Note 1518 — Chapter IX

On March 7th, "Capt. Williams and Lieut. Rogers, with twenty-five men, set off for the Falls of Ohio to conduct the following prisoners, viz.: Lieut.-Gov. Hamilton, Major Hays [Hay], Capt. La Mothe [La Mothe], Mons. Dejean, grand judge of Detroit, Lieut. Shiflin [Scheifflin], Doct. M'Beth [McBeath], Francis M'Ville [Maisonville], Mr. Bell Fenilb [Bellefeuille], with eighteen privates" (Bowman, p. 109). Hamilton does not give a list of his fellow-prisoners, but the above names, as he gives them elsewhere in his Report, are inserted in brackets. He says: "On the 8th of March we were put into a heavy oak boat, being 27 in number, with our provision of flour and pork at common ration, and 14 gallons of spirits for us and our guard, which consisted of 23 persons, including two officers. We had before us 360 miles of water carriage and 840 to march to our place of destination, Williamsburg, Va." (Mich. Pion. Col., p. 506). "On the 16th, most of the prisoners took the oath of neutrality, and got permission to set out for Detroit" (Ibid. 110). Gov. Hamilton and his associates were sent to Williamsburg, and by sentence of the executive council were placed in close imprisonment in irons, for their treatment of captives and for permitting and instigating the Indians to practise every species of cruelty and barbarism upon American citizens, without distinction of age, sex, or condition (see Journals of Congress, ii. 340; Jefferson's Writings, i. 226-237, 258, 267; Sparks's Washington, vi. 315, 407; Corresp. of the Rev., ii. 323; Hamilton's narrative from the Royal Gazette, July 15, 1780, in Mag. Amer. Hist., i. 186; Monette, i. 431; Farmer's Hist. of Detroit, p. 252). In October, 1780, Hamilton was sent to New York on parole, in order to procure the release of some American officers (Sparks MSS., no. lxvi.).