The Evolution of a Patriot

Preface

Here is a genealogy poem just for you:

I saw a duck the other day.
It had the feet of my Aunt Faye.

Then it walked heading South
It waddled like my Uncle Ralph.

And when it turned, I must propose,
It’s bill was formed like Aunt Jane’s nose.

I thought, “Oh, no! It’s just my luck,
Someday I’ll look just like a duck!”

I sobbed to Mom about my fears,
And she said, “Honey, dry your tears.

You look like me, so walk with pride.
Those folks are all from Daddy’s side.”
–Anonymous

If it has a moral, it might be “if you want to put yourself of your ancestors in a predetermined mold, you are out of luck.”

And now, a little about my ancestor, an unusual duck, who cannot be put in a  predetermined mold.

An Exciting Piece of News!

News flash!  John Wolfgang Odaffer was declared a Revolutionary War Patriot by the National Societies of the Daughters/Sons of the American Revolution.

Yes, that’s right.  His Ancestor number is A206566.

And right away, two of his descendants, Kay O’Daffer Smith and Phares O’Daffer applied for and became members of the Daughters of the American Revolution(DAR) and Sons of the American Revolution(SAR) respectively.

Was There Ever Any Doubt?

Well, maybe a little. If there was a doubt, it would have been whether or not a person, like Johann (John) Wolfgang Odaffer — who fought for both the British and the Americans in the Revolutionary War — should have been declared a Patriot.

And are we sure that Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer — who came from Germany as a Hessian Soldier to fight for the British — Americanized his name, and was the same person as John Wolfgang Odaffer, who joined General Armand’s Light Horse Division and fought for the Americans?

Making the Case

So we have an unusual situation, probably with strong feelings on both sides of the issue — did the National Society make the right decision? Here are the pros and cons.

I think the case “against” declaring John Wolfgang Odaffer a Patriot is pretty clear, and simple.

• While he did a lot of “holding down the fort” in Rhode Island, and was in very few battles as a Hessian soldier, he did fight for the British as a Hessian soldier, especially at Yorktown.
• If you believe that someone who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War at any time simply cannot be an American Revolutionary War Patriot, the case is clear cut.

The case “for” is a little more complicated, and subtle, but here it is, as I see it.

• Thanks to two independent diaries written by Hessian soldiers, and to other carefully documented information about Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer and John Wolfgang Odaffer, it has been verified unequivocally that Johan Wolfgang Odoerfer and John Odorfer were one and the same.
• Evidence strongly points to the fact that because he was deeply in debt, Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer was conscripted by the Ansbach Crown Prince Alexander to fight for the British in the Revolutionary War. He apparently did not want leave his family to go, but had to.

It was common for the crown prince, in order to fill his own coffers with money from the British, to force as many young men as possible to become mercenary soldiers.

The State Archives in Ansbach, Germany, Am 1041, described his situation prior to becoming a Hessian soldier, as follows:

” …. he had spent all of his estate and, therefore, had to enter military service. He has a wife, a 15 year old son, and a 12 year old daughter who are in very straitened circumstances.” 

• John Wolfgang was not totally happy with what he was being asked to do as a Hessian soldier.  In Hessian Soldier John Dolya’s diary, he states that “On November 13, 1778, recruit Johann Wolfgang Odoerfer ran the gauntlet 10 times for disrespect for an Officer.”
• It took courage to defect from the British Army and join the American forces.

It was reported that soldiers like Johann Wolfgang Odaffer defected because they were tired of fighting Germans like themselves who had earlier come to America and were Colonists.

It is apparent that Johann wanted to fight with the Colonists, rather than against them. A lot of Johann’s fellow soldiers didn’t leave the British Army, but several courageous ones with motivation did.

(The State Archives in Ansbach, Germany, described this simply, as follows:

ODOERFER, Johann Wolfgang, private A/5 Deserted 12 October 1782.

• It is also evident that John Wolfgang Odaffer was an effective, contributing soldier in the American cause.

He served in General Armand’s Light Horse division, taking on the important task of capturing divisions of remaining British troops throughout Pennsylvania and helping bring a swift end to the war.

• He was honorably discharged, and awarded land in Virginia and Ohio for his outstanding service.

Perhaps, for those Biblically inclined, the story of Saul might put this situation in perspective. Saul was a Levite who was deeply involved in the persecution of Christians.

But as he traveled on the Damascus road, he experienced a spiritual transformation, became known as Paul, and spent his life in a quest to further the Christian cause.

I think most forgive Paul’s earlier actions because he genuinely changed, and finally contributed greatly to the good.

So in the case of John Wolfgang Odoerfer, it seems reasonable to decide to honor a person who was forced into a situation against his will, but who, like Saul, saw the error of his ways, and decided to go in a new direction, ending up fighting courageously for the Colonists.

We are all human, and make mistakes. But surely good judgment, courage in decision-making, courage in battle, and ultimate devotion to the American cause, is the stuff of which a Revolutionary War Patriot is made.

The Bottom Line

So I, for one, am happy the National Societies of the DAR/SAR declared John Wolfgang Odaffer, my great great-great-great grandfather, a Patriot.   I am proud of him, and will try to honor him through my service to the SAR Society.