Gustavus Heinrich de Rosenthal (1753–1829) was a Baltic German

Baltic German

The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...

 soldier and nobleman born in Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, with the Title of Baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

 and last name of von Wetter-Rosenthal, a junior line of the von Wetter-Tegenfelden's . He came into conflict with another man and was forced to flee the country after killing him in a duel. He came to North America, where he served in the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 using the name John Rose.

American Revolution

At the time of his departure from Europe, the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

 was under way. Rosenthal adopted the name John Rose and joined a unit from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. While stationed at Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...

, he befriended William Irvine

William Irvine (physician)

William Irvine was an Irish-American physician, soldier, and statesman from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.Irvine was born near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh in Ireland...

 who was an officer in the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

.

He was part of the American invasion of Quebec

Invasion of Canada (1775)

The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...

 and was present at the Battle of Trois-Rivières

Battle of Trois-Rivières

The Battle of Trois-Rivières was fought on June 8, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. A British army under Quebec Governor Guy Carleton defeated an attempt by units from the Continental Army under the command of Brigadier General William Thompson to stop a British advance up the Saint...

. He had much experience in the military which assisted him in establishing a reputation as a competent commander.

Crawford expedition

When William Irvine was transferred to the Western Department, Rose accompanied him. Irvine assigned him to the Crawford expedition

Crawford expedition

The Crawford expedition, also known as the Sandusky expedition and Crawford's Defeat, was a 1782 campaign on the western front of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the final operations of the conflict...

 under the command of Colonel William Crawford

William Crawford (soldier)

William Crawford was an American soldier and surveyor who worked as a western land agent for George Washington. Crawford fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War...

 against the Upper Sandusky villages of the Wyandots and Delawares in 1782. Irvine ordered Rose to keep a detailed account of the expedition and record all of the events. During the election of officers, Rose was elected adjutant with the rank of Major. Upon nearing the destination of the campaign, Rose was selected to lead an advance company of men to scout the area ahead and attempt to determine the location of the enemy. It was Rose who discovered and determined that the grove of trees known as "Battle Island" should be the point of defense for the army during the Battle of Sandusky.

Shortly after leaving the grove, the detachment spotted several Indians. After pursuing them some distance they were ambushed by the hidden force of Native Americans under the Wyandot chief Half King, the Delaware chiefs Captain Pipe

Captain Pipe

Captain Pipe , called Konieschquanoheel and also known as Hopocan, was an 18th-century chief of the Algonquian-speaking Lenape and a member of the Wolf Clan...

 and Wingenund and the British Indian agent Simon Girty

Simon Girty

Simon Girty was an American colonial of Scots-Irish ancestry who served as a liaison between the British and their Native American allies during the American Revolution...

. Rose led the company in a fighting retreat while sending back runners to alert the main army that they had engaged the Indian force. With the advance company retreating and the main army advancing, they met at the grove earlier discovered by Rose.

During the day of June 4 and the following day of June 5, the Indian force surrounded and attacked the army within the grove. Several attempts were made to penetrate the army's perimeter with little success; however, numerous parties of warriors continued to arrive to augment the numbers of the attackers and following the arrival of a number of Butler's Rangers

Butler's Rangers

Butler's Rangers was a British provincial regiment composed of Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War, raised by Loyalist John Butler.Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York...

 and a party of Shawnee

Shawnee

The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...

 numbering near 200 under the Chief Black Snake, the battle began to go against the Americans.

Retreat and the Battle of the Olentangy

Following the arrival of the British and Indian reinforcements, Colonel Crawford and Colonel David Williamson, the second in command, agreed that a retreat should be attempted on the night of June 5. As the men were preparing to leave the woods, small groups began to leave on their own causing the organized retreat to degenerate into a rout. A large body of men remained together under the leadership of Col David Williamson and Major Rose. The following day, Rose was again selected to lead an advance company to scout the terrain ahead. Later in the day, as the remains of the army approached the Olentangy River to water the horses and rest, the Indians and British attacked initiating the Battle of the Olentangy. After fierce fighting, the Americans were able to push the Indians and British back.

Realizing that the enemy would harass the rear of the army, Rose led the defense of a rear guard which kept the enemy at bay long enough to allow the army to leave the Olentangy River camp. On June 13 the remaining American army crossed the Ohio River into American territory. Rose delivered his report to General Irvine.

After the war

Following the American Revolution John Rose returned to Estonia and married. He raised a family and died in 1829. The journal which he had kept on the Crawford Expedition was part of his estate when he died. A family member later sent a copy to the Pennsylvania Historical Society giving Americans an excellent account of the campaign.