Dandridge, Danske American Prisoners of the Revolution, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1911, 1967.
One of the prisoners taken on Long Island in the summer of 1776 was Captain Jabez Fitch, who was captured on the 27th of August, of that year. While a prisoner he contracted a scorbutic affection which rendered miserable thirty years of his life.
“I was, of course,” he continues, “naked, my head excepted. She was, or appeared to be, excessively frightened, and ran towards a house, screeching and screaming at every step.” – A boy named Waterman Christopher Hawkins was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1764. When he was in his thirteenth year he sailed on board an American privateer as a cabin boy. The privateer was a schooner, called the Eagle, commanded by Captain Potter. Taken prisoner by the British, Hawkins was sent on board the Asia, an old transport ship, but was soon taken off this vessel, then used for the … Read more
“Continual inquiries were made from the anxious crowd on the land respecting the condition of several different individuals on board. At length the information was given that some of our number were below, sick with the yellow fever. No sooner was this fact announced than the wharf was totally deserted, and in a few moments not a human being remained in sight.” – Captain Dring “On his arrival in Providence Captain Aborn had lost no time in making the details of our sufferings publicly known; and a feeling of deep commiseration was excited among our fellow citizens. Messrs. Clarke and … Read more
“It appeared upon inquiry, that the American prisoners were allowed a half pound of bread less per day than the French and Spanish prisoners.” – British Annual Register While we are on the subject of the treatment of American prisoners in England, which forms a most grateful contrast to that which they received in New York, Philadelphia, and other parts of America, we will give an abstract of the adventures of another young man who was confined in the Old Mill Prison at Plymouth, England. This young man was named Andrew Sherburne. He was born at Rye, New Hampshire, on … Read more
In the year 1806 a little book with this title was published in New York, by Captain Nathaniel Fanning. It was dedicated to John Jackson, Esquire, the man who did so much to interest the public in the preservation and interment of the remains of the martyrs of the prisonships in the Wallabout.
Fanning was born in Connecticut, in the year 1755. On the 26th of May, 1778, he went on board the brig Angelica, commanded by Captain William Dennis, which was about to sail on a six months cruise. There were 98 men and boys in the crew, and Fanning was prize-master on board the privateer. She was captured by the Andromeda, a frigate of 28 guns, five days from Philadelphia, with General Howe on board on his way back to England.
“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!’” – Alecander Graydon One of the most interesting and best memoirs of revolutionary times is that written by Alexander Graydon, and as he was taken prisoner at Fort Washington, and closely connected with the events in New York during the winter of 1776-7, we will quote here his account of his captivity. He describes the building of Fort Washington in July … Read more
“As the morning dawned there would be heard the loud, unfeeling, and horrid cry, ‘Rebels! Bring up your dead!’” – Thomas Philbrook We must again quote from Ebenezer Fox, whose description of the provisions dealt out to the prisoners on board the prison ships shall now be given. “The prisoners received their mess rations at nine in the morning. * * * All our food appeared to be damaged. The bread was mostly mouldy, and filled with worms. It required considerable rapping upon the deck, before these worms could be dislodged from their lurking places in a biscuit. As for … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. T Surnames Anthony Tabee John Taber (2) Thomas Taber Samuel Table John Tabor Pelack Tabor Ebenezer Tabowl Ebenezer Talbot Silas Talbott Ebenezer Talbott Wilham Talbut James Talketon Archibald Talley John … Read more
“But of all the sufferings in these troublous times none endured such horrors as did those Americans who were so unfortunate as to become prisoners of war to the British. ” – Southern Literary Messenger Very little is known of the State navies of the south during the Revolution. Each State had her own small navy, and many were the interesting adventures, some successful, and others unfortunate, that the hardy sailors encountered. The story of each one of these little vessels would be as interesting as a romance, but we are here only concerned with the meagre accounts that have … Read more
We have seen that the crew of the Chance was exchanged in the fall of 1782. A few of the men who composed this crew were ill at the time that the exchange was affected, and had been sent to Blackwell’s Island. Among these unfortunate sufferers was the sailing-master of the Chance, whose name was Sylvester Rhodes. This gentleman was born at Warwick, R. I., November 21, 1745. He married Mary Aborn, youngest sister of Captain Daniel Aborn, and entered the service of his country, in the early part of the war, sometimes on land, and sometimes as a seaman. … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. S Surnames Francisco Sablong John Sachel Jonathan Sachell George Sadden George Saddler John Sadens Abraham Sage Edward Sailly John Saint Elena Saldat Gilbert Salinstall Luther Salisbury Michael Sallibie John Salmon … Read more
Andrew Sherburne, a lad of seventeen, shipped on the Scorpion, Captain R. Salter, a small vessel, with a crew of eighteen men. This vessel was captured by the Amphion, about the middle of November, 1782. Sherburne says that the sailors plundered them of everything they possessed, and that thirteen of them were put on board the Amphion, and sent down to the cable tiers between the two decks, where they found nearly a hundred of their countrymen, who were prisoners of war. “We were very much crowded, and having nothing but the cables to lay on, our beds were as … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. Q Surnames James Quality (3) Joseph Quality Josiah Quality Samuel Quamer Thomas Quand Louis Quelgrise Duncan Quigg (2) James Quinch Samuel Quinn Charles Quiot Samuel Quomer R Surnames Thomas Race … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. P Surnames Jean Packet Abel Paddock Joseph Paddock Silas Paddock Daniel Paddock Journey Padouan B. Pain Jacob Painter Henry Painter John Palicut Daniel Palmer Elisha Palmer Gay Palmer George Palmer … Read more
“We have ourselves examined many of the skulls lying on the shore. From the teeth they appeared to be the remains of men in the prime of life.” – General Johnson Of all the ships that were ever launched the “Old Jersey” is the most notorious. Never before or since, in the dark annals of human sufferings, has so small a space enclosed such a heavy weight of misery. No other prison has destroyed so many human beings in so short a space of time. And yet the Jersey was once as staunch and beautiful a vessel as ever formed … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. O Surnames Charles Oakford Solomon Oakley John Oakman Israel Oat Joseph Oates John Obey (2) Cornelius O’Brien Edward O’Brien John O’Brien William O’Bryan Daniel Obourne Samuel Oderon Samuel Odiron Pierre … Read more
As we have seen, the officers fared well in comparison with the wretched privates. Paroled and allowed the freedom of the city, they had far better opportunities to obtain the necessities of life. “Our poor soldiers fared most wretchedly different,” says Major Bedinger. Before we begin, however, to speak of the treatment they received, we must make some attempt to tell the reader who they were. We wish it were possible to give the name of every private who died, or rather who was murdered, in the prisons of New York at this time. But that, we fear, is now … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. N Surnames Ebenezer Nabb Dippen Nack Archibald Nailer Thomas Nandiva Hosea Nandus Richard Nash Jean Natalt Benjamin Nathan Joseph Nathan John Nathey (2) Nathaniel Naval Simon Navane Francis Navas Pierre … Read more
“If a difficulty arose between two of them it was settled in the following manner. The prisoners formed a circle in the center of which the disputants took their stand, and exchanged a few rounds of well-directed blows, after which they shook hands, and were better friends than before.” – Eli Bickford Eli Bickford, who was born on the 29th of September, 1754, in the town of Durham, N. H., and enlisted on a privateer, was taken prisoner by the British, confined at first on the Old Jersey, and afterwards sent to England with many others, in a vessel commanded … Read more
The following is a list of men who were imprisoned upon the ship called “The Old Jersey” during the Revolutionary War. The tales the men told of their sufferings can be compared with those suffered by the North imprisoned at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) during the War of the Rebellion. To find out more about the condition of life upon this ship during their incarceration, see the source listed below. M Surnames Jean Franco Mabugera John Macay Nicholas McCant John Mace Anthony Macguire Pierre Marker William Macgneol Romulus Mackroy John Madding (2) Peter Madding Peter Maggot John Maginon Stringe Mahlan … Read more