The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list
btt
The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list
I saw one of those programs on TV where they trace the genealogy of a celebrity. The celebrity was Rob Lowe. It turned out that one of his ancestors was a Hessian mercenary during the American Revolution. He was captured and held prisoner by the Americans. When he was released at the end of the war, he decided to stay in the U.S.
I think they said in the program where he was held prisoner, but I don’t remember the details. It may have been at the prison discussed in this article.
Shades of the movie "Poltergeist" ....Don't turn you T.V. on...
Sounds a lot better than the British prisoner ships.
Fascinating article. I love history, especially this era. No, especially all of them. :-)
I have some Jewish friends whose ancestors came to this country as mercenaries, got taken prison, and decided to stay. They admired the lovely, rich farmland available for farming—so much more productive than the land at home in Germany—and the freedom farmers had to keep more of the results of their labor. They also found that there was less prejudice against them here, and a vibrant, very prosperous Jewish community where they were respected.
There is also a quote from an ancestress of mine who lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Captured British troops were being marched past her house and stopped to get a drink. She told them that her sons were off fighting the other Brits and the war would soon be over, but she would be kind to the POWs nevertheless because her own mother had been English. The English officer who wrote this was clearly taken aback by her charitable yet patronizing attitude toward someone as elevated as he was accustomed to being.