American Prisoners of the RevolutionDandridge, Danske
History
American Prisoners of the Revolution
Dandridge, Danske
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons
Fox describes the food and drink, the prison regulations, deaths, and
burials, just as they were described by Captain Dring, who wrote the
fullest account of the Jersey, and from whose memoirs we shall
quote further on. He says of their shallow graves in the sand of
the Wallabout: “This was the last resting place of many a son and a
brother,--young and noble-spirited men, who had left their happy homes
and kind friends to offer their lives in the service of their country.
* * * Poor fellows! They suffered more than their older companions
in misery. They could not endure their hopeless and wearisome
captivity:--to live on from day to day, denied the power of doing
anything; condemned to that most irksome and heart-sickening of all
situations, utter inactivity; their restless and impetuous spirits,
like caged lions, panted to be free, and the conflict was too much
for endurance, enfeebled and worn out as they were with suffering and
confinement. * * * The fate of many of these unhappy victims must have
remained forever unknown to their friends; for in so large a number,
no exact account could be kept of those who died, and they rested in
a nameless grave; while those who performed the last sad rites were
hurried away before their task was half completed, and forbid to express
their horror and indignation at this insulting negligence towards the
dead. * * *
“The regular crew of the Jersey consisted of a Captain, two Mates, a
steward, a cook, and about twelve sailors. There was likewise on board
a guard of about thirty soldiers, from the different regiments quartered
on Long Island, who were relieved by a fresh party every week.
“The physical force of the prisoners was sufficient at any time to take
possession of the ship, but the difficulty was to dispose of themselves
after a successful attempt. Long Island was in possession of the
British, and the inhabitants were favorable to the British cause. To
leave the ship and land on the island, would be followed by almost
certain detection; and the miseries of our captivity would be increased
by additional cruelties heaped upon us from the vindictive feelings of
our oppressors.
“Yet, small as was the chance for succeeding in the undertaking, the
attempt to escape was often made, and in not a few instances with
success.
“Our sufferings were so intolerable, that we felt it to be our duty to
expose ourselves to almost any risk to obtain our liberty. To remain
on board of the prison ship seemed to be certain death, and in its most
horrid form; to be killed, while endeavoring to get away, could be no
worse.
“American prisoners are proverbial for their ingenuity in devising ways
and means to accomplish their plans, whether they be devised for their
own comfort and benefit, or for the purpose of annoying and tormenting
their keepers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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