Page:History of the United States of America, Spencer, v1.djvu/499

] he had, a few months before, refused barracks for his privates; but now was willing to accept for himself and friends in hopes or finding an intermission of the fatigue and persecution they had perpetually suffered. Some provisions were issued to the prisoners in the afternoon of that day, what quantity he could not declare, but it was of the worst quality he ever, till then, saw made use of. He was informed the allowance consisted of six ounces of pork, one pound of biscuit, and some peas, per day for each man, and two bushels and a half of sea coal per week for the officers to each fire-place. These were admitted on parole, and lived generally in waste houses. The privates, in the coldest season of the year, were close confined in churches, sugar-houses, and other open buildings (which admitted all kinds of weather) and consequently were subjected to the severest kind of persecution that ever unfortunate captives suffered. Officers were insulted, and often struck for attempting to afford some of the miserable privates a small relief. In about three weeks he was able to walk, and was himself a witness to the extreme wretchedness his countrymen suffered. He could not describe their misery. Their constitutions were not equal to the rigor of the treatment they received, and the consequence was the death of many hundreds. The officers were not allowed to take muster-rolls, nor even to visit their men, so that it was impossible to ascertain the numbers that perished; but from frequent reports, and his own observations, he verily believed, as well as had heard many officers give it as their opinion, that not less than fifteen hundred prisoners perished in the course of a few weeks in the city of New York, and that this dreadful mortality was principally owing to the want of provisions, and extreme cold. If they computed too largely, it must be ascribed to the shocking, brutal manner of treating the dead bodies, and not any desire of exaggerating the account of their sufferings. When the king's commissary of prisoners intimated to some of the American officers, General Howe's intention of sending privates home on parole, they all earnestly desired it; a paper was signed expressing that desire; the reason for signing was, they well knew, the effects of a longer confinement, and the great numbers that died when on parole justified their pretentions to that knowledge. In January, almost all the officers were sent to Long Island on parole, and there billetted on the inhabitants, at two dollars per week.

The filth in the churches (in consequence of fluxes) was beyond description. Seven dead were found in one of them, at the same time, lying among the excrements of their bodies. The British soldiers were full of their low and insulting jokes on those occasions, but less malignant than the Dories. The provisions dealt out to the prisoners were not sufficient for the support of life; and were deficient in quantity, more so in quality. The bread was loathsome and not fit to be eaten, and was thought to have been condemned. The allowance of meat was trifling, and of the baser sort. The consequence was, a suspicion of