After the American Revolutionary War, around 12,000 Hessian mercenaries returned to Germany. However, around 2,400 of those 12,000 decided to stay in the United States. Many settled in the Mid-Atlantic states — such as Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Some also made their way to the Deep South, settling in Georgia and the Carolinas. One major group of them settled in the area of what is now Jefferson City, Missouri, along the Missouri River. This group became the nucleus of a German-American community that thrived in the area.