* * * When we arrived at King's Bridge I
was put under the Provost Guard, with a man named Prichard and several
other prisoners." They were kept at the guard house there for some
time, and regaled with mouldy bread, rum and water, and sour apples,
which were thrown down for them to scramble for, as if they were so
many pigs. They were at last marched to New York. Just before reaching
that city they were carried before a Hessian general to be "made a
show of." The Hessians mocked them, told them they were all to be
hung, and even went so far as to draw their swords across their
throats. But a Hessian surgeon's mate took pity on Cornelius, and gave
him a glass of wine.
On the march to New York in the hot summer afternoon they were not
allowed to stop even for a drink of water. Cornelius was in a fainting
condition, when a poor woman, compassionating his sad plight, asked to
be allowed to give them some water. They were then about four miles
from New York. She ran into her house and brought out several pails of
beer, three or four loaves of bread, two or three pounds of cheese,
and besides all this, she gave money to some of the prisoners. Her
name was Mrs. Clemons. She was from Boston and kept a small store
along the road to New York.
Cornelius says: "We marched till we come to the Bowery, three quarters
of a mile from New York.
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