Daniel Morgan vs Winchester's town leaders
Daniel Morgan wants to remove the prisoners out of Winchester.
They're too dispersed. They're not well guarded. The British prisoners showed a greater desire to escape and did. The German prisoners desired less so, but some of them escaped too. Of over a 1000 prisoners , less than 800 could be rounded up for a count. They were dispersed all over the region, working for locals or wandering, or cutting wood, or escaping .
But the town leaders wanted their labor and business.
Colonel North writes on 6 Jan 1782 to General Lincoln:
" --- it is shocking to see the disposition of the Inhabitants of this Town [Winchester]. Nine tenths of them are termed sutlers, and of course interested in the Prisoners staying here; they would sacrifice the World to their own lucrative views and are now throwing Obstructions in their Favour, in my way --- from these circumstances I hope you agree with me that there is an Absolute Necessity for Breaking up this Post." page 45 The Winchester Hessian Barracks by Lion G Miles, Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society Journal, Volume III published 1988.
Daniel Morgan agrees for the same reasons, but also thinks the locals don't owe these prisoners anymore help than what the British did for him when he was prisoner in Quebec:
Daniel Morgan wrote to British Capt Graham who had complained of prisoner conditions for his men:
"If your men don't know how to work they must learn. . . .we did not send them to come among us, neither can we work for them to build them houses." He went on to say that when he had been a prisoner of the British at Quebec in 1776, he had shared a single room with 36 officers and their servants, "so that when we lay down upon our straw we covered the whole floore, consider this, and your men have nothing to grumble at." Finally, the tough old veteran informed the British Captain that, "you have nothing to do but Hut your men as soon as you can," because, "they must not stay in Town much longer."
The town leaders wanted the prisoners to stay.
On 25 Jan 1782 they petitioned the Virginia government "to make application to Congress to countermand the orders for the removal of the prisoners from the Neighbourhood of Winchester."
But those same citizens had complain to the American army impressing and taking of provisions from the citizens to provide food and support for the prisoners. Because of that complain the Virginia Assembly refused this request to keep the prisoners in Winchester.
Earlier the town leaders petitioned the Continental Congress on 15 Jan 1782 to keep the prisoners in Winchester. That was rejected. Those leader in that petition, which was called a "memorial" included "Frederick Conrad, a pioneer setter of Winchester and tanyard owner; Robert Wood, Col James Wood's brother; Philip Bush, German tavernkeeper of the Golden Buck Inn [on Cameron St Winchester]; David Pancost, operatoer of an iron furnace; Lewis Hoff, the wheelwright who had employed the Hesse-Hanau soldier, Conrad Krebs; Dr Robert Mackey, a leading surgeon; Thomas Edmonson, another tavernkeeper; and Col David Kennedy, who had first contracted to build barracks at Winchester."
"Phillip Bush himself probably delivered the memorial [petition] because he was in Philadelphia on the 16th soliciting for a contract to supply rations for the prisoners."
Page 46-47
The Winchester Hessian Barracks by Lion G Miles,
Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society Journal, Volume III published 1988,
Lion G Miles, in a historical publication of 1988 sourced below, indicates what battle produced prisoners who eventually were moved to the Winchester VA area.
The Trenton Prisoners 1777- 1778 p21
The Convention Army (prisoners from Saratago NY) 1780-1781 p32
The Yorktown Prisoners 1781-1782 p41, 42
2 Ansbach battalions totalling 948 prisoners were captured at Yorktown. See page 42 of publication below.
Source: Pages 19-63, The Winchester Hessian Barracks by Lion G Miles,
Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society Journal, Volume III published 1988,
Researched by Jim Moyer 20 March 2024, updated 1/26/2025
For more sources:
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