The figure of the Hessian soldier is a staple of the Revolutionary War mythos, and distancing the inhabitants of the "land of the free" from Britain's "hirelings and slaves" was a cornerstone of early American efforts at establishing a political identity. Globally, however, the Hessians were far more than just a Revolutionary War phenomenon. Hessian troops fought under various nations' flags for almost two hundred years, sometimes on both sides of a war. This is the story of the return of "Hessians" - militarized microstates who serve today's great powers in their various quests for local dominance. From Fiji to Estonia, Brunei to Tonga, Hessians are once again on the march. What is the significance of this return to old techniques?