Show Just Years Ago the Doors of the Jail In Historic Williamsburg Va Clanged Shut Behind One of Most Hated Men in America r r By fly y E ELMO l SCOTT WATSON by hi Western Newspaper Union T IS a n Juno June morning in the I IT year 1779 1770 Citizens of Williamsburg Wil ViI Va out for a n stroll along its shaded elm-shaded sidewalks glance curiously at nt a n procession that is plodding plod plod- ding up historic Duke of Gloucester Gloucester Glou- Glou cester ester street In the center of the group of armed men ride ide two horsemen They are clad lad in the uniform of British army irmy officers but its scarlet brilliance is now dusty and travel ravel They ride with bowed heads leaning dejectedly dejectedly deject deject- edly over their saddle horns on which rest their hands held closely together by bracelets of iron Who are these two captives at whom the passers-by passers in old Williamsburg Wil- Wil are staring That one onen in n the lead lead who lifts his head headlong headlong long ong enough to give back at them thema a coldly contemptuous glance Isone is ise isone one e of the most hated men in America For he is Henry HamIton Ham Ham- Iton ilton ilton until a few months ago British Brit Brit- ish sh governor general of the Western West West- em ern rn outpost of Detroit The Kentucky Kentucky Ken- Ken tucky frontiersmen call him the Hair Buyer General because they hey believe he has been offering his ils Indian allies a higher price for or scalps than for prisoners Ills His companion is Capt Guillaume Guil- Guil laume aume La Mothe a famous French Canadian partisan leader who is held responsible for some of f the scalping raids against the Kentucky settlements But Dut his raiding aiding days are over now for when George Rogers Clark and andis his is heroic band of Kentuckians besieged Fort Sackville in the old French rench town of Vincennes and forced Hamilton and his garrison to o surrender La Mothe recently returned from one of his forays was among those who were taken prisoners The story of George Rogers Clarks Clark's epic march across the Drowned Lands from Kaskaskia Kaskas Kaskas- kia to Vincennes and his capture of f that post is a familiar one to every very American But Dut the school histories always more concerned with the victor than with the thevan vanquished vanquished van van- while paying a well well-de- served tribute to Clarks Clark's prowess have lave little to say about the subsequent subsequent sub sub- sequent fate of his adversary This article proposes to tell the aftermath of Vincennes because because because be be- cause it is a chapter in the history history his- his tory ory of Williamsburg whose recent recent recent re re- cent restoration to its former glories glo- glo ries ies as the colonial capital of Virginia causes thousands of Americans to make patriotic pilgrimages pil- pil there every year Hamiltons Hamilton's Story That aftermath can best be told old told perhaps in the words of the theman theman theman man who experienced it it it-Hamil- Hamil Hamilton ton himself In July 1781 the ex- ex governor of Detroit sat himself down in his lodgings in Jermyn street London and wrote a long report to his superior officer Gen Sir Frederick Haldimand gover gover- nor-general nor of Canada That report re ye- port which is still preserved in England tells ia I. detail how he was besieged by Clark and his Kentuckians at Vincennes how he surrendered how he and his men were sent as prisoners of war first to the Falls of the Ohio Louisville Louis Louis- ville yule Ky and then to Virginia lie He then continues On the May 1779 A Rebel Captain with a Guard marched us from Beaver Deaver dam to Richmond from thence to Chesterfield Chesterfield Ches Ches- where we till the June on which day an Officer having a written order Under under un- un der the hand of the Governor of the Province Thomas Jefferson or taking me nie in Irons to Wil I was accordingly put upon a horse and my servant not being suffered to togo togo togo go with me me my Valise was fast- fast behind me me Lamothe was to accompany me me being in like manner The The fatigues of the march having haying hav hay ing heated my blood to a vi violent vie vio lent degree I had several large boils bolls on my legs my handcuffs were too tight but were eased at ata ata at ata I a Smiths shop on the road thus sometimes riding and sometimes walking we arrived the evening evening evening eve eve- ning at Williamsburgh having come 60 Miles Miles We We were conducted conduct ed to the Palace where we re re- re- re about half an hour in the Street at the Governors door in ir wet weary hungry anc and thirst but had not even a cup of water offered to us During us-During During this time a considerable Mob about us us which accompanied us to jail On jail On our arrival there we were put into a cell not ten feet square where we found five criminals criminals crim crim- and Mr Dejean who was also This poor man not refrain refrain re ye- frain train from tears on seeing our equipment We had the floor for fora a bed the 5 felons were as happy as rum could make them and so q T Ti 1 i I. I i w J Ji C Ir 0 5 a Old jail at Williamsburg Va in which Gen Henry Hamilton was held prisoner Picture taken before the restoration we were left to our repose for that hat night The next day we three were taken aken out about 11 and before a number of people our handcuffs taken off and fetters put ut on in exchange I I was honored hon ored with the largest which weighed eighteen pounds eight ounce ounce ounce-As As I thought might not offer frequently and seeing some of the delegates present I took occasion while my irons rons were to speak a afew afew few ew words I II told them that the ignominious ious lotis ous manner in which we were treated without any proof of criminality crim crim- or any hearing without even a crime bein being laid to our charge harge was a reproach to those thos only who could act in that manner manner manner man man- ner by prisoners of War under the he sanction of a Capitulation Capitulation- That after a proceeding so Unjust unjust un- un just I was prepared for any extremity ex- ex but desired the persons present to observe that punishment punishment punishment punish punish- ment was exercised on us before any had taken place or any person who might have accused accused ac no us being confronted with us some us-some some by their gestures ap- ap if it I GEN HENRY HAMILTON to feel for us us but no one a word and when our fetters fetters fetters fet fet- fet fet- were properly fixed we were remanded to our Dungeon from which the five felons were removed re ye- moved The moved The light we received was from a grate which faced the Court of 20 feet square with walls 30 feet high The high The prison having been built 60 Years it may maybe maybe maybe be conceived we were subject to toone toone toone one very offensive convenience in inthe inthe inthe the heat of summer almost suffocating eating cating our door was only to give us water we were not allowed allowed al al- lowed any candle and from the first to the last of our confinement confinement confine confine- ment we never could find that the Governor or Council had or or- derd provision of any kind to be made for us except Water with which we were really very well supplied Having been by order of the Governor with the advice of his I Council prohibited the use of pen per Ink and paper or the converse of ol any anyone one but our Jailor we had no employment but in our reflections reflections reflections August Major Major Hay flay with other Prisoners from Irons Chesterfield arrived at Williams Williamsburgh burgh the Soldiers were confined in the debtors room the officers 5 S in Number were put into the Dungeon Dungeon Dungeon Dun Dun- geon with us us which made the heat intolerable At eleven at night we were obliged to alarm the prisoners in inthe inthe inthe the next cell who the wore word to the Guard for the Jailor our Surgeon being on the point of suffocating suf suf- an asthma to which he was Subject having seized him himat himat himat at this time with that violence viole-nce that he lost his pulse for ten minutes min min- utes we had tried by wafting waIting a Blanket to draw some air the grate but this was insufficient and if he had not had presence enough of mind to open a vein he would probably have expired for the state of the air was such that a Candle with which we had hac lately been Indulged would barely barely bare bare- ly by live if 11 held at the top of the Cell The door of f our Cell continuing continuing contin contin- shut for several days the poor prisoners Young and old Men and Women offered to be up and the use of if the court if we might be al ol- lowd that liberty which at length we had October 1st A Parole was tendered us which having read and ind duly considered we all rejected re- re as some people thought a spirit of obstinacy rather than prudence dictated on this occasion occasion occa- occa sion ion As we had already from rom the simple assertions of obscure obscure ob- ob cure persons one of whom was John ohn Dodge was well known by several Virginias to be an Unprincipled unprincipled un- un principled and perjured and as we had experienced the of the executive power pow pow- er It plainly appeared that this parole was from no other motive than to lay us open to the malice of the first informer when we should probably have been imprisoned imprisoned im- im as before with the additional additional addi- addi ional Stigma of having broken a parole which it was next to impossible im- im possible to observe in all its parts arts October the The Soldiers were sent from the Jail to the Barrack barrack where being allowed to cut wood a part was sent to the Jail for us us and even the American Ameri Amen can soldiers on guard tho miserably miserably miserably mis mis- bare of clothing themselves themselves them them- selves used to spare a part of their own fuel for the dressing our victuals On Christmas Day the Soldiers Soldiers Soldiers Sol Sol- Sol Sol- diers were away to King William County The County The weather at athis this his time became so intensely cold that we could not rise from the floor but continued day and night light in our blankets The scurvy began to make its it's appearance and our legs to swell The swell The Jailor then hen concluding we could not survive survive survive sur sur- vive the severity of the cold in our present situation took us to toan toan toan an upper room in the Jail where prisoners had formerly been kept this tho it had no window but an open grate was more tolerable than the Dungeon we could light lighta a fire in the Chimney and by sacrificing sacrificing sacrificing sac sac- part 0 of our blankets to stop the grated window and stuff the cracks in the we made madea a shift to endure in the daytime at night we were remanded to our Dungeon His Ills Captivity Ends August 1st 1780 We were from Williamsburgh Williamsburgh- Major Hay and I sent to the Jail at Chesterfield Chesterfield La Mothe and Mr Dejean some time in last October accepted the parole formerly formerly for for- merly the former went to Hanover the latter went to Colt Coll Clarke but what is become become be be- come of him I have not since learnd Thus the captivity of the Hair Buyer Duyer General in old Williamsburg Williamsburg Williamsburg Williams Williams- burg ended The severity of his treatment was due in large part partI to John Dodge whom Hamilton calls an unprincipled and perjured perjured perjured per per- a characterization tion incidentally which American Ameri Amen can historians indorse Dodge had been a trader in Detroit Detroi whom Hamilton had imprisoned for suspected disloyalty but who managed to escape and return to the East Then according to Milo 1110 MiloM M M. Quaife in the book The Capture Capture Cap Cap- ture tune of Old Vincennes published in 1927 by the Bobbs Merrill company company com corn pany Gifted with a fluent tongue and a pliable conscience Dodge sought to revenge himself upon his former adversary by representing representing to the Virginia author authorities authorities ties that Hamilton at Detroit had been guilty of repeated violations of the recognized laws of warfare and of humanity Relying upon this highly untrustworthy testimony testimony mony Governor Jefferson declined declined de de- de- de dined to accord Hamilton the treatment due an honorable prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner of war instead he was wa made the scapegoat of the now nov odious system of warfare it had hac been his duty to administer anc and was long treated as a common felon at length General Washington Washing Washing- ton interposed his powerful influence influence influence ence in opposition to this procedure procedure dure and Hamilton obtained hi his exchange and was allowed to return return re re- re turn to England |