This made a great noise, when General
Howe on receiving General Robertson's letter from New York before
mentioned, urging the propriety of the measures, issued an order that
every Person in Philadelphia, who had a Blanket to sell or to spare
should bring them into the King's Stores. When this was done he then
gave my Agent permission to purchase Blankets and Cloathing, in the
City of Philadelphia. On my Agent attempting it he found every
Blanket in the City purchased by the Agents for the Army, so that not
a Blanket could be had. My Agent knowing the necessities of our
Prisoners, immediately employed persons in every part of the city and
before General Howe could discover his own omission, purchased up
every piece of flannel he could meet with, and made it up into a kind
of Blanket, which answered our purpose."
Wherever General Howe and Cunningham were together, either in New York
or in Philadelphia, the most atrocious cruelties were inflicted upon
the American prisoners in their power, and yet some have endeavoured
to excuse General Howe, on what grounds it is difficult to
determine. It has been said that Cunningham _acted on higher
authority than any in America_, and that Howe in vain endeavored to
mitigate the sufferings of the prisoners. This, however, is not easy
of belief. Howe must at least have wilfully blinded himself to the
wicked and murderous violence of his subordinate.
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