American Prisoners of the Revolution

About this book

American Prisoners of the Revolution is a scholarly compilation that gathers scattered primary accounts of the suffering endured by American soldiers and sailors held by the British during the Revolutionary War. The author, Danske Dandridge, explains that she has collected and abridged numerous narratives, many of which are out‑of‑print and difficult to locate, into a single volume, acknowledging the assistance of librarians and historians. The work opens with a solemn preface that frames the material as a memorial to the “martyrs of the prisons,” followed by a detailed table of contents that lists chapters on specific prisoners, prison ships, and contemporary newspaper reports. The introductory chapter sets a grave tone, describing the grim conditions of New York’s makeshift prisons and the author’s intent to preserve the memory of those who perished.

Written in the early twentieth‑century style of a determined amateur historian, the book reads like a measured, documentary narrative rather than a novel. Dandridge’s voice is earnest and reverent, often invoking moral reflection on national memory while presenting excerpts from original letters, journals, and official papers. Readers who appreciate meticulous historical research, primary‑source documentation, and a focus on the human cost of the Revolution, particularly scholars of early American history, military history enthusiasts, and those interested in the lived experience of wartime captivity, will find this volume a valuable, if somber, resource.