A large portion of colonial America's population on the eve of the revolution was composed of immigrants and children of recent immigrants. Because of the variety of ethnic groups involved, studies of how Americans reacted to the revolution should not be limited to generalizations. The involvement of different ethnic groups has been examined, but these studies seem largely to have concentrated on the wealthier and more politically motivated members of those groups. Examining the reactions of poorer members of ethnic groups has been difficult, since few of these people left significant documentation of their experiences. German redemptioners, an important sub-group of colonial American immigrants, seem to have been well represented among the lower orders of colonial American society. A memoir of Johann Carl Büttner's experiences in America prior to and during the revolution provides a revealing and detailed portrait of his reactions to the revolution. This portrait may well be an archetype for German redemptioners of the “lower sort.”