EFFECT OF WASHINGTON'S PROCLAMATION. He granted liberty, however, to all those who preferred "the interest and protection of Great Britain to the freedom and happiness of their country," to withdraw themselves and their families within the enemy's lines.* He declared that all those who failed to comply with his orders within thirty days would be deemed adherents of the British cause and be treated as enemies to the United Colonies.† This proclamation had a wonderful effect upon the people, for when Washington was being driven by the British across New Jersey, many had considered the American cause hopeless and had retired to the British side. But instead of receiving the protection promised by the British, they had suffered all manner of indignity and had been plundered with indiscriminate and unsparing Ford's ed. of Washington's Writings, vol. v., p. 201 et seq.; Lodge, George Washington, vol. i., p. 183; Gordon, American Revolution, vol. ii., p. 414 (ed. 1788); Force, American Archives, 5th series, vol. iii., pp. 1188, 1376, 1487; Van Tyne, Loyalists in the Revolution, p. 129 et seq.; Sparks, Life of Washington, p. 220. † Irving, Life of Washington, vol. iii., pp. 8-9. Mr. Curtis notices the fact that the legislature of New Jersey were disposed to complain of this act of Washington as an invasion of their State rights and sovereignty. One of the delegates from that State in Congress, Abraham Clark, went even so far as to denounce it as improper. It is a curious illustration of the extreme jealousy and sensitiveness of many in the community on the subject of the power and authority of the Federal government. See Curtis, History of the Constitution, vol. i., pp. 107-108 (Constitutional History, vol. i., pp. 74–75). On the writings of the Loyalists at this time and subsequently see Tyler, Literary History of the American Revolution, vol. ii., chaps. xxvii.xxix. 11 rapacity, until their passions had been thoroughly aroused and they were in a mood to desire revenge. They were now ready to join the American forces in a supreme endeavor to drive the British oppressors from the country.* Washington's vigorous movements had created a most favorable impression not only in America, but also in foreign countries. Botta says: "Achievements so astonishing obtained an immense glory for the captain-general of the United States. All nations shared in the surprise of the Americans; all equally admired and applauded the prudence, the constancy, and the noble intrepidity of General Washington. An unanimous voice pronounced him the savior of his country; all extolled him, as equal to the most celebrated commanders of antiquity; all proclaimed him the FABIUS OF AMERICA. His name was in the mouth of all; he was celebrated by the pens of the most distinguished writers. The most illustrious personages of Europe lavished upon him their praises and their congratulations. The American general, therefore, wanted neither a cause full of grandeur to defend, nor occasion for the acquisition of glory, nor genius to avail himself of it, nor the renown due to his triumphs, nor an entire generation of men perfectly well disposed to render him homage."† 12 PLUNDERING OF THE ARMIES. saved them from plunder or insult. Their property was confiscated, even though the protections were shown; the Hessians themselves could not read these protections or would not understand them, and the British troops considered that they possessed equally with the Hessians the right to share in the booty.* The worst of these plunderers was General De Heister, who even offered his New York residence for sale, though the property belonged to a Loyalist who had voluntarily accommodated De Heister and allowed him to use it as his headquarters. The possessions of those who were prisoners in the American camps were sold at auction, and even the carriages of the Americans at New York were seized by the British officers and appropriated to their own use. The pillaging of both friend and foe was carried on unrelentingly in Jersey, the British sparing neither age nor sex. Every description of furniture was destroyed and burnt; windows and doors were broken to pieces; houses were left uninhabitable and the people without provisions, the British carrying off every horse, cow, ox, and fowl. Not only were these excesses committed against property, but also against persons, the women in particular suffering from the brutality of the soldiers. A Fisher, Struggle for American Independence, vol. ii., p. 4. See also Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., p. 368; Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. iii., p. 29 et seq.; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. iii., p. 3 et seq. number of young women fled to the woods to avoid the brutality of the soldiers stationed near Pennytown, but they were pursued and captured, and carried off to the British camp. These actions aroused intense indignation throughout the country and were echoed and re-echoed throughout Europe, to the reproach of the British. Citizens of all classes flew to arms to expel from the country these infamous robbers. The British sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind, for the excesses of the army were more injurious to the British cause than even the efforts of Washington and the resolves of Congress. Had Howe at this time followed Carleton's humane course in Canada, a large portion of the people who had been fairly driven into Washington's army, if they did not join the British army, would at least have remained neutral. Furthermore, among the European nations, the British were regarded with unfeigned disgust as having revived in the New World the barbarities of the northern hordes and the fury of the Goths. Such countries as had remained friendly to England, now turned against her and became more bitter in their enmity than they had been warm in their friendship. As before stated, however, the depredations and outrages were not altogether confined to the British. The American troops had been forced in a great many cases to go to the surrounding counties for supplies, etc., but instead of confining their WASHINGTON PROHIBITS PLUNDERING. operations to securing these supplies, in his general orders: "The general habitants, not to multiply and in crease their calamities. After this order, any officer found plundering the inhabitants, under the pretence of their being Tories, may expect to be punished in the severest manner. The adjutant-general to furnish the commanding officer of each division, with a copy of these orders, who is to cir VOL. III-2 13 culate copies among his troops immediately.' * Gordon in his history of the war, a valuable and reliable work,t gives an account of the suffering of the prisoners in the hands of the British. According to Gordon,+ General Howe in January discharged all the privates who were then prisoners of the British in New York, but the Americans complained that he had subjected them to all manner of horrible usage after they had been captured. It will be remembered that on November 16 the garrison at Fort Washington had surrendered to the British, the terms being that the troops should be considered as prisoners of war and that the American officers should be allowed to retain their baggage and side arms. These articles had been written and signed and were afterward published in the New York newspapers; but hardly had the troops arrived in New York when the British began to treat them in a manner far from lenient. Major Otho H. Williams, of Rawlings' rifle regiment, had fallen into the hands of the British, and his hopes of being treated with leniency were shortly dispelled by the insolence of the soldiers of the British army and by the haughty deportment * See Van Tyne, Loyalists in the Revolution, p. 173 et seq. See Tyler's opinion in Literary History of the American Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 423-427. History of the American Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 173-175 (1st ed.). || See Allen, Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's Captivity, p. 78 et seq. 14 SUFFERINGS OF THE PRISONERS. of the British officers. The baggage of the American prisoners was plundered; they were robbed of their side arms, hats, clothing, etc., and in many ways grossly maltreated. Williams and several of his companions were placed on board the Baltic Merchant, then lying in the Sound, and were allowed only a meagre pittance of pork and parsnip for rations, though the wretchedness of his situation was in a slight degree alleviated by the kindness of one of the British sailors who gave him food from his own mess. Rawlings and his companions, all wounded officers, on the fourth day of their captivity were placed in a common dirt cart and dragged through the city of New York, to be held up as objects of derision and to be reviled as rebels.* After this treatment, they were placed in an old, filthy waste house which Howe himself had refused as barracks for his soldiers. The food was of the worst quality, consisting of six ounces of pork, one pound of biscuit, and some peas per day for each man, with 211⁄2 bushels of coal per week for the officers to each fireplace. In the coldest season of the year, the privates were confined in churches, sugar houses, and other open buildings without fires, and consequently suffered from the cold and inclement weather. The officers were insulted and even struck for attempt had been undermined by the treatment accorded them, were unable longer to withstand this punishment and died by hundreds. It is supposed that not less than 1,500 prisoners perished within the course of a few weeks in the city of New York alone, which mortality was undoubtedly due to the lack of provisions and the extreme cold. The filth in the churches was beyond description, seven dead bodies being found in one of them at the same time.* The provisions allowed to the prisoners were insufficient to support them, and the quality was still worse. The bread was loathsome and unfit to be eaten, while the allowance of meat was trifling and of the baser sort.† The British added insult to injury by offering to relieve the sufferings of the poor wretches if they would join the British cause, but hundreds of the prisoners preferred death to enlistment in the British service. It was supposed by the American troops that General Howe and his officers were perfectly conversant with the conditions among the American prisoners, and they firmly believed that these conditions were exactly as he and his council had devised.|| After Washington's success in the Jerseys, the obduracy and malevolence of the royalists to a great de * See Allen, Narrative of Colonial Ethan Allen's ing to relieve the misery of the pri- Captivity, pp. 79-81; Brown, Ethan Allen, pp. vates, who, because their constitutions Thacher, Military Journal, p. 77. 139-140. Brown, Ethan Allen, pp. 140-141. Ibid, p. 142. || Ibid, pp. 143–144. ARMY INOCULATED; HEATH ATTACKS FORT INDEPENDENCE. gree subsided. Such prisoners as survived were ordered to be exchanged, but while on their way to the vessel, numbers of them fell dead in the streets from exhaustion.* In April Washington wrote to General Howe protesting against this condition of affairs. He said: " Painful as it is, I am compelled to consider it as a fact not to be questioned, that the usage of our prisoners, whilst in your possession, of the privates at least, was such as could not be justified. This was proclaimed by the concurrent testimony of all who came out; their appearance sanctioned the assertion; and melancholy experience, in the speedy death of a large part of them, stamped it with infallible certainty."† On the other hand, Washington was careful to maintain his army in as good health as was possible under the circumstances. The small pox had attacked the army and made fearful ravages in the ranks. Early in 1777, therefore, Washington determined to have the army inoculated, which operation was carried on as secretly and carefully as possible. In addition to the troops particularly under Washington's supervision, all those who passed through Philadelphia on their way to join him were inoculated, * Ibid, p. 149. Sparks, Life of Washington, p. 226, the whole letter being given on pp. 224-226. See also his other letter regarding the treatment of prisoners, in Irving, Life of Washington, vol. iii., p. 18 et seq. 15 and the same precaution was taken in other military stations.* Hoping that he might divert the attention of the British from the Jerseys, Washington planned an attack on the Highlands of New York. He ordered General Heath, in command of the post, to move down toward the city with a considerable force. Early in January, 1777, Heath undertook this movement and summoned Fort OPERATIONS ON THE HUDSON RIVER. The Independence to surrender. Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 307-308; Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. iv., pp. 55-57. |