They came to the edge of the woods at Fort Mercer on the morning of October 22 and stopped
within cannon shot of where the line of battle was formed.
Sometimes one of them appeared and a short while thereafter a second apparition, with its long
clothing swaying and swinging in the moonlight, as the zephyrs gently swayed it to and fro. And after
one had gone on, the other would return and fade away amidst the trees on the banks of the
Delaware, then too after the disappearance of the first, the second would appear and in its
phantom-like movement, would disappear.

So for years these two unfortunates wandered through meadow, woods, and floated over streams, all
over the old battle ground at Fort Mercer, with an occasional glance through the windows of the
Whitall Mansion and from there unto Woodbury Creek, as far as the Lowe House, where their leader
Count von Donop had passed away, to be gathered until his fathers. Years passed into decades and
these into centuries. Thus for years and decades these two moved and floated over the countryside,
until early of the twentieth century. One night, both met at the old spot where had stood the Lowe
House, on the other side of Crown Point Road. They exchanged their heads and immediately fell into
dust."  (or did they?)                                                
The dead at the Fort were buried in trenches, being laid alongside one another. Their long queues and
odd dress gave them a strange appearance, as they settled away in their last home... within a few
years by the wearing away of the river bank, some of these depositories of the dead have been
exposed, and the bones discovered. The winters had been aided in the wearing away from the banks,
so that some of the bones fell upon the river shore. It was then that fun-loving rovers would come at
night "over from Babylon," as Ann Whittal was wont to call Philadelphia, and arm themselves with
these bones, muttering weird cries as they chased about her home. This was to represent Hessian's
maledictions, and if perchance a shutter was left open, they would rap on the windows with these
bones. Through these shenanigans the place acquired the reputation it was being haunted. Ant this
was most demoralizing, not only to farm help, but also to all other house help.
At length they relinquished the attack, and regained the wood in disorder. These retreating Hessians
left their dead and bleeding practically in heaps, and it was then beheld the deplorable spectacle of the
dead and dying, heaped one upon another. Count von Donop fared no better. He, with his men,
pressed the abattis and faced the fire on the south side. He was at first taken into the Fort and then to
the Whittal House. Three days later, he passed to his fathers; his wounds had been in the hip. The
other wounded were taken into the house of James Whitall below and adjoining the Fort to have their
wounds dressed by the Surgeon. The premises were covered with the poor fellows. The desperately
wounded were arranged in rows in the lower rooms; those for whom hope was entertained, were
removed to the upper rooms for treatment.
A battalion of the tall-helmeted Hessian swept to the attack of the entrenchments, they had imagined
that the Americans had been driven therefrom. They swept to the attack, both north and south of the
Fort, but suddenly they were overwhelmed with a shower of musket shot, which took them in the
front and in flank...officers were seen rallying their men, marching back to the abattis, and falling
amidst the branches they were endeavoring to cut. When the attacking party stormed the face of the
bank to clamber over the rampart, there came from the ambrassures in front, from the half-masked
battery in the flank, an awful storm of musket balls and crape shot. Greene's forces had held their
fire until their musket charges were driven into the faces and breasts of the Hessians. These it seems
were swept and blown back to the out-works like chaff in the wind.
But without a roll of Hessian drums, and with a slight silence as though the men were saying their last
prayers, the Hessian officer, with an aide bearing a flag of truce, advanced from out of the wood and
crossed the open field, followed by a drummer. The Hessians approached Colonel Greene who had
leaped upon the earthworks, and the officer's insolent harangue irritated the garrison and inspire them
the more to do battle.
This caused the two to arise on moonlit night, and wander through the countryside about the old
Fort. It was reported, according to tradition, that they wandered as far as Haddonfield, far from their
place of accident. Each was trying to find the other; each was attempting to locate his own head.
They wandered all over the old battle field for years, without ever meeting one another. They
frightened old and young alike.
THE STORY OF THE HEADLESS HESSIAN  by an Unknown Author
Count Kurt von Donop was sent from Philadelphia
with four battalions of 2,000 Hessians to New Jersey
in preparation for Red Bank. On the evening of
October 21, they came to Haddonfield and rested for
a short time before creeping off in the night down to
the fort. On their way they took  every person prisoner
who they thought might reveal their movements They
travelled over the old Hessian Road, as it is now called,
on their way to the Fort Mercer. It crosses a stream
called Hessian Run, named for a soldier, a Hessian,
who had been left wounded by his comrades near by.
The small garrison of 400 within the Fort under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Christopher
Greene had expected no land attack, and their sentry lines did not even extend beyond the
fortification....There were sixty-four ships that grimly anchored on the shore of the Delaware. With
only fourteen cannons mounted and the feeble earthworks, Colonel Greene  ordered preparations for
the defence, with the guns double shotted and primed. There was a hurrying footfall of the men
forming their line along the parapets, the rattling of snapping flints, the clash of steel, the tatoo of the
ramrods, calling to quarters, and the roll of the drums.
Colonel Greene accepted the challenge for himself and his
men. "We ask no quarters, no will we give any." The attack
began at once, at four o'clock in the afternoon, just as soon
as drummer and officer had returned to the lines. Within the
Fort all were eager and busy. Greene, with his men, relied
mainly upon the strength of the inner redoubt. The
Americans withdrew from the out-works, leaving them
abandoned. The Hessians made a very brisk fire from a
battery of cannon to make a breach in the walls. At the end
of three-quarters of an hour, the cannonading ceased.
Also, as Ann had ferreted out the origin of these vexations,
she persuaded her sons to collect and rebury all visible
bones left from the battle, and thus the "Haunt was laid to
rest ," in short order. Among these reburied Hessians, there
were two whose heads had been blown off. When they
were interred, the head of the one was buried with body of
the other, and the head of the other was buried with the
body of one. This caused considerable consternation. None
of these poor Hessians find peace.