Franklin and Lafayette’s List of Prints to Illustrate
British Cruelties
AD (draft): Library of Congress
[c. May, 1779]
| 1. The Burning of Charleston (Date) |
| A fine Town by the Waterside, being a Port, but without |
| A Spire rising among the Houses, belonging to the |
| A Belfrey belonging to the Town House all in Flames.— |
| The Inhabitants had all left it. |
| 2. The Burning of Falmouth (Date Nov. 1775) |
| A fine Town & Port, but without Defence |
| Ships firing hot Shot, & throwing Bombs & Carcasses |
into the Town; English Colours. |
| The Houses partly in Flames |
| Sailors with Torches setting fire to others. |
| The Inhabitants flying out of it carrying off the Sick and |
| Women with Children in their Arms. |
| Some kill'd as they go off, and lying on the ground.— |
| 3. The Burning of Norfolk |
fine Town & Port, several Churches |
Inhabitants flying as above, & Ships firing |
| 4. The Burning of Bedford |
| 6. The Cannonading of Bristol |
| 8. The putting Prisoners to death in cold Blood after having |
surrendred their Arms, & demanded Quarter.— Baylor's |
| 9. Prisoners dying in their Goals, with Hunger Cold & want |
| 10. Dunmore's hiring the Negroes to murder their Masters |
Blacks arm'd with Guns & Hangers |
Master & his Sons on the Ground dead, |
| Wife & Daughters lifted up in the Arms of the Negroes |
as they are carrying off. |
| 11. Savages killing and scalping the Frontier Farmers and their |
Families, Women and Children, English Officers mix'd |
with the Savages, & giving them Orders & encouraging |
| 12. Governor Tonyn sitting in State, a Table before him, his |
Soldiers & Savages bringing in Scalps of the Georgia |
People, & presenting them. Money on the Table with |
| 13. The Commanding Officer at Niagara, receiving in like |
Manner the Scalps of the Wioming Families.— |
| 14. The King of England, giving Audience to his Secretary at |
War, who presents him a Schedule intitled Acct. of Scalps. |
which he receives very graciously. |
| 15. American Prisoners, put on board Men of War, & whips |
to make them fight against their Countrymen & Relations |
| 16. Americans put on board Ships in Irons to be carried to the |
East Indies, & Senegal, where they died with Misery & |
the unwholesomeness of the Climate.— |
| 17. Burning the Wounded with Straw at the Crooked Billet |
Small place in pensilvania |
| 18. Prisonners kill'd and Roasted for a great festival where the |
Canadian indians are eating American flesh, Colonel |
Buttler an english officer Setting at table |
| 19. British officers who being prisonners on parole are well |
Receiv'd in the Best American families, and take that opportunity |
of corrupting Negroes and Engaging them to |
desert from the house, to Robb, and even to Murder |
| 20. American officers who as they arrive in the British Camp |
are insulted By an enrag'd Soldiery— theyr Monney, |
theyr Cocades, theyr sword, and all theyr Cloathes are |
| 21. A durty prison ship where American officers are Confin'd |
without Being at liberty to take the Air, and so Crowded |
that they Can live but a few days— British officers Come |
to laugh at 'em and insult at theyr Miseries. |
| 22. British officers plundering with theyr own hands farm |
houses, abusing the old people of the house, insulting the |
young land lady, and frightening the children |
| 23. An honorable Captain Corning last Spring in the house of |
A Gentleman Call'd Mr West at White Marsh, Rushing in |
the Room where Miss West and An other Young lady |
Were sleeping at two o'clock in the Morning—the Captain |
and soldiers jump to the Beds of the two ladies, and |
with fix'd Bayonnets Upon theyr Breasts Make Several |
inquiries, and laugh at theyr dreadfull situation in the |
| 24. An other Right honorable Captain Going out on a de- |
tachement an killing defenceless people. |
| 25. General Gage's Perfidy to the Inhabts of Boston. |
| 26. Counterfeiting the Paper Money |
Notations in Franklin’s hand: Ideas for the Prints / List of British
Cruelties
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