The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn by Robert P. Watson

Author:Robert P. Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2017-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

As is true for prisoners of war throughout history, several of the men confined belowdecks on the Jersey dealt with their bleak situation by fighting back against the oppressive guards. The prisoners used every trick and tool at their disposal to resist. Ebenezer Fox described one such tactic that took advantage of the swarms of rats, lice, mites, and other pests that filled the ship. The prisoners would put “vermin” inside an empty “snuff box.” When a British officer boarded the Jersey, they purposely opened the box and poured the creatures on his coat in order to infect him.

Perhaps the largest organized resistance occurred on July 4, 1782. With the war all but over, the prisoners planned to celebrate Independence Day with a demonstration of resistance and camaraderie. Planning began several days before July 4 when the prisoners started saving and hiding rations of food and water, gathered supplies and materials, and spread the word among fellow inmates. Hoping “to make ourselves merry,” the men made small American flags and thought of patriotic songs to sing. The celebration would occur when the prisoners were permitted on the upper deck, but in such a way as not to invite “trouble” or “insult” the guards. Yet that is precisely what happened.

While the guards on duty that day were not the feared Hessians or the vindictive loyalists, they included a group of aggressive and foul-tempered Scots, whom the prisoners deemed second only to the loyalists in terms of their aggressive and violent dispositions. On the morning of the fourth, the prisoners symbolically placed thirteen small flags on and around the booms of the ship. However, the guards ordered the prisoners to remove the flags. The prisoners refused, citing their right to mark the occasion with song and camaraderie. They stood in defiance and silent solidarity, tensions building. Then one of the prisoners began singing patriotic songs; soon all of them were singing. They were ordered by the guards to stop singing, but only sang louder.

The guards reluctantly gave in and permitted the men to sing, but did manage to block access to the upper deck so that no additional prisoners from the holds could join their comrades. Those stuck belowdecks ended up spending the entire day trapped in the dingy and stiflingly hot holds. Yet, from below, they joined in the chorus. Prisoners on deck and below celebrated all day, singing and sharing stories and sparse rations with one another.

By late afternoon the guards had had enough of the celebration. Around four o’clock they ordered the prisoners to cease the merriment. The prisoners only sang louder and began cheering. Their order ignored and their patience wearing thin, the Scottish guards tore down the flags and “triumphantly demolished and trampled them under foot.” A few prisoners attempted to stop the act, but the guards responded with violence. Fighting soon broke out across the upper deck. Prisoners rushed the guards, but their advantage was short-lived. The guards eventually gained the upper hand, driving the prisoners

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