American Prisoners of the RevolutionDandridge, Danske
History
American Prisoners of the Revolution
Dandridge, Danske
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons
wretched and filthy condition I should almost question whether it would
be credited. * * * It was God’s good pleasure to raise me up once more
so that I could just make out to walk, and I was again returned to the
Jersey prison ship.”
Here he received sad news. One of his uncles was a prisoner on board the
Jersey, and had been very kind to him, giving him a share of his money
with which to purchase necessaries. Now he found his uncle about to
take his place in the hospital ship. A boy named Stephen Nichols also
informed him of the death in his absence of the gunner of their ship,
whose name was Daniel Davis. This poor man had his feet and legs frozen,
from which he died.
“Nichols and myself were quite attached to each other. * * * We stalked
about the decks together, lamenting our forlorn condition. In a few days
there came orders to remove all the prisoners from the Jersey in
order to cleanse the ship. We were removed on board of transports,
and directly there came on a heavy storm. The ship on which I was was
exceedingly crowded, so that there was not room enough for each man to
lay down under deck, and the passing and repassing by day had made the
lower deck entirely wet. Our condition was distressing. After a few
days we were all put on board the Jersey again. A large number had
taken violent colds, myself among the rest. The hospital ships were soon
crowded, and even the Jersey herself shortly became about as much of a
hospital ship as the others.”
Sherburne was again sent to a hospital ship, where he was rejoiced to
find his uncle convalescing. A man who lay next him had been a nurse,
but had had his feet and legs frozen, the toes and bottom of his feet
fell off.
Two brothers shared a bunk near him. Their names were John and Abraham
Falls. John was twenty-three, and Abraham only sixteen. Both were very
sick. One night Abraham was heard imploring John not to lie on him, and
the other invalids reproached him for his cruelty in thus treating his
young brother. But John was deaf to their reproaches, for he was dead.
Abraham was too ill to move from under him. Next day the dead brother
was removed from the living one, but it was too late to save him, and
the poor boy died that morning.
Sherburne says that only five of his crew of thirteen survived, and that
in many instances a much larger proportion died.
“At length came news of peace. It was exceedingly trying to our feelings
to see our ship mates daily leaving us, until our ship was almost
deserted. We were, however, convalescent, but we gained exceedingly
slowly. * * * I think there were but seven or eight left on board the
hospital ship when we left it, in a small schooner sent from R. I.,
for the purpose of taking home some who belonged to that place, and the
commander of the hospital ship had the humanity to use his influence
with the master of the cartel to take us on board, and to our
unspeakable joy he consented.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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