Suffering A Slow Death While At Anchor...

The following is a passage from the book, "Then...A Patriot I'll Be". It is in reference to the floating British Prison Hulks that were used to confine American Prisoners of War during the American Revolutionary War...

...being captured by the British usually resulted in a death sentence. Throughout the entire war, American prisoners weren't killed quickly by their captors, but they were forced to rot away on board one of the many floating British prison hulks anchored in the various ports and harbors in the colonies.These wooden vessels were old decrepit ocean going ships that the British had deemed no longer seaworthy. They were stripped of their rigging, masts, and sails and were towed to an area of an harbor. Once there, they were anchored in place, fitted out with bars over the holds, and the gun ports would be closed tight. This would prevent little to no light or fresh air from reaching the decks below. Prisoners of war would be housed in the lower decks of the vessels. Down below decks, it was dark, dank, and cramped. Prisoners were stuffed into the hulks along with rats, spiders, snakes, and any other vermin that happened to call the floating prison home.
     It was very rare that they were allowed above deck, so on the occasions that they came up from below, the sun caused their eyes pain. Many men perished aboard the prison hulks. When one of these men did eventually succumb to his conditions and die, his rotting body would be left as it fell among the living, sometimes for days before the guards would allow it to be removed. At times, these unfortunate prisoners became accustomed to passing their days alongside the recent (and not so recent) dead. Rood rations were far and few between. When the prisoners were lucky enough to get rations, they were sometimes forced to fight their fellow prisoners for the small scraps that they were afforded. It was a miserable existence indeed. Most of the men that died on board these ships died of hunger or disease. Many of them prayed for death every night to come and take them, so they may be spared the agony of suffering on until their eventual death would come at a later time. Being captured by the British was a fear that plagued the Americans throughout the entire war...



Sketch of a British Prison Hulk Used to House American Prisoners Of War During The American Revolution