American Prisoners of the RevolutionDandridge, Danske
History
American Prisoners of the Revolution
Dandridge, Danske
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons
“Though I had delivered up my arms I had not adverted to a cartouche
box which I wore about my waist, and which, having once belonged to
his British Majesty, presented in front the gilded letters, G. R.
Exasperated at this trophy on the body of a rebel, one of the soldiers
seized the belt with great violence, and in the act to unbuckle it, had
nearly jerked me off my legs. To appease the offended loyalty of the
honest Scot I submissively took it off and handed it to him, being
conscious that I had no longer any right to it. At this moment a Hessian
came up. He was not a private, neither did he look like a regular
officer. He was some retainer, however, to the German troops, and as
much of a brute as any one I have ever seen in human form. The wretch
came near enough to elbow us, and, half unsheathing his sword, with a
countenance that bespoke a most vehement desire to use it against us, he
grunted out in broken English, ‘Eh! you rebel! you damn rebel!’
“I had by this time entire confidence in our Scotchmen, and therefore
regarded the caitiff with the same indifference that I should have
viewed a caged wild beast, though with much greater abhorrence. * * *
“We were marched to an old stable, where we found about forty or fifty
prisoners already collected, principally officers, of whom I only
particularly recollect Lieutenant Brodhead of our battalion. We remained
on the outside of the building; and, for nearly an hour, sustained a
series of the most intolerable abuse. This was chiefly from the officers
of the light infantry, for the most part young and insolent puppies,
whose worthlessness was apparently their recommendation to a service,
which placed them in the post of danger, and in the way of becoming
food for powder, their most appropriate destination next to that of the
gallows. The term ‘rebel,’ with the epithet ‘damned’ before it, was
the mildest we received. We were twenty times told, sometimes with
a taunting affectation of concern, that we should every man of us be
hanged. * * * The indignity of being ordered about by such contemptible
whipsters, for a moment unmanned me, and I was obliged to apply my
handkerchief to my eyes. This was the first time in my life that I had
been the victim of brutal, cowardly oppression, and I was unequal to the
shock; but my elasticity of mind was soon restored, and I viewed it with
the indignant contempt it deserved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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