"
"Oct 18, 78. The Ship, Good Hope, lies in the North River."
"New London Dec. 18, 78. A Flag with 70 men from the horrible prison
ships of New York arrived: 30 very sickly, 2 died since they arrived."
"N. London. Dec. 25, 78. A cartel arived here from New York with 172
American prisoners. They were landed here and in Groton, the greater
part are sickly and in most deplorable condition, owing chiefly to the
ill usage in the prison ships, where numbers had their feet and legs
frozen"
CHAPTER XV
THE OLD SUGAR HOUSE--TRINTY CHURCHYARD
We will now take our readers with us to the Sugar House on Liberty
Street, long called the Old Sugar House, and the only one of the three
Sugar Houses which appear to have been used as a place of confinement
for American prisoners of war after the year 1777.
We have already mentioned this dreary abode of wretchedness, but it
deserves a more elaborate description.
From Valentine's Manual of the Common Council of New York for 1844 we
will copy the following brief sketch of the British Prisons in New
York during the Revolution.
"The British took possession of New York Sep. 15, '76, and the
capture of Ft. Washington, Nov. 16, threw 2700 prisoners into their
power. To these must be added 1000 taken at the battle of Brooklyn,
and such private citizens as were arrested for their political
principles, in New York City and on Long Island, and we may safely
conclude that Sir William Howe had at least 5000 prisoners to provide
for.
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