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How the British Soldier Plundered the Country and Abused Women and Children. HANGED INDISCRIMINATELY, The Inhabitants Were Driven From Their Hotel, Their Property Confiscated and They Were Hung. The latter months of 1776 were on propitious for the American armies, Washington, in the depth of winter, without tents or munitions of war, was forced to retreat across the Jerseya, with a mere handful of men, all of them poorly clad and many of them even, barefooted. But this retreat, notwith standing the enfeebled state of his forces, and the poorness of his equip ments, served to exhibit Washington’s generalship. Thomas Paine, who had accompanied the army from the western verge of New Jersey to the Delaware river, in one of his works published about that time thus writes: With a handful of men we sustained an orderly retreat for near a hundred miles, brought off all our ammunition, all our field pieces, the greatest part of our stores, and had four rivers t pass. None can say that our retreat was precipitated, for we were three weeks in performing it, that the country might have time to come in. Twice we marched back to meet the enemy, and remained out till dark. The sign of fear was not seen in our camp, and had not some of the cowardly and disaffect d inhabitants spread false alarms through the country, the Jerseys had never been ravished.”” When Washington crossed the Del aware, Howe, the commander-in chief of the Britishry, returned to New York, leaving General Donop in command of two Hessian Brigades, some companies of wagers, and a regiment of Highland era, to hold the line from Trenton to Burlington in New Jersey. The damned spirit that characterized the Britishly all through the Revolution began to show itself afresh at this period. By orders committed to Dollop, the in habitants who separately or Inbanka should fire on the armies, were to be hanged on the nearest tree without further process. All provisions, which exceeded the wants of an ordinary family, were to be seized alike from friend and sos. Life and property were at the mercy of foreign hirelings. There were examples where English soldiers forced women to suffer what was worse than death, and on one occasion pursued girls, still children in years, who had fled to the woods. Attempts to restrain the Hessians were given to, under the apology that the habit of plunder pre vented desertions. A British officer reported officially: “They were led to believe before they left Hesse-Cassel that they were to come to America to establish their private fortunes, and hitherto they have cer tainly acted with that principle.” Hazard, the postmaster, in a letter re ferring to the Hessians, at this period, writes: ‘“I these rascals plunder all in discriminately. If they see anything they like, they say ‘Rebel, good for Hessemann’, and seize upon it for their own use. They have no idea of the distinctions between Whig and Tory. Early in 1777, began negotiations for the exchange of prisoners. Washington, writing to Howe, adverted to the ill treatment of American prisoners in New York. He went on to say:—“if you are determined to make captivity as distressing as possible, let me know it, that we may be on equal terms for your conduct shall regulate mine.” Several, who had been recently re leased, gave the most shocking account of the barbarities they had experienced at the hands of the Britishry, and their emaciated countenances that too well confirmed their words. Among the cases that came to notice was that of Colonel Ethan Allen. He, at his cap ture, had been thrown into irona as a felon; he was threatened with a halter, sortied to England to be tried for trea son; confined for a time in Pendennis Castle; re-transported to America; and was, at the beginning of 1777,a prisoner in New York. I have suffered every thing short of death, writes he to the assembly of his native state, Connec ticut. The barbarous treatment of American prisoners at the hands of the Britishly occupies a very important chapter in the history of theese United States. The captive Americans who had been to the papal forvive, were said to be benfined, ‘officers and man, in prisonships, which, them their loatheriine condition, and the Soacal gate ete all kinds of perishbed af : = quelle aeppllatins of Hostingales ‘Those who had been in the land service, were crowded into jails and dungeons, like the vilest amlfactors, and were represented as pining in cold, in filth, in danger and nakedaeas* Graydon, in his memoirs writes: “Our poor devoted solera were scantily sup plied with provisions of bad quality, wretchedly clothed, and destitute of sufficient fuel, if indeed they had any. Disease was the inevitable consequence, and their prisona soon became hospitals. A total malady was generated and the mortality, to every heart not steeled by the spirit of party, was duly deplorative.”” The prisoners confined on shipboad and on shore by the Britishry were perish ing by hundreds. Washington Irving after quoting a long correspondence, between Generals Washington and Howe, on the subject of the treatment of prisoners, writes: “We have quoted this correspondence the more freely, because it is on a sub ject deeply worn into the American wind; and about which we have heard too many particulars from our child hood upward from persons of unques tionable veracity, who suffered in the cauoe, to permit us to doubt about the fact. The Jersey Prison ship is pro verbial in our revolutionary history; ; and the bones of the unfortunate patri ots who perished on board, form a monument on Long Island shore. The horrors of the Sugar House converted into a prison, are traditional to New York; and the brutal tyranny of Cun ningheam, the provost-marshal, over men of worth confined in the common jail, for the sin of patriotism, has been handed down from generation to gener ation, “That Lord Howe and Sir Wiliam were ignorant of those atrocities we really believe, but it was their duty to be well informed.” “The British officers looked down with haughty contempt upon the American officers who had fallen into their hands, the British soldiery treated them with insolent senrrility. It seemed as if the wary ties of con sanguinity rendered their hostility more intolerant, for it was observed that American prisoners were better treated by the Hessians than by the British. It was not untif our countrymen had made themselves formidable by their suc cesses that they were treated, when prisoners, with common decency and humanity. ” Winona. Special Correspondence of the Irish Standard: Miss Mary Moran, of Rushford, is, apending the week with friends here. Rev. Father Kiernan, of St. Charles, is in the city for a few days this week ' Monday evening the Crusaders gave a very pleasant entertainment at St. ‘Thomas hall to a very large audience. ‘This is the first entertainment given by the Crusaders here, the society having been organized two months ago with only twelve members. Now they num ber about fifty and are increasing re gularly. The entertainment was opened by a short address from Mr. McNally, president of the society. The address was followed by selection from the West End orchestra. Rev. P. J. Gal lagher in a few well chosen words, gave the brief history of the organization and after portraying the future success of the Crusaders of Winona, wished them Good speed. A reading, “The Battle of Booker Hill,” was well and pleasingly rendered by Miss Randall. Next followed a vocal selection by Miss Florence Clark. R.A. Randall read to his usual pleasing manner “Count Al bert’ and the “Fair Rosalee. Bishop Cotter gave an eloquent address on the good work the society had before it, comparing them with the Crusaders of old, whose emblem, the red cross, with stood and finally conquered the crescent of the Mahomedans. His fervor never fails to carry convictions with it and there will surely be a grand success to crown big efforts in the noble cause of temperance. George—What I probe that Barnsley girl is! I asked her for a kiss the other evening. Frank—And she refused you? George—Not in so many words. But she puckered up her mouth in a most provoking way and said:—‘“‘ No, George, I cannot give you a kiss,” and then added in an irrelevant sort of way: “Don't you know that stolen fruit is the sweetest?” Editorial Writer—Topics for editorial treatment are very scarce today. Editor—Have you written anything about the man who was injured by the electric light wire? Editorial Writer—so, he has fully re covered and doesn't need any further treatment. Its mighty curious Low pic some tanita look until after a main hes com muitten themstimself.
Newspaper Details
The Irish Standard
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Sat, Apr 19, 1890
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Kelley L.
USA 15 Jul 2026
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