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The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution
The most horrific struggle of the American Revolution occurred just 100 yards off New York, where more men died aboard a rotting prison ship than were lost to combat during the entirety of the war.
Moored off the coast of Brooklyn until the end of the war, the derelict ship, the HMS Jersey , was a living hell for thousands of Americans either captured by the British or accused of disloyalty. Crammed below deck -- a shocking one thousand at a time -- without light or fresh air, the prisoners were scarcely fed food and water. Disease ran rampant and human waste fouled the air as prisoners suffered mightily at the hands of brutal British and Hessian guards. Throughout the colonies, the mere mention of the ship sparked fear and loathing of British troops. It also sparked a backlash of outrage as newspapers everywhere described the horrors onboard the ghostly ship. This shocking event, much like the better-known Boston Massacre before it, ended up rallying public support for the war.
Revealing for the first time hundreds of accounts culled from old newspapers, diaries, and military reports, award-winning historian Robert P. Watson follows the lives and ordeals of the ship's few survivors to tell the astonishing story of the cursed ship that killed thousands of Americans and yet helped secure victory in the fight for independence.
Moored off the coast of Brooklyn until the end of the war, the derelict ship, the HMS Jersey , was a living hell for thousands of Americans either captured by the British or accused of disloyalty. Crammed below deck -- a shocking one thousand at a time -- without light or fresh air, the prisoners were scarcely fed food and water. Disease ran rampant and human waste fouled the air as prisoners suffered mightily at the hands of brutal British and Hessian guards. Throughout the colonies, the mere mention of the ship sparked fear and loathing of British troops. It also sparked a backlash of outrage as newspapers everywhere described the horrors onboard the ghostly ship. This shocking event, much like the better-known Boston Massacre before it, ended up rallying public support for the war.
Revealing for the first time hundreds of accounts culled from old newspapers, diaries, and military reports, award-winning historian Robert P. Watson follows the lives and ordeals of the ship's few survivors to tell the astonishing story of the cursed ship that killed thousands of Americans and yet helped secure victory in the fight for independence.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 3, 2017
A big thank you to Robert P. Wats, Da Capo Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
When Americans think of prisoners of war, we think of WWII, the Vietnam war, Stalin. Sometimes we remember the atrocities we perpetrated on ourselves during the Civil War. What is not prevalent in the annals of our history classes is the role of a prison ship utilized by the British during the 1770s moored in New York known as the Jersey.
The British were not choosy; prisoners included: sailors, civilians who refused the oath of allegiance, privateers, and Continental soldiers. The ship could hold as much as a thousand persons at a time moored in murky, shallow waters in Wallabout Bay. Disease was rampant, killing more Americans by the end of the war than combat did. It, of course, deserved its rotten reputation and became a symbol of liberty for the Revolutionists.
Wats has obviously done his homework here. Luckily the British were adequate record keepers and the prisoners were not shy about sharing their experiences and wrote memoirs. But I'm wondering if this book has the correct title? For one it covers so much more than the POW warships; for two the author makes it plain that there were many of these wooden floating houses of torture and discusses all of them. I'm supposing the title comes from the poem used throughout the book and the fact that the memoirs used are all from Jersey survivors?
Wats does an excellent job of discussing the poor conditions aboard the Jersey and other ships. However, he has a tendency to repeat himself. That repetitiveness broke the flow of the book for me.
Overall this was an informative read. I've already recommended it to two of my teacher friends, one is a home schooler; one teaches history. I think it is promising enough that it can enrich lessons.
Good job, Wat! With a little tweaking this will be a great book.
When Americans think of prisoners of war, we think of WWII, the Vietnam war, Stalin. Sometimes we remember the atrocities we perpetrated on ourselves during the Civil War. What is not prevalent in the annals of our history classes is the role of a prison ship utilized by the British during the 1770s moored in New York known as the Jersey.
The British were not choosy; prisoners included: sailors, civilians who refused the oath of allegiance, privateers, and Continental soldiers. The ship could hold as much as a thousand persons at a time moored in murky, shallow waters in Wallabout Bay. Disease was rampant, killing more Americans by the end of the war than combat did. It, of course, deserved its rotten reputation and became a symbol of liberty for the Revolutionists.
Wats has obviously done his homework here. Luckily the British were adequate record keepers and the prisoners were not shy about sharing their experiences and wrote memoirs. But I'm wondering if this book has the correct title? For one it covers so much more than the POW warships; for two the author makes it plain that there were many of these wooden floating houses of torture and discusses all of them. I'm supposing the title comes from the poem used throughout the book and the fact that the memoirs used are all from Jersey survivors?
Wats does an excellent job of discussing the poor conditions aboard the Jersey and other ships. However, he has a tendency to repeat himself. That repetitiveness broke the flow of the book for me.
Overall this was an informative read. I've already recommended it to two of my teacher friends, one is a home schooler; one teaches history. I think it is promising enough that it can enrich lessons.
Good job, Wat! With a little tweaking this will be a great book.
November 4, 2017
An excellent account of a little known facet of the American Revolution, the experiences of American prisoners on the prison ships employed by the British on New York's East River. I have read an array of accounts dealing with England's treatment of its colonies and this book fits naturally into this shameful past. To read this history will bring to mind the abuse of American prisoners by the Japanese during WWII and by the Vietnamese during that war. What the author explains is the desire of the British to use these ships to terrorize the Americans in hopes of returning their loyalty to England. This desire was not only not realized but worked to an opposite affect. The deplorable treatment of prisoners aroused the anger of colonials and did more to swing neutrals and loyalists to the American cause. This would have been a hard lesson to learn if the English had learned it but they did not. This sort of barbaric behavior was repeated by this empire that was the alleged paragon of the civilized world throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in every country under their colonial dominion. It is the British after all that invented the concentration camp during the Boer War and starving civilians in a virtual genocide was the fate of Irish during the 1840's. With such a history I can't say I was surprised by what I read in this book about their treatment of people, their own blood kin, that they now considered traitors and pirates and criminals.
The author's narrative primarily involves following the fates of 5 American prisoners imprisoned on the most infamous of these British prison ships, the Jersey. He thoroughly describes in the words of these prisoners the routine on this ship; the lack of food; the total lack of medical care; the lack of sanitary facilities; the inadequate ventilation; lack of clothing; and the brutality of the guards and their superiors. The author also describes the difficulties of escape; the political and bureaucratic problems with prisoner exchanges; the deceitful behavior of the British military leadership; and the fates of these prisoners after exchange and after the war. It was Washington's conundrum that the English would exchange Americans but were returning prisoners that were nearly dead for English prisoners that were healthy and able to return to service. The American prisoners frequently died during the exchange or shortly thereafter but in no case were they ever able to return to military service. As a consequence Washington understood that these exchanges helped the British replenish their army but did nothing for the American army. Nevertheless, relief for these suffering patriots was the paramount consideration and the exchanges continued whenever possible. A relatively short book that is a fast and informative read and worth the effort.
The author's narrative primarily involves following the fates of 5 American prisoners imprisoned on the most infamous of these British prison ships, the Jersey. He thoroughly describes in the words of these prisoners the routine on this ship; the lack of food; the total lack of medical care; the lack of sanitary facilities; the inadequate ventilation; lack of clothing; and the brutality of the guards and their superiors. The author also describes the difficulties of escape; the political and bureaucratic problems with prisoner exchanges; the deceitful behavior of the British military leadership; and the fates of these prisoners after exchange and after the war. It was Washington's conundrum that the English would exchange Americans but were returning prisoners that were nearly dead for English prisoners that were healthy and able to return to service. The American prisoners frequently died during the exchange or shortly thereafter but in no case were they ever able to return to military service. As a consequence Washington understood that these exchanges helped the British replenish their army but did nothing for the American army. Nevertheless, relief for these suffering patriots was the paramount consideration and the exchanges continued whenever possible. A relatively short book that is a fast and informative read and worth the effort.
January 5, 2021
I am currently researching for the book(s) I am writing and this proved to be an interesting resource.
The research follows the stories of five prisoners of the notorious prison ship Jersey and their recount of the dreadful conditions they suffered while aboard.
It is not a well known story and it was shocking to read some of these details.
Still, the book was not well organized and I didn't appreciate the lack of objectivity of the author, who depicts the British as monsters and the Americans as saints at every turn. Every time the author had to cite an act of mercy done by a British soldier it's presented as an exception. I think one can stress the horrors of the war and of the horrenduous captivity suffered by these prisoners of war and still mantain an impartial view of the conflict, something that Watson simply does not manage to do.
The research follows the stories of five prisoners of the notorious prison ship Jersey and their recount of the dreadful conditions they suffered while aboard.
It is not a well known story and it was shocking to read some of these details.
Still, the book was not well organized and I didn't appreciate the lack of objectivity of the author, who depicts the British as monsters and the Americans as saints at every turn. Every time the author had to cite an act of mercy done by a British soldier it's presented as an exception. I think one can stress the horrors of the war and of the horrenduous captivity suffered by these prisoners of war and still mantain an impartial view of the conflict, something that Watson simply does not manage to do.
August 12, 2019
I was really looking forward to this, and the subject matter is fascinating, but I was disappointed by the repetitiveness and inefficient structure of the book. There is definitely a lot of the same information being re-written over and over; even one of the footnotes is repeated almost verbatim about ten pages after it first appeared. I also never got a handle on the flow of the book - I feel like it "started" four or five different times. Not a bad book, but kind of a letdown.
January 30, 2021
An interesting, and rather long forgotten piece of history about the prisoner ships docked around Brooklyn, New York during the American Revolutionary War. The story is told mainly through the chronicles of five men (men being a loose term here as the youngest was a mere boy of 12 at the time of his imprisonment), who survived the hellscape of the prison ship Jersey to leave their stories to posterity. Disease, starvation and malnourishment, overcrowding, filth, lack of fresh water, mistreatment by guards were all common experiences of those held captive. One most often thinks of the British military as being noble and honorable, but their treatment of their enemies, who were branded as rebels, and therefore not accorded the same rights and privileges as prisoners of war, belies this generalization. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Revolutionary War, or just good storytelling.
May 28, 2018
The book is well-written and does a good job of telling the tale of the horrors aboard the Jersey.
There is one glaring omission in the book, which would have made the book far better.
James Forten was an African-American who was imprisoned on the ship. He was offered a chance
to leave the ship and gain education in England if he would swear loyalty to the king. The young
African-American refused to do so and suffered greatly. He survived walked back to Philadeplphia
and became one of the richest men in the city, an amazing story, which should have been included.
March 9, 2018
Interesting for historical value. Found the writing redundant and characters flat.
August 1, 2022
In his book, 'The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn', author Robert Watson does a credible job of describing, through research, that includes several accounts of eyewitness testimony, the history and horrors of British prison ships used in the Revolutionary War. Though graphic and quite ghastly the 'facts' that Watson concentrates on quickly become repetitive. I mean no disrespect to the material covered in his book I simply am saying that the contents of 'The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn' would be effectively portrayed in a condensed version as part of a history of the time period.
January 30, 2021
Having lived within a few minutes drive of Wallabout Bay for most of my life, but knowing it moreso as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, it only felt logical I should know more about local history. Having heard that more Patriots died in captivity on ships in that bay than in battle throughout the revolution it makes me wonder why this is a little known fact. This book helps give justice to this overlooked piece of history. It is well sourced and engaging.
December 27, 2019
A vivid and interesting account of a little know facet of the American Revolution but ocassionally redundant.
September 16, 2022
Half historical treatise and half sheer horror show… thanks England!
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February 14, 2023Dr. Bath,
You’re a great professor and even better person, but I ABHOR having to read a historical nonfiction book like can it get more boring? I am glad I picked a good one tho🫶
Sincerely,
Isaac
You’re a great professor and even better person, but I ABHOR having to read a historical nonfiction book like can it get more boring? I am glad I picked a good one tho🫶
Sincerely,
Isaac
July 22, 2017
This made me so freaking mad and broke my heart at the same time. Thank God we gained our independence and with the way they treated us, it's a wonder that we have a "special relationship" now.
October 20, 2017
Robert Watson spoke at the Brattleboro Literary Festival on Thursday, October 12:
Robert P Watson Intro
Professor Robert Watson is the author of forty books--yes that’s 40--which include both nonfiction, three novels, contributions to encyclopedia sets, and hundreds of scholarly journal articles.
His most recent book, published this past August is , The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn, which is a recovered, largely unknown history, from the American Revolution. It brilliantly recounts the sordid tale of a deadly prison where American soldiers--or as the British liked to call them, “the rebels” -- were held in captivity during much of the war.
Because the Brits were fighting on American enemy soil, there were not enough land-based prisons to put the captured soldiers, so His Majesty’s Navy would “hulk”, or hollow out old battleships to hold the prisoners. There were at least seventeen ships converted in this way, but one called “the Jersey,” was the most infamous, or better known by its prisoner occupants as “Hell” or “Hell Afloat.” The Jersey was moored in Wallabout Bay, (meaning “bend in the harbor, in Dutch) off the coast of Brooklyn, with its 1,000 prisoners locked away in the dark, dank hull. The ship was originally designed to hold only 400.
This particular floating prison also counted for the most deaths, so much so, that its legend echoed into the next century. In 1846, Walt Whitman, in a newspaper article, called the deaths aboard The Jersey, “a vast and silent army” of ghosts scattered in the shallow graves along the Brooklyn waterfront. An average of 6-12 soldiers died each day from diseases such as dysentery, smallpox, yellow fever, typhoid, polluted water, and sadistic treatment by the prison guards. As a deterrent, the British used the horrific stature of the prison ship as psychological warfare to frighten American soldiers, but it had the opposite effect, as the ship’s reputation became a rallying point for the American cause.
Dr. Watson relates the Jersey story through primary sources, newspapers, military reports, and from the most compelling documents --the words of prisoners who lived in its terror and had escaped, later in their lives to write down their experiences.
This book was not an easy read, but was one I could not put it down. At midway point, I started an inventory of words used to describe the ship and its inhabitants. They are: disgusting, dark and filthy, putrid, noxious, rat-infested, diseased, pallid, violent, wretched, rotted, pestilent, lice, vermin---you get the idea.
It has been calculated that over 11,500 men died on board the Jersey, which is twice the number of American soldiers who fell in combat.
As I said, the story is told from the point of view of five soldiers who wrote their memoirs later in life at the behest of their families. These men at the time of their capture ranged in age from 12 to adult.
The book tells the story of courage in the face of man’s inhumanity to man, and especially surprising as it was perpetrated by a great continental power against its own people in the colonies.
Besides the prisoners, it is also a story of heroic American citizens who put their lives on the line to help the prisoners. People like Elizabeth Burgin, a mother of three, probably a war widow, who delivered food to the prisoners and risked contracting diseases aboard the ship. And not considering the great danger she made for herself, Elizabeth hatched a plan to help some prionsers escape, which caused her to become a fugitive with a bounty on her head.
Dr. Watson is the Director of American Studies at Florida’s Lynn University. His two previous books are The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II ; and America's First Crisis: The War of 1812.
Because of his immense expertise on American history, he has been a commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and serves as a political analyst for the NBC affiliate station in Florida.
Professor Watson’s off campus work also includes community activism. He founded three non-profit think tanks dedicated to civic education, political reform, and fact-checking campaign lies, which I am sure worked overtime during the 2016 Presidential campaign.
He is the founding editor of the journal "White House Studies" and both directs and edits the "Report to the First Lady," which is presented to the First Lady and White House every four years after the Inauguration. Maybe he can say a few words about this as well.
Please welcome to Brattleboro, Robert Watson.
Robert P Watson Intro
Professor Robert Watson is the author of forty books--yes that’s 40--which include both nonfiction, three novels, contributions to encyclopedia sets, and hundreds of scholarly journal articles.
His most recent book, published this past August is , The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn, which is a recovered, largely unknown history, from the American Revolution. It brilliantly recounts the sordid tale of a deadly prison where American soldiers--or as the British liked to call them, “the rebels” -- were held in captivity during much of the war.
Because the Brits were fighting on American enemy soil, there were not enough land-based prisons to put the captured soldiers, so His Majesty’s Navy would “hulk”, or hollow out old battleships to hold the prisoners. There were at least seventeen ships converted in this way, but one called “the Jersey,” was the most infamous, or better known by its prisoner occupants as “Hell” or “Hell Afloat.” The Jersey was moored in Wallabout Bay, (meaning “bend in the harbor, in Dutch) off the coast of Brooklyn, with its 1,000 prisoners locked away in the dark, dank hull. The ship was originally designed to hold only 400.
This particular floating prison also counted for the most deaths, so much so, that its legend echoed into the next century. In 1846, Walt Whitman, in a newspaper article, called the deaths aboard The Jersey, “a vast and silent army” of ghosts scattered in the shallow graves along the Brooklyn waterfront. An average of 6-12 soldiers died each day from diseases such as dysentery, smallpox, yellow fever, typhoid, polluted water, and sadistic treatment by the prison guards. As a deterrent, the British used the horrific stature of the prison ship as psychological warfare to frighten American soldiers, but it had the opposite effect, as the ship’s reputation became a rallying point for the American cause.
Dr. Watson relates the Jersey story through primary sources, newspapers, military reports, and from the most compelling documents --the words of prisoners who lived in its terror and had escaped, later in their lives to write down their experiences.
This book was not an easy read, but was one I could not put it down. At midway point, I started an inventory of words used to describe the ship and its inhabitants. They are: disgusting, dark and filthy, putrid, noxious, rat-infested, diseased, pallid, violent, wretched, rotted, pestilent, lice, vermin---you get the idea.
It has been calculated that over 11,500 men died on board the Jersey, which is twice the number of American soldiers who fell in combat.
As I said, the story is told from the point of view of five soldiers who wrote their memoirs later in life at the behest of their families. These men at the time of their capture ranged in age from 12 to adult.
The book tells the story of courage in the face of man’s inhumanity to man, and especially surprising as it was perpetrated by a great continental power against its own people in the colonies.
Besides the prisoners, it is also a story of heroic American citizens who put their lives on the line to help the prisoners. People like Elizabeth Burgin, a mother of three, probably a war widow, who delivered food to the prisoners and risked contracting diseases aboard the ship. And not considering the great danger she made for herself, Elizabeth hatched a plan to help some prionsers escape, which caused her to become a fugitive with a bounty on her head.
Dr. Watson is the Director of American Studies at Florida’s Lynn University. His two previous books are The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II ; and America's First Crisis: The War of 1812.
Because of his immense expertise on American history, he has been a commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and serves as a political analyst for the NBC affiliate station in Florida.
Professor Watson’s off campus work also includes community activism. He founded three non-profit think tanks dedicated to civic education, political reform, and fact-checking campaign lies, which I am sure worked overtime during the 2016 Presidential campaign.
He is the founding editor of the journal "White House Studies" and both directs and edits the "Report to the First Lady," which is presented to the First Lady and White House every four years after the Inauguration. Maybe he can say a few words about this as well.
Please welcome to Brattleboro, Robert Watson.
October 17, 2017
The "Untold Story" recounted here is one of the barbaric treatment by the British of American prisoners of war, largely sailors who had been engaged as privateers, during the American Revolution. These men were regarded as rebels and pirates by the Brits, hence undeserving of humane treatment. The central focus of the book is the use of old sailing ships stripped of sails, masts and rudder,known as hulks, for the warehousing of captives. The author draws on a number of sources, primarily the memoirs of the survivors of the worst of the prison hulks, the Jersey. He provided estimates that over 11,000 men and boys died during captivity aboard this "Hell ship." He notes that the raw number is bad, but proportionately for the population of the time it was horrific, equal to the population of Boston at the time.
The prisoners were overcrowded below deck with over a thousand crammed into a space that was meant for less than half that number. They were given short rations, most of which were barely palatable, limited water, and little or no medical treatment although smallpox and yellow fever raged periodically through the ship. Chances to escape were limited because the ship was moored in a Brooklyn bay and mudflat known as Wallabout Bay.
The treatment was a matter of British policy designed to serve as a warning to patriots who would take arms against the King. The policy was made worse by the men in charge, Joshua Logan, William Cunningham, and David Sproat who joined larceny with their sadism, and the guards posted to the ship, the worst of which were the loyalist militia men.
Watson notes that the British favored prisoner exchanges because they benefitted from them in several ways. As the exchanges were officer for officer and man for man, the British would hand over men who were on the verge of death because of their treatment for well cared for troops who had been in American custody. He notes that many of the exchanged Americans died in route to the exchange, or shortly thereafter. Also, the British soldiers and sailors were trained and experienced while the Americans were frequently farmers who had taken up arms or gone to sea as privateers. As the war progressed, Watson notes that the British increased their efforts to capture more of the untrained Americans so they could recover more of their higher quality fighters. General Washington recognized this inbalance and threatened to treat British prisoners in the same way the Americans were being treated on the Jersey. Eventually he followed through on this threat. The prisoners were also offered their freedom if they agreed to serve on British ships, another means of increasing scarce manpower.
Watson uses the memoirs published by several of the survivors to create an active, if horrifying, account of the treatment, escape attempts, and psychological damage to the American prisoners aboard the floating death factories. Unfortunately, those who set and implemented the deadly policy returned to England at the end of the war. Incredibly, the butchers Loring, Sproat, and Cunningham filed claims against the United States for sums of their own money they said they spent to provide succor to the prisoners. More incredibly, Congress approved partial reimbursement of these claims.
We learn that fake news is not a current invention. Watson describes how loyalist New York papers printed false accounts, including bogus or extorted letters from prisoners, of humane treatment on the prison ships.
A disturbing book, as any close look at war can be, but it is a story that deserved to be told to honor these forgotten brave fighters for American independence.
The prisoners were overcrowded below deck with over a thousand crammed into a space that was meant for less than half that number. They were given short rations, most of which were barely palatable, limited water, and little or no medical treatment although smallpox and yellow fever raged periodically through the ship. Chances to escape were limited because the ship was moored in a Brooklyn bay and mudflat known as Wallabout Bay.
The treatment was a matter of British policy designed to serve as a warning to patriots who would take arms against the King. The policy was made worse by the men in charge, Joshua Logan, William Cunningham, and David Sproat who joined larceny with their sadism, and the guards posted to the ship, the worst of which were the loyalist militia men.
Watson notes that the British favored prisoner exchanges because they benefitted from them in several ways. As the exchanges were officer for officer and man for man, the British would hand over men who were on the verge of death because of their treatment for well cared for troops who had been in American custody. He notes that many of the exchanged Americans died in route to the exchange, or shortly thereafter. Also, the British soldiers and sailors were trained and experienced while the Americans were frequently farmers who had taken up arms or gone to sea as privateers. As the war progressed, Watson notes that the British increased their efforts to capture more of the untrained Americans so they could recover more of their higher quality fighters. General Washington recognized this inbalance and threatened to treat British prisoners in the same way the Americans were being treated on the Jersey. Eventually he followed through on this threat. The prisoners were also offered their freedom if they agreed to serve on British ships, another means of increasing scarce manpower.
Watson uses the memoirs published by several of the survivors to create an active, if horrifying, account of the treatment, escape attempts, and psychological damage to the American prisoners aboard the floating death factories. Unfortunately, those who set and implemented the deadly policy returned to England at the end of the war. Incredibly, the butchers Loring, Sproat, and Cunningham filed claims against the United States for sums of their own money they said they spent to provide succor to the prisoners. More incredibly, Congress approved partial reimbursement of these claims.
We learn that fake news is not a current invention. Watson describes how loyalist New York papers printed false accounts, including bogus or extorted letters from prisoners, of humane treatment on the prison ships.
A disturbing book, as any close look at war can be, but it is a story that deserved to be told to honor these forgotten brave fighters for American independence.
August 13, 2017
Every once in a while I will be asked to review a new book (usually related to history in some way) that is soon to be published. I enjoy these opportunities when they come. Below I have attached my review of "The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn" by Robert Watson. The book is a history of British prisoner of war ships during the American Revolution. You can also read this review at my personal blog: http://hartbrad.blogspot.com/2017/08/...
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The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution. By Robert P. Watson. (Da Capo Press., August 31, 2017. Pp. 256).
The history of the American Revolution is a field that has been thoroughly plowed, on multiple occasions, by historians of every generation. To find a unique parcel of this fascinating era of history that hasn’t already been cultivated is a chore to say the least. Robert Watson’s The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn is one of those rare instances when a historian stumbles upon this rare piece of uncharted land.
Watson’s book is focused almost exclusively on a British prisoner of war ship called the HMS Jersey. On this boat, thousands of American prisoners of war (or those accused of disloyalty to the British crown) were confined in the dark, wet and disease-ridden hull of the Jersey. Food was scarce while sanitation was almost completely absent. Watson points out how such conditions led to a death toll that rivaled that of combat fatalities during the war.
Due to these intolerable conditions, the Jersey developed a reputation throughout the American colonies (more specifically throughout New York). In fact, the ship became a symbol of British tyranny and oppression, which galvanized the American rebels to support the cause of independence.
The depth of Watson’s research is clearly evident in the book. He regularly references the first-hand accounts of American colonists who had experienced confinement on the Jersey. In addition, Watson relies on the records of the British themselves, who kept a detailed account of all prisoners incarcerated. Watson’s attention to these sources adds credence to his claim that British prisoner ships did just as much (if not more) to bolster the cause of American independence as events like the Boston Massacre.
The book’s prose has a pleasant flow that is easy for the reader to follow though the depth of Watson’s research may prove daunting for some (the book does, at times, repeat itself). Watson presents the history in an entertaining manner, which makes the book feel more like an engaging story than a textbook. Watson’s ability to frame the history in a compelling narrative will increase the appeal of this work to not only history enthusiasts but to a broader readership.
Overall, I found The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn to be an enjoyable and enlightening read. Its unique contribution to the history of the American Revolution should not go overlooked. My overall grade: B+
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The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution. By Robert P. Watson. (Da Capo Press., August 31, 2017. Pp. 256).
The history of the American Revolution is a field that has been thoroughly plowed, on multiple occasions, by historians of every generation. To find a unique parcel of this fascinating era of history that hasn’t already been cultivated is a chore to say the least. Robert Watson’s The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn is one of those rare instances when a historian stumbles upon this rare piece of uncharted land.
Watson’s book is focused almost exclusively on a British prisoner of war ship called the HMS Jersey. On this boat, thousands of American prisoners of war (or those accused of disloyalty to the British crown) were confined in the dark, wet and disease-ridden hull of the Jersey. Food was scarce while sanitation was almost completely absent. Watson points out how such conditions led to a death toll that rivaled that of combat fatalities during the war.
Due to these intolerable conditions, the Jersey developed a reputation throughout the American colonies (more specifically throughout New York). In fact, the ship became a symbol of British tyranny and oppression, which galvanized the American rebels to support the cause of independence.
The depth of Watson’s research is clearly evident in the book. He regularly references the first-hand accounts of American colonists who had experienced confinement on the Jersey. In addition, Watson relies on the records of the British themselves, who kept a detailed account of all prisoners incarcerated. Watson’s attention to these sources adds credence to his claim that British prisoner ships did just as much (if not more) to bolster the cause of American independence as events like the Boston Massacre.
The book’s prose has a pleasant flow that is easy for the reader to follow though the depth of Watson’s research may prove daunting for some (the book does, at times, repeat itself). Watson presents the history in an entertaining manner, which makes the book feel more like an engaging story than a textbook. Watson’s ability to frame the history in a compelling narrative will increase the appeal of this work to not only history enthusiasts but to a broader readership.
Overall, I found The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn to be an enjoyable and enlightening read. Its unique contribution to the history of the American Revolution should not go overlooked. My overall grade: B+
August 13, 2018
I had heard of the prison ship "Jersey," a wrecked hulk of decayed ship used by the British as a prison ship during the Revolutionary War, but I had no idea just how bad it was until I came across this interesting and informative book. It turns out that several THOUSAND American prisoners of war died in the atrocious conditions aboard this decayed vessel over a several year period, and the total of the dead likely exceeded deaths in actual combat during the war.
The author bases his story on accounts authored in the early 1800s by a handful of survivors, as well as older books and articles. He makes a story in modern writing very interesting and informative from these archaic sources that otherwise might be hard to find or read by the modern person. It is also pointed out that the horrific conditions on the Jersey, meant by the British to strike fear into the Americans, actually backfired because even in those days there were established standards for how to treat prisoners of war, which the British horribly violated on the Jersey. He ends the book with details on what became of the sunken wreck of the ship as well as the efforts spanning more than a century to gather the bones of the dead into a crypt and put up a suitable monument.
Given that more than 200 years has elapsed, this book is likely to serve as the definitive story of the prison ship Jersey, and tells about an important aspect of the Revolution that should be better known. Only a few faults in the book-- the author must have had a hard time getting enough material to fill out a whole book because there is some repitition from chapter to chapter, and the whole last chapter is the life story of a Revolutionary War poet who wrote a long poem about the British prison ships, but frankly that chapter has little to do with the actual subject of the book. Also, I would have liked to have seen some images of the various monuments and crypts. But overall, this is a very interesting, informative, and important book that helps memorialize the literally thousands of Revolutionary Patriots who died and suffered on the infamous Jersey.
The author bases his story on accounts authored in the early 1800s by a handful of survivors, as well as older books and articles. He makes a story in modern writing very interesting and informative from these archaic sources that otherwise might be hard to find or read by the modern person. It is also pointed out that the horrific conditions on the Jersey, meant by the British to strike fear into the Americans, actually backfired because even in those days there were established standards for how to treat prisoners of war, which the British horribly violated on the Jersey. He ends the book with details on what became of the sunken wreck of the ship as well as the efforts spanning more than a century to gather the bones of the dead into a crypt and put up a suitable monument.
Given that more than 200 years has elapsed, this book is likely to serve as the definitive story of the prison ship Jersey, and tells about an important aspect of the Revolution that should be better known. Only a few faults in the book-- the author must have had a hard time getting enough material to fill out a whole book because there is some repitition from chapter to chapter, and the whole last chapter is the life story of a Revolutionary War poet who wrote a long poem about the British prison ships, but frankly that chapter has little to do with the actual subject of the book. Also, I would have liked to have seen some images of the various monuments and crypts. But overall, this is a very interesting, informative, and important book that helps memorialize the literally thousands of Revolutionary Patriots who died and suffered on the infamous Jersey.
June 6, 2018
I knew nothing about the prison ships and the absolutely horrendous conditions under which the British subjected its prisoners. As many as 11,500 sailors, soldiers, and privateers died on the Jersey alone, and this number did not include French and Spanish sailors who were captured and fared worse than the patriots. Neither does it include other prison ships: the Scorpion, the Strombolo, the Hunter, nor jails in England and Ireland. The conditions were deplorable, worse, in my opinion, than those I’ve read of at the Confederate camp at Andersonville. The British aboard were cruel, sadistic and inhumane, yet the author writes that until Gen Washington threatened a quid pro quo, the duplicity about the conditions continued . . . and then they improved only marginally.
Improving their quality of life was hampered by what Gen Washington could in fact do. While he commanded the Continental Army, few of his prisoners were housed there. Many were privateers or members of the militia and out of his purview. Combining all of these factors with a picture of the Loyalists (approximately 16% of the outside population) and their treatment of the few able to escape left this reader feeling an air of hopelessness and oppression, needing to set the book aside periodically to step outside for fresh air, to the kitchen for a bite to eat, or to the shower and closet for a hot shower and a change of clothes.
The author did his job well. My one criticism (well, maybe two): There seemed to be repetition, especially in the case studies and the second -"snuck" is not a word. It was used on several occasions, and shame on the proofreader for letting it slip by!
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Revolutionary War years.
Improving their quality of life was hampered by what Gen Washington could in fact do. While he commanded the Continental Army, few of his prisoners were housed there. Many were privateers or members of the militia and out of his purview. Combining all of these factors with a picture of the Loyalists (approximately 16% of the outside population) and their treatment of the few able to escape left this reader feeling an air of hopelessness and oppression, needing to set the book aside periodically to step outside for fresh air, to the kitchen for a bite to eat, or to the shower and closet for a hot shower and a change of clothes.
The author did his job well. My one criticism (well, maybe two): There seemed to be repetition, especially in the case studies and the second -"snuck" is not a word. It was used on several occasions, and shame on the proofreader for letting it slip by!
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Revolutionary War years.
January 16, 2019
I see from other reviews that I am in the minority of those who did not care for this book. My reason for disliking it was simple: it should have been an essay and not stretched into a 19 chapter book. I read about half of the book and finally threw up my hands in despair as I read for the dozenth time the words "disease-ridden ship" and grew absolutely weary of reading over and over and over again the same things. Many times the author speaks of the "rotting" ships, their horrible smell, the death, the disease, the brutality of the guards, the larceny of the provost, the hatred toward the prisoners because most of them were privateers and therefore considered to be little more than pirates. Endlessly he repeated information about the daily routine, the constant death of prisoners, the morning after morning repetition of passing the night's dead up to the deck to be buried nearby or thrown overboard. Again and again the author repeated the same phrases and chapter after chapter introduced such a small pittance of new information that it was just not enough to keep my interest. I'd truly have rather read the memoirs from which the author quoted than his work which did precious little to add to the information which could be gleaned from little else than reading the memoirs.
I typically love books about Revolutionary War history. This is one, though, that I just cannot finish.
I typically love books about Revolutionary War history. This is one, though, that I just cannot finish.
June 18, 2023
During the American Revolution, the British seized as many prisoners of war as they possibly could. Most of them were privateers, people operating their own boats and acting against the British throne during the Revolution. Prisoners were taken captive and put aboard ships docked in the shallow waters of New York City's harbor. These ships were "hulked" meaning that their sail riggings had been removed and they were essentially unmoveable except for the fact that they were floating. The HMS Jersey was the most feared prison ship, a Hell on water where thousands of prisoners died. More men died onboard the Jersey than in the entire Revolutionary war.
The author of this book tells a never before told tale of the Revolution fairly succinctly. He used the writings of five men who found themselves aboard the Jersey to tell their own tales of horror. This isn't some Hollywood nightmare but real history. He tells it without pulling any punches or dressing it up (or down). He doesn't make the mistake that too many history authors get swept up with, in my opinion, which is to get all political and go on ad nauseam about the political games people play. He just tells his story and he says these people are the Patriots, acting with George Washington and company, and these people were with the British throne and so were dangerous. For this reason I am able to give this book four stars.
The author of this book tells a never before told tale of the Revolution fairly succinctly. He used the writings of five men who found themselves aboard the Jersey to tell their own tales of horror. This isn't some Hollywood nightmare but real history. He tells it without pulling any punches or dressing it up (or down). He doesn't make the mistake that too many history authors get swept up with, in my opinion, which is to get all political and go on ad nauseam about the political games people play. He just tells his story and he says these people are the Patriots, acting with George Washington and company, and these people were with the British throne and so were dangerous. For this reason I am able to give this book four stars.
May 29, 2018
A unique aspect of the American Revolution is visited in this book, one I knew about in passing from my college courses but had never really lingered on. I did know about the practice of hulking and Britain's use of prison ships, I just never knew the extent to which they were used in the American Revolution. The book was a fascinating read...but only in the first 2/3 of the book. After that I began to feel it was redundant. The author revisits many of the same topics over and over, yes, we now know how rampant illness was on board, how horrible the treatment and food and condition of the ship, and how vile the guards were. It was sad, but I also found myself wishing for Loyalist, British and possibly German (Hessian) perspective. However, I don't know if these records even exist. I was also mildly irritated with how the book was annotated for bibliography, I prefer having specific citations linked to quotations and facts at the bottom of that page, rather than in the back of the book. But that is just the history major in me nit-picking. Still, I feel it has value and recommend it as an interesting American Revolution side-note read.
November 29, 2020
Great book. not at all what I expected. I expected some mythical story of a ship that fought against the British and couldn't be found due to God's intervention or some such..........
Not at all. This book is about Prison ships the Briitish used in New York City which they had taken over at the beginning of the revolutionary war. The Prison ships were literal hell. Americans could have been freed from the ships if they would have turned and fought with the British but most would not. They preferred to die on these hell ships, which many did. George Washington tried (mostly unsuccessfully to get the treatment of Americans on these ships changed as Americans did not give the same kind of treatment to the captured Britts, However, the Brits didn't care.........they hoped the terrible treatment would scare Americans into inaction against them........it had the opposite effect.
Not at all. This book is about Prison ships the Briitish used in New York City which they had taken over at the beginning of the revolutionary war. The Prison ships were literal hell. Americans could have been freed from the ships if they would have turned and fought with the British but most would not. They preferred to die on these hell ships, which many did. George Washington tried (mostly unsuccessfully to get the treatment of Americans on these ships changed as Americans did not give the same kind of treatment to the captured Britts, However, the Brits didn't care.........they hoped the terrible treatment would scare Americans into inaction against them........it had the opposite effect.
April 21, 2022
Man, everything with “Jersey” attached to it is terrible. (Just kidding, New Jersey friends! Kinda!)
The HMS Jersey was one of the British prison ships which were in New York during the American Revolution. These ships were much older than the newer battle ships (Jersey was built in 1736). Since they had limited utility then why not put the scummy rebels aboard them and treat them horribly? That’s what the British thought and that’s what they did.
The conditions were atrocious, and Watson puts the reader through the wringer emotionally. He expertly describes the oppressive conditions and weaves a coherent narrative along the way. The ships were so bad even some British higher ups called for investigations.
I will be drinking a few extra beers on July 4th this year. Also, I will be crank calling British people. U-S-A! U-S-A!
The HMS Jersey was one of the British prison ships which were in New York during the American Revolution. These ships were much older than the newer battle ships (Jersey was built in 1736). Since they had limited utility then why not put the scummy rebels aboard them and treat them horribly? That’s what the British thought and that’s what they did.
The conditions were atrocious, and Watson puts the reader through the wringer emotionally. He expertly describes the oppressive conditions and weaves a coherent narrative along the way. The ships were so bad even some British higher ups called for investigations.
I will be drinking a few extra beers on July 4th this year. Also, I will be crank calling British people. U-S-A! U-S-A!
August 26, 2017
I am not a big fan of non-fiction but have been challenging myself to read more each year. Books like this make me want to read more and learn more. This book is about a part of the Revolutionary War I had never heard before. It did not read like a text book, but more like a podcast or documentary telling me the story. There is plenty of documentation at the back of the book citing sources. There are occasional footnotes defining terminology or explaining locations. Concisely ordered so the time line of history is not skewed it is easy to keep track of what happened when. This is a well researched, well ordered and well written book that I believe anyone interested in the history of the United States would find enjoyable.
October 5, 2017
An exceedingly important book reminding us of a foundational tragedy: the deaths of over 11,000 Americans in Britain prison ships in Wallabout Bay (now the Brooklyn Navy Yard) during the Revolutionary War. Elizabeth Burgin, who helped at least two hundred prisoners escape, deserves a statue, truly. Overall, though, the book’s organization and over-reliance in many places on superlative adjectives left something to be desired. It made me want to read the original, underlying narratives by some of the captives from the early 1800s instead.
February 17, 2019
At times redundant, at times rambling off on tangents, but always clear & informative. The title is a bit misleading, as it is certainly not just about the Jersey as some of the descriptive text would have you believe; with an abundance of context, there's plenty of content about other prisons & prison ships, as well as before & after information regarding the lives of the five survivors of the Jersey that it most prominently features. A worthy read about a difficult subject, though it could probably stand to have an abridged more-direct version.
May 28, 2021
Robert P. Watson has written about a part of the American Revolution not usually covered in history classes: the British prison ships of Brooklyn. His book focuses on the infamous HMS Jersey, a dilapidated warship converted into a jail for Americans captured during the War of Independence.
The book is a quick read but Mr. Watson, a professor of history at Lynn College, effectively uses five personal accounts from survivors of the HMS Jersey to the horrible tale of what life was like as a prisoner of the British in New York during the war.
The book is a quick read but Mr. Watson, a professor of history at Lynn College, effectively uses five personal accounts from survivors of the HMS Jersey to the horrible tale of what life was like as a prisoner of the British in New York during the war.
March 3, 2022
This book inspired me and made me proud to be an American! For a rag tag Army and small Navy, if you can call it that, to defeat the most powerful military at the time is mind blowing!
Also mind blowing was the cruelty of the British toward the American Patriots! The ghost ships housing American prisoners played a big part by rallying the people to defeat the foe, in my opinion!
I enjoyed learning about the forgotten heroes of the Revolutionary War. I had never been taught about the prisoner ships! I recommend reading this book!
Also mind blowing was the cruelty of the British toward the American Patriots! The ghost ships housing American prisoners played a big part by rallying the people to defeat the foe, in my opinion!
I enjoyed learning about the forgotten heroes of the Revolutionary War. I had never been taught about the prisoner ships! I recommend reading this book!
April 7, 2020
The horrors inflicted by the British faced by American Prisoners imprisoned in the sugar houses of New York and the hulk ships in Long Island Sound. Based on numerous first-hand sources. Helps paint the grisly picture of deplorable, hellish conditions that American prisoners endured while imprisoned. There is a web of stories of individuals and their documented experiences, including how they were captured and for a lucky few, how they left the prison ships.
April 13, 2020
A captivating, informative, and unsettling read. The author, via exhaustive research and apt usage of personal anecdotes of those alive at the time, particularly those who offered their own testimonials of their respective captivities on the prison ships, transports the reader to the Revolution and to the ships themselves. This is a must-read for any history lover lest history be forgotten, as those who perished aboard the "Jersey" and her sister ships nearly were.
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