Letter from British Officers, prisoners of war, to the President of Congress, complaining of ill treatment

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Yorktown, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1776.

SIR: We have long suffered, without complaint, a series of ill treatment which our characters as British officers, and our conduct since the fate of war threw us in your power, has not merited. Should we continue silent under this usage, we might be esteemed by the world either deserving of it or afraid to complain, in neither of which predicaments would we choose to appear.

When an order of Congress, about four months ago, separated us from our men, we complained of the hardships that would accrue from it in as decent terms as circumstances would admit of, but without redress. We were brought to this town and a parole tendered us to sign, with the alternative of going to jail if we refused. Conscious that a compliance could not in the smallest degree be prejudicial to His

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To enumerate the particulars of the many gross insults we have endured would far exceed the bounds of this letter. Let it suffice to declare, that outrage hath succeeded insult, and a violation of every law of humanity been dignified by the name of authority. Not content with depriving us of the liberty of leaving our rooms after nightfall, (contrary to the faith of the parole we signed,) they have now, as a further instance of their wishes to distress us and to render our situation as disagreeable as possible, taken from us our servants, which they tell us is by order of Congress.

We have, sir, too much generosity to conceive that that body would purposely issue an order to distress a few already too much injured individuals. Prejudice, wilfully mistaken, ever uses a language opposite to truth; and that the Committee of this place are prejudiced against us must strike the candour of every dispassionate heart; for we dare confidently ask the loudest advocate of their party to say that in any one instance we have infringed the least on the parole we signed, or that our conduct has been in any way reprehensible.

Through you, therefore, sir, as President of the Congress, we apply for redress, and desire that we may be treated as gentlemen and prisoners of war, who yielded only to an honourable capitulation; at the same time beg leave to remark, that if we must continue liable to such treatment, a jail would have a preference over our present situation; and remain, sir, your humble servants,
A˙ GORDON,
Captain Twenty-Sixth Regiment.
DANIEL ROBERTSON,
JOHN STRONGE,
JOHN LIVINGSTON,
EDWARD THOMPSON,
E˙ P˙ WILLINGTON,
D˙ MCDoNELL,
ROBERT THOMAS,
JAMES GORDON,
ROBERT CHASE,
LAU˙ DULHUNTY.

To John Hancock, Esq˙