American Prisoners of the Revolution

American Prisoners of the
Revolution

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Title: American Prisoners of the Revolution
Author: Danske Dandridge
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AMERICAN PRISONERS OF THE REVOLUTION
BY
DANSKE DANDRIDGE

Dedication
TO THE MEMORY OF MY GRANDFATHER
Lieutenant Daniel Bedinger, of Bedford, Virginia
"A BOY IN PRISON"
AS REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL THAT WAS BRAVEST AND
MOST HONORABLE IN THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE
PATRIOTS OF 1776

PREFACE

The writer of this book has been interested for many years in the
subject of the sufferings of the American prisoners of the Revolution.
Finding the information she sought widely scattered, she has, for her
own use, and for that of all students of the subject, gathered all the facts
she could obtain within the covers of this volume. There is little that is
original in the compilation. The reader will find that extensive use has
been made of such narratives as that Captain Dring has left us. The
accounts could have been given in the compiler's own words, but they
would only, thereby, have lost in strength. The original narratives are
all out of print, very scarce and hard to obtain, and the writer feels
justified in reprinting them in this collection, for the sake of the general
reader interested in the subject, and not able to search for himself
through the mass of original material, some of which she has only
discovered after months of research. Her work has mainly consisted in
abridging these records, collected from so many different sources.
The writer desires to express her thanks to the courteous librarians of
the Library of Congress and of the War and Navy Departments; to Dr.
Langworthy for permission to publish his able and interesting paper on
the subject of the prisons in New York, and to many others who have
helped her in her task.
DANSKE DANDRIDGE.
December 6th, 1910.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
PREFACE
I. INTRODUCTORY
II. THE RIFLEMEN OF THE REVOLUTION

III. NAMES OF SOME OF THE PRISONERS OF 1776
IV. THE PRISONERS OF NEW YORK--JONATHAN GILLETT
V. WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, THE PROVOST MARSHAL
VI. THE CASE OF JABEZ FITCH
VII. THE HOSPITAL DOCTOR--A TORY'S ACCOUNT OF NEW
YORK IN 1777--ETHAN ALLEN'S ACCOUNT OF THE
PRISONERS
VIII. THE ACCOUNT OF ALEXANDER GRAYDON
IX. A FOUL PAGE OF ENGLISH HISTORY
X. A BOY IN PRISON
XI. THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE REVOLUTION
XII. THE TRUMBULL PAPERS AND OTHER SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
XIII. A JOURNAL KEPT IN THE PROVOST
XIV. FURTHER TESTIMONY OF CRUELTIES ENDURED BY
AMERICAN PRISONERS
XV. THE OLD SUGAR HOUSE--TRINITY CHURCHYARD
XVI. CASE OF JOHN BLATCHFORD
XVII. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND OTHERS ON THE SUBJECT
OF AMERICAN PRISONERS
XVIII. THE ADVENTURES OF ANDREW SHERBURNE
XIX. MORE ABOUT THE ENGLISH PRISONS--MEMOIR OF ELI
BICKFORD--CAPTAIN FANNING

XX. SOME SOUTHERN NAVAL PRISONERS
XXI. EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS--SOME OF THE PRISON
SHIPS--CASE OF CAPTAIN BIRDSALL
XXII. THE JOURNAL OF DR. ELIAS CORNELIUS--BRITISH
PRISONS IN THE SOUTH
XXIII. A POET ON A PRISON SHIP
XXIV. "THERE WAS A SHIP!"
XXV. A DESCRIPTION OF THE JERSEY
XXVI. THE EXPERIENCE OF EBENEZER FOX
XXVII. THE EXPERIENCE OF EBENEZER FOX (CONTINUED)
XXVIII. THE CASE OF CHRISTOPHER HAWKINS
XXIX. TESTIMONY OF PRISONERS ON BOARD THE JERSEY
XXX. RECOLLECTIONS OF ANDREW SHERBURNE
XXXI. CAPTAIN ROSWELL PALMER
XXXII. THE NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN ALEXANDER COFFIN
XXXIII. A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE
XXXIV. THE NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN DRING
XXXV. THE NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN DRING (CONTINUED)
XXXVI. THE INTERMENT OF THE DEAD
XXXVII. DAME GRANT AND HER BOAT
XXXVIII. THE SUPPLIES FOR THE PRISONERS

XXXIX. FOURTH OF JULY ON THE JERSEY
XL. AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE
XLI. THE MEMORIAL TO GENERAL WASHINGTON
XLII. THE