Johan von Robais was born in what is today Germany on June 19, 1721. At age 16, he went to France to become a mercenary. He was a born leader and rose to colonel by age 26. However, his rise from this point was blocked by the fact that he was not a French aristocrat. To heck with that, he said. He forged papers and renamed himself Baron Jean de Kalb. In 1762, he was sent to America to assess anti-British feeling. Back in Paris, he introduced Silas Deane to Lafayette. Deane recruited both of them. Lafayette and de Kalb traveled to America together. De Kalb was welcomed because he spoke English. He was made a Major General and served under Washington. When things went bad in the south, Washington sent de Kalb to help Gen. Horatio Gates. He commanded the right wing of Gates’ army in the Battle of Camden. This was a disaster for the Continental Army as Cornwallis experienced army faced a smaller inexperienced army that had a lot of militia. Almost from the first shot, much of the patriot army ran. De Kalb and his men stood their ground against a larger force. He had been wounded by a saber slash. More wounds were to come. The Baron refused to retreat or surrender. He ended up mortally wounded. A British doctor counted 11 wounds. He died three days after the battle. Cornwallis gave him a military funeral.
Great Stories of the American Revolution by Webb Garrision, pp.245-248
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