NYC is Black Hole of Calcutta X 1000
Black Hole of Calcutta --- 143 of 164 British prisoners held in a small sweltering prison died in 3 days. Other accounts say less.
This happened for 3 days in June 1756.
See the map on the area of this atrocity.
This happened on the other side of the world in what is now known as Kolkata Bangladesh.
At this time, this was to become British India in its many wars with the French and the locals for control of trade on this "subcontinent."
. At this same time, our Fort Loudoun Winchester VA was in its 2nd month of being built.,
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Fort Loudoun was designed and supervised by Colonel George Washington in the French and Indian War.
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By the way, Charles Mason of Mason Dixon Line fame, spends time with an astronomer Nevil Maskelyne, the brother-in-law of Lord Robert Clive of India.
Robert Clive later freed the remaining survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta.
As you can see the British
were everywhere in this world wide war
of separate theatres
resulting in the phrase
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. So why note this
Black Hole of Calcutta here?
Because of a horrifying contrast.
The British create an atrocity 4000 x the Black Hole of Calcutta in New York City. . British prison ships in New York City and other squalid places of prisons in NYC during January 1777 and December 1776 makes General William Howe worried. . Howe's prisoners are dying. Starvation. Small Pox.
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Page 403 is the story of a captured Patriot on August 27-28, 1776. This story is from a diary by the prisoner.
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Over 4000 were captured and kept prisoner from these battles. See source of map.
While the issue of prisoners dying was going on the city was feeling the devastating effects of a great fire from 1776 to 1781. See map of the area of the fire.
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And little resource to keep these prisoners healthy were had.
Howe has a Black Hole of Calcutta of his own magnified by thousands. He is compelled to release them before the Future forever remembers him as a Monster.
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Some how the Black Hole still looms large in the legends, but what Howe did doesn't loom as large, like many other unknown atrocities.
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The Black Hole of Calcutta is well remembered even in 2019 by many aged mid 50s and 60s having grown up on the movies of that time.
. . So Howe begins releasing the prisoners in December 1776 and January 1776. These prisoners arrive like The Walking Dead. Some dying as soon as they were dropped off.
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And even after that show of Walking Dead being dropped off to the Patriots, did General Howe indicate any concern for the remaining prisoners?
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JAR - Journal of American Revolution
Sketch of Interior of HMS Jersey, a British Prison ship, by John Trumbull who documented the Revolutionary War while traveling with Washington's army. More than twice as many American soldiers died on these ships than in battle, 1779-1783 [Revolution]
Prison Ship Jersey
Information on a ship of prisoners after the time frame discussed in this post.
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So did we do any better with our prisoners?
Did Our James Wood tried to take better care of our prisoners? The attrition of starving, sickness and death came no where near to matching Howe's. The founder of Winchester VA, James Wood begot a son this past week, January 28, 1741 who became more famous than his founding father. James Wood, the son, rose to prominence as commander of the prisoners called the Convention Army held in the Charlottesville VA area. These prisoners were captured at the Battle of Saratoga, a victory by two local to our area, General Horatio Gates and Daniel Morgan and one not, Benedict Arnold.
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See letters between James Wood and George Washington. The first two letters are from the Father James Wood. All the rest of the letters are from the son.
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See letters between James Wood and Thomas Jefferson.
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Fort Loudoun's 2nd Life
Eventually these prisoners march from the prison camp James Wood commanded in Charlottesville VA to arrive here at Fort Loudoun Winchester VA, and to two other local areas of Albin and Round Hill near the Lutheran retirement community, The Village at Orchard Ridge outside Winchester VA.
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See a model of Fort Loudoun in its 2nd life as a prison.
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The first two letters are between James Wood the father and GW.
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The rest of the letters are between James Wood the son and GW.
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Extracts from the Diary of Captain John Nice, of the Pennsylvania Line John Nice and Edward Burd The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Vol. 16, No. 4 (Jan., 1893), pp. 399-411 (13 pages) Published by: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania; University of Pennsylvania Press
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The Untold Stories
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update 10/29/2022
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