"Thus the consultation of the officers was confounded and broken to
pieces, in consequence of the dread which at the time lay on their
minds of offending General Howe; for they conceived so murderous a
tryant would not be too good to destroy even the officers on the least
pretence of an affront, as they were equally in his power with the
soldiers; and as General Howe perfectly understood the condition of
the private soldiers, it was argued that it was exactly such as he and
his council had devised, and as he meant to destroy them it would be
to no purpose for them to try to dissuade him from it, as they were
helpless and liable to the same fate, on giving the least
affront. Indeed anxious apprehensions disturbed them in their then
circumstances.
"Meantime mortality raged to such an intolerable degree among the
prisoners that the very school boys in the street knew the mental
design of it in some measure; at least they knew that they were
starved to death. Some poor women contributed to their necessity till
their children were almost starved; and all persons of common
understanding knew that they were devoted to the cruellest and worst
of deaths.
"It was also proposed by some to make a written representation of the
condition of the soldiery, and the officers to sign it, and that it
should be couched in such terms, as though they were apprehensive that
the General was imposed upon by his officers, in their daily returns
to him of the state and condition of the prisoners, and that therefor
the officers moved with compassion, were constrained to communicate to
him the facts relative to them, nothing doubting but that they would
meet with a speedy redress; but this proposal was most generally
negatived also, and for much the same reason offered in the other
case; for it was conjectured that General Howe's indignation would be
moved against such officers as should attempt to whip him over his
officers' backs; that he would discern that he himself was really
struck at, and not the officers who made the daily returns; and
therefor self preservation deterred the officers from either
petitioning or remonstrating to General Howe, either verbally or in
writing; as also they considered that no valuable purpose to the
distressed would be obtained.
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