American Prisoners of the Revolution | Page 7

and myself,
with fifty men, were detailed the day before the action and placed in the
van to receive the enemy as they came up the hill.
"The Regiment was paraded in line about fifty yards in our rear, ready
to support us. Your Father of course on that day, and in the whole of
the action commanded Shepherd's Company, which performed its duty
admirably. About two o'clock P. M. the Enemy obtained complete
possession of the hill, and former battle-ground. Our troops retreated
gradually from redoubt to redoubt, contesting every inch of ground,
still making dreadful Havoc in the ranks of the enemy. We laboured too
under disadvantages, the wind blew the smoke full in our faces. About
two o'clock A. Shepherd, being the senior Captain, took command of
the Regiment, [Footnote: After Rawlings and Williams were disabled.]
and by the advice of Col'o Rawlings & Major Williams, gradually
retreated from redoubt to redoubt, to & into the fort with the surviving
part of the Regiment. Col'o Rawlings, Major Williams, and Lt Hanson
and myself quitted the field together, and retreated to the fort. I was
slightly wounded, tho my right hand was rendered entirely useless.
Your Father continued with the regiment until all had arrived in the fort.
It was admitted by all the surviving officers that he had conducted
himself with great gallantry and the utmost propriety.
"While we were thus engaged the enemy succeeded much better in
every other quarter, & with little comparative loss. All were driven into
the fort and the enemy began by sundown to break ground within 100
yards of the fort.

"Finding our situation desperate Col'o Magaw dispatched a flag to Gen.
Howe who Commanded in person, proposing to surrender on certain
conditions, which not being agreed to, other terms were proposed and
accepted. The garrison, consisting of 2673 privates, & 210 officers,
marched out, grounded arms, and were guarded to the White House that
same night, but instead of being treated as agreed on, and allowed to
retain baggage, clothes, and Side Arms, every valuable article was torn
away from both officers and soldiers: every sword, pistol, every good
hat was seized, even in presence of Brittish officers, & the prisoners
were considered and treated as Rebels, to the king and country. On the
third day after our surrender we were guarded to New York, fourteen
miles from Fort Washington, where in the evening we received some
barrels of raw pork and musty spoiled biscuit, being the first Morsel of
provision we had seen for more than three days. The officers were then
separated from the soldiers, had articles of parole presented to us which
we signed, placed into deserted houses without Clothing, provisions, or
fire. No officer was permitted to have a servant, but we acted in
rotation, carried our Cole and Provisions about half a mile on our backs,
Cooked as well as we could, and tried to keep from Starving.
"Our poor Soldiers fared most wretchedly different. They were
crowded into sugar houses and Jails without blankets or covering; had
Very little given to them to eat, and that little of the Very worst quality.
So that in two months and four days about 1900 of the Fort Washington
troops had died. The survivors were sent out and receipted for by
General Washington, and we the officers were sent to Long Island on
parole, and billetted, two in a house, on the families residing in the little
townships of Flatbush, New Utrecht, Newlots, and Gravesend, who
were compelled to board and lodge us at the rate of two dollars per
week, a small compensation indeed in the exhausted state of that
section of country. The people were kind, being mostly conquered
Whigs, but sometimes hard run to provide sustenance for their own
families, with the addition, generally, of two men who must have a
share of what could be obtained. These people could not have furnished
us but for the advantage of the fisheries, and access at all times to the
water. Fish, oysters, clams, Eels, and wild fowl could always be
obtained in their season.

"We were thus fixed on the inhabitants, but without money, or clothing.
Sometimes a companion would receive a few hard dollars from a friend
through a flag of truce, which was often shared by others to purchase a
pair of shoes or a shirt.
"While in New York Major Williams received from a friend about forty
silver dollars. He was still down with his wound, but requested Captain
Shepherd, your Father and myself to come to his room, and there lent
each of us ten Dollars, which enabled each of us to purchase a pair
shoes, a shirt, and some other small matters: this liberality however,
gave some offence. Major Williams was a