American Prisoners of the RevolutionDandridge, Danske
History
American Prisoners of the Revolution
Dandridge, Danske
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons
“I had not been here but three quarters of an hour when I was obliged to
call for a bed. After being in bed two or three hours I was taken with
a stoppage in my breast, and made my resperation difficult, and still
being afraid to cough loud for fear of being heard. The good lady of the
house gave me some medicine of my own prescribing, which soon gave
me relief. Soon after a rumor spread about town among the friends of
America of my confinement, and expecting soon to be retaken, they took
measures to have me conveyed to Long Island, which was accordingly done.
“Feb. 18th, 1778. The same day I was landed I walked nine miles, and put
up at a friend’s house, during my walk I passed my Grandfather’s house,
and dare not go in for fear he would deliver me up to the British. Next
morning I started on my journey again, and reached the place I intended
at 12 o’clock, and put up with two friends. The next morning I and
two companions started from our friends with four days provisions, and
shovels and axes to build us a hut in the woods. We each of us had a
musket, powder, and balls. After going two miles in the woods we dug
away the snow and made us a fire. After warming ourselves we set to work
to build ourselves a hut; and got one side of it done the first day,
and the next we finished it. It was tolerably comfortable. We kept large
fires, and cooked our meat on the coals. In eight or ten days we had
some provisions brought us by our friends. At this time we heard that
Captain Rogers was cast away on Long Island, and concealed by some of
his friends. We went to see him, and found him. We attempted to stay in
the house in a back room. At about ten A. M. there came in a Tory, he
knowing some of us seemed much troubled. We made him promise that he
would not make known our escape. The next day our two comrades went back
to their old quarters, and Captain Rogers and myself and a friend
went into the woods and built us a hut, about ten miles from my former
companions, with whom we kept up a constant correspondence. Soon a man
was brought to us by our friends, whom we found to be John Rolston, a
man who was confined in the Provost Jail with us, and was carried to
the Hospital about three weeks after I was, and made his escape the same
way, and by friends was brought to Long Island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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