the Wilderness) during the French and Indian War.

"The Soldier"
Lermercier, Life of George Washington 1854

The battle took place on Iroquois hunting land which gave the French and Indians a distinct advantage. The British stood strong for about 3 hours, but General Braddock was shot from his horse and his troops began to withdraw from the fight. The French and Iroquois pursued the fleeing battalion killing over 500 troops and wounding over 400 more in the battle. A young Virginian surveyor serving as Braddock's aide-to-camp, George Washington, reorganized the troops after the defeat. General Braddock died from his wounds several days later. 

A short time after the battle, Jacob Hoover gave an eyewitness account of the ordeal under oath to the Pennsylvania Provincial Council:

The Examination of Jacob Huber, a wagoner, belonging to the Army under the immediate Command of General Braddock, taken under Oath before the Honorable Robert Hunger Morris, Esq., Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, at Carlisle, in the Country of Cumberland, the 17th July, 1755.

"This Examinant saith that he was in Col. Dunbar's Camp the tenth of July, Instant, and was inform'd that Two Officers who had come from the Fort Cumberland, returned to the camp about three hours after the set out, and rumor spread that there was bad news, and that the officers could not pass the to the general by reason of the Indians. That bout nine or ten p'clock the same days this Examinant saw and spoke with several wagoners who were come into Col. Dunbar's Camp from General Braddock's, and who  informed this Examinant that General Braddock with his advanced party of fifteen-hundred men had been attached on the ninth instant within five miles of Fort Duquesne by a great many French and Indians, who surrounded them; That the action lasted three hours; that the most part of the English were killed; that General Braddock was wounded and put into a wagon and afterwards killed by the Indians that Sr. Peter Hacket and Captain Orme were also killed. And this Examinant further saith that he saw some soldiers return into Colonel Dunbar's Camp, whom he was informed had been of General Braddock's advanced party, some of whom were wounded, some not; also saw two officers carried on sheets, one of whom was said to be Sir John St. Clair, whom the Examinant was informed had received two wounds; that about noon of the same day Col. Dunbar's drums beat to arms, and both before and after that many soldiers and wagoners, with other attendants upon the camp, took to flight, and amongst other Examinant; and further saith not."

JACOB HOOVER

 "Sworn the day and Year above written before ROBERT H. MORRIS."

Source: Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania: From the Organization to the Termination of the Proprietary Government. Vol. VI, Containing the Proceedings of Council from April 2nd, 1754 to January 29th, 1756. 

The German Regiment

During the late spring of 1776, the Second Continental Congress became aware that the British had hired mercenaries from several German speaking nations to come to the colonies to help fight and suppress the colonial rebellion. In response, the decision was made to organize a regiment of soldiers with German heritage and who mainly spoke German. Between July 6th and September 25th, nine companies were raised with troops from eastern Pennsylvania (5) and Maryland (4). It was during this period that Jacob Hoover enlisted in the Continental Army and was assigned to the German Regiment in George Washington's main army.

Officers and privates in the German Regiment were comprised of men from German settlements in the Pennsylvania and Maryland Colonies, respectively. Each company, seven in total, consisted of a Captain, 1st. Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, and an Ensign. Non-commissioned officers included 4 Sergeants, 4 Corporals, 2 Drummers or, 1 Fifer and 1 Drummer, plus eighty privates, all who had enlisted for three years.

When the regiment was first organized, Swiss-born Colonel Nicholas Haussegger of Pennsylvania was placed in command. But after being captured by Hessian troops at the Battle of Princeton, questions arose about his loyalties. He was reportedly seen dining and drinking with enemy officers and purportedly tried to convince other POW's to side with the British. After he miraculously escaped his incarceration, Washington, not trusting his Colonel, had him watched closely over a period of time. Finally, determined his resolve to to cause of liberty had been compromised, the Commanding General booted him from his post and assigned Colonel Baron d'Arendt, a Prussian officer who had come to the colonies to fight for the rebellion, command of the German Regiment. He remained in command until the unit disbanded on January 1, 1781.

Continental Army Recruitment Poster

The Continental Soldier

Outfitting the American Continental Soldier

Washington's Crossing of the Delaware

German Hessian Mercenary Troops

In December 1776, the German Regiment found themselves serving directly under the command of General George Washington. In hopes of surprising a battalion of about 1,300 German Hessian mercenaries fighting for the British and holding the town of Trenton, Washington rallied his troops and made a daring crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Eve.

Jacob Hoover, along with the rest of the German Regiment, were an invaluable tool for Washington that night. They were fighting under the direct command of Lieutenant-Colonel George Sticker. After surprising and defeating the Hessians, Washington ordered the German Regiment, who mainly spoke German and little English, to talk the Hessians into laying down their arms and take prisoners.

The victory played a pivotal role in the Revolution, as word of the accomplishment spread through the colonies and lifted the spirits of both troops and colonists. It reaffirmed the support of the citizens and most importantly, helped convince the French to side with the Americans and support the cause with both troops, supplies and money.

The Emanuel Leutze painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware" famously commemorated the crossing, but is highly inaccurate in its depiction. The crossing took place at night, there was heavy snowfall, blowing wind, and , and according to many historians, the flag portrayed in the work, the well-known Betsy Ross 13 stars flag, did not appear in the colonies until 1777. 

There have been other paintings since which depict the crossing more accurately, but the Leutze work is by far the most famous. The original 1850 painting, which was being displayed in Germany during World War II, was destroyed in a bombing raid. The painting below is a copy that Leutze made in 1851.   

"Washington Crossing the Delaware"
Emanuel Leutze 1851

Washintgon wrote the follow letter Lt. Col. Tench Tilghman on the eve of the crossing:

"McKonkey's Ferry, Six o'clock P.M, December 25, 1776.

Dear Sir: Notwithstanding the discouraging Accounts I have received from Col. Reed of what might be expected from the Operations below, I am determined, as the Night is favourable, to cross the River and make the attack upon Trenton in the Morning. If you can do nothing real, at least create as a diversion as possible. I am, etc."  

Source: The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor.--vol. 06, The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress.

Winter at Valley Forge

During the winter of 1777-1778, George Washington encamped his Continental Army at Valley Forge. It was cold and harsh and many soldiers succumb to the elements. Jacob Hoover and the rest of the German Regiment were assigned to Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg's Brigade and encamped with five regiments from Virginia.

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about Valley Forge

Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge.