News & Miscellany
Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer’s Yorktown Battle, Surrender, and March Through Virginia
On October 18, 2001, exactly 220 years after my great great great grandfather Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer fought as a Hessian soldier for the British at the Battle of Yorktown, my wife Harriet and I visited the battlefield, lay in the bunkers where he fought, and imagined the terrible battle and defeat for the British.
Thanks to two diaries written by Hessian Soldiers, we had a description of what happened, and where it happened.
Afterwards, we walked the road to the field where the British and Hessians surrendered to the Americans and the French, and thought about Johann Wolfgang.
Download and enjoy this description of the experience.
The Battle and Surrender at Yorktown
After the surrender, Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer and his fellow prisoners marched from Yorktown, through the state of Virginia, to a prison barracks in Winchester.
Harriet and I were determined to traveled the same trail, and again thanks to the diaries of the Hessian soldiers, Doyla and Prechtal, we knew exactly where they marched, what happened along the way, and how long it took them to do the trip.
American General George Washington and French General Rochambeau had decided to move troops from near New York City all the way to Yorktown to surprise the British. The route they took, called the Washington-Rochambeau trail, was the only major trail through a very forested state at that time.
So it made sense Washington would instruct the officers, who were marching the 2,000 prisoners from Yorktown back to northern Virginia, to return on the same trail that Washington had marched his troops just a few weeks before.
Download and enjoy this pictorial and written account of our day on the Washington-Rochambeau trail. What a delightful experience!
Wolfgang’s March Through Virginia
Boots Full of Fish
Several years ago, I thought about writing an autobiography. As I got into it, I came to the conclusion that two things were going to happen. The first was that it would probably take 800 pages, and the second was that probably no one would read it.
So I decided, instead, to simply write 21 Vignettes, which integrate some of my philosophy with some selected stories about my life.
Because of a remark from my step father, and at my son Eric’s suggestion, I titled the booklet “Boots Full of Fish.”
I hope you resonate with some of the ideas in the booklet, and it motivates you to write about your life. Enjoy!
Johann Wolfgang Odaffer Declared a Patriot
In 2013, Johann Wolfgang Odaffer (odoerfer) was declared a Patriot by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). His Ancestor (Patriot) number is A206566.
After Johann Wolfgang Odaffer was declared a Patriot, Kay Smith O’Daffer was accepted as a member of the DAR, and Phares O’Daffer became a member of the SAR. Since these links are now established and verified, it should be reasonably easy for other descendants of Johann to become members of DAR or SAR.