"Rebels! Turn out your Dead!": The Prison Ship Martyrs of the American Revolution

Posted on 10/29/2025

The modern rush of life in Brooklyn's historic Wallabout neighborhood is a stark contrast to the brutal history beneath the pavement. Just a stone's throw away is Wallabout Bay where, in the winter of 1779, the former hospital ship, HMS Jersey, was converted into a prison ship. This vessel would later become known as "Hell" by all who entered.

In an extract of a letter dated 1781, an unnamed prisoner aboard the ship wrote,

I am not able to give you even the outlines of my exile; but thus much I will inform you, that we bury 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 prisoners a day: we have 200 more sick & falling sick every day; the sickness is the yellow fever, small pox, and in short every thing else that can be mentioned.
I had almost forgot to tell you that our morning's salutation is, 'Rebels! Turn out your dead!'

A black-and-white newspaper clipping from August 10, 1781, titled “Extract of a letter dated on board the Jersey (vulgarly called HELL) PRISON-SHIP.” The letter describes horrific conditions aboard the British prison ship Jersey during the American Revolution. The writer laments that death or joining the British service are the only options for prisoners, noting rampant disease, starvation, and neglect. The text mentions that 7 to 11 men die daily from yellow fever, smallpox, and other illnesses. — *Continental Journal, and Weekly Advertiser*, August 23, 1781. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

A total of 16 prison ships floated in the Bay. By the time the Jersey was decommissioned in 1783, abandoned, and burned, it's estimated more than 11,000 prisoners had died due to sickness and starvation. This brutal system began as a result of early critical losses by the rebel troops in New York.

A scanned excerpt from a historical book discussing deaths aboard British prison ships during the American Revolutionary War. The text notes that over eleven thousand prisoners perished on the Jersey alone between 1779 and April 1783. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared .*... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

Washington's defeat in the August 27, 1776 Battle of Long Island, (or Brooklyn) resulted in the loss of the strategically important Port of New York. At the time, prisoners (both rebel soldiers and citizens accused of supporting them) were held in local facilities like hospitals, churches, Columbia College, and the city's large sugar houses. All were quickly overrun. Prisoners were forced to stand, diseases spread quickly, and rations were scarce.

A scanned page from a historical book titled “The British Prison Ship.” The text recounts how, after the battles of Brooklyn and Fort Washington in 1776, the British captured nearly 4,000 prisoners—rising to over 5,000 by year’s end. The jails soon became overcrowded, forcing many captured American patriots to live in harsh, unsanitary conditions without room to lie down or rest. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared .*... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

To make more room, hulked, decommissioned, and captured ships were converted to floating prisons.

The Jersey was described in a Senate report as "...originally a 60-gun ship...[it] was converted into a prison ship. She was dismantled, her portholes were closed and securely fastened, and their places supplied by two tiers of small holes, each about 20 inches in diameter, with two iron bars crossed at right angles."

An excerpt from a historical book describing the notorious British prison ship Old Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. The passage explains that the ship, once a 60-gun warship, was converted into a prison vessel in 1776. It details the appalling conditions aboard: sealed portholes replaced by small, iron-barred holes; overcrowded prisoners confined with little air or light; and rations of spoiled food and stagnant water. — *Monument to prison-ship martyrs, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, N.Y. June 27, 1902.* From the *U.S. Congressional Serial Set.*

Prison ship survivors painted a gruesome picture of bravery, torture, and survival. During the day, guards allowed some prisoners deck time in shifts, but by nightfall everyone was forced below deck.

At daybreak the hatches were opened [...] The dead were selected from the living; each body was sewed in a blanket and carried to the shore under a guard and buried in a shallow grave.

A black-and-white newspaper clipping recounting grim scenes aboard a British prison ship during the American Revolution. The passage describes how, at daybreak, guards ordered prisoners to “turn out your dead.” — *Oregonian,* March 7, 1897. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

Conditions upon these ships were so bad that, in one account, the prisoners themselves set one ship on fire, choosing to be burned alive, over continued internment.

An excerpt recounts that around October 1777, one of the prison ships caught fire, killing most of the prisoners who were trapped inside. Some survivors were transferred to another ship. It was reported that the prisoners themselves may have set the fire, preferring death by burning to the prolonged suffering of disease and starvation. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared .*... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

The desperation was so profound that it was further immortalized in the poem "The British prison-ship: a poem, in four cantoes" by Philip Freneau in 1781.

The various horrors of these hulks to tell,
These prison-ships where pain and sorrow
dwell;
Where death in tenfold vengeance holds his reign,
And injur'd ghosts, in reason's ear complain.
This be my talk – ungenerous Britons you,
Conspire to murder those you can't subdue;

A page from an 18th-century poem titled “Canto II: The Prison Ship.” The page begins with a large, decorative capital “T” and verses condemning the British for the suffering and deaths aboard prison ships during the American Revolution. The poet describes the ships as places “where pain and sorrow dwell” and accuses “ungenerous Britons” of murdering prisoners they could not subdue. — From *Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800*

For more than century, shocked residents discovered bones along the shoreline. The first talks about a proper burial and monument began in 1792, less than a decade after the end of the Revolutionary War. At that time, John Jackson, a new property owner, discovered bones strewn on his property along the bay.

An excerpt from a historical book describing the aftermath of the American Revolution and the fate of prisoners who died aboard British prison ships. The passage explains that for years after the war, the bones of the dead remained exposed along the banks of the Wallabout (in Brooklyn), barely covered or scattered by storms and sun. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared .*... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

Jackson then turned to the Tammany Society, and other citizens, to collect nearly 20 "hogsheads" or barrels full of bones for internment.

A page from a historical book detailing the grim conditions aboard British prison ships during the American Revolution. The passage recounts how graves quickly filled the shores near Wallabout Bay in 1777, as disease and death swept through the prison ships Whitby and others. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared* .... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

In 1803, a sepulcher was set to be erected on Jackson's property for the remains. However, five years passed without action. In 1808, a cornerstone was laid and later a brick building with an eagle mounted on the roof was constructed above the vaults.

The passage states that nearly twenty hogsheads (large barrels) filled with bones of deceased prisoners were collected through the efforts of John Jackson, Esq., the Committee of the Tammany Society, and other citizens, to be interred in a vault. — From *Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819*

A ceremony followed the event, in which the marine corps and the artillery fired a national salute, and bands played solemn music. In total two thousand citizens gathered for the occasion.

A black-and-white newspaper clipping titled “How sleep the brave who sink to rest.” The article calls for honoring the memory of American prisoners who suffered and died aboard the British prison ship Jersey during the Revolutionary War. — *New Hampshire Gazette,* March 1, 1808. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

Little was done to maintain the property, however, and it quickly fell into disrepair. In 1839, Benjamin Romaine, a prison ship survivor, purchased the property and renewed talks about constructing a proper monument, petitioning support from the government but ultimately failed. Upon his death in 1844 he was interred with his fellow soldiers in the existing crypt .

A scanned page from a historical book describing a memorial ceremony for American prisoners who died on British prison ships during the Revolutionary War. The passage recounts that after the vault’s completion, a national salute and solemn music accompanied an oration by Joseph D. Fay of the Tammany Society, delivered before thousands of citizens gathered at “The Tomb of the Patriots.” — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared .*... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

Several more attempts were made in the 1850s. One offered to move the remains to a monument in Trinity Church Yard and another a tomb within the arsenal building of the Brooklyn Naval Yard.

"A 19th-century black-and-white engraving depicting the Tomb of the Martyrs near the Navy Yard wall in Brooklyn. The small monument, topped with an eagle statue, stands between two leafless trees and behind a low wooden fence. An inscription panel is visible on the front of the tomb’s structure. Two figures, possibly mourners, kneel or stand solemnly before it. — *Horrors of the prison ships Dr. West's description of the wallabout floating dungeons, how captive patriots fared* .... (1895). West, Charles Edwin. From *American Pamphlets Series 1, 1820-1922*

A black-and-white newspaper clipping announcing the death of Benjamin Romaine, described as a Revolutionary War patriot and long-time custodian of the remains of American prisoners who died on British prison ships. — *Charleston Courier,* February 9, 1844. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

It wasn't until 1873 that a new brick mausoleum was constructed in Fort Greene Park, where the remains were moved and resided for over 20 years.

In January 1900, additional bones were discovered during the construction of a building at the Navy Yard renewing interest. The following year, a committee was appointed to replace the current tomb.

A black-and-white newspaper clipping titled “Monument to the Prison Ship Martyrs of the Revolution in Trinity Church Yard, New York.” The article reports that a monument honoring American prisoners who died on British prison ships during the Revolutionary War is nearly completed and will be dedicated on St. John’s Day, December 27. — *Times-Picayune*, December 16, 1856. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

Finally, in 1908, a new memorial was dedicated with a ceremony and a parade that included President-elect William Howard Taft and governors from New Jersey, New York, and Delaware.

A black-and-white newspaper clipping listing legislative proposals under the heading “Bills Introduced.” Among the proposed measures is one “to provide a tomb for the remains of the Prison Ship martyrs within the arsenal building in the city of Brooklyn.” — *Mercury (*published as Weekly Journal of Commerce.) New York, New York, March 25, 1858. From *Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922*

However, the site fell into disrepair and was vandalized resulting in multiple restorations.

A 19th-century illustrated newspaper page featuring three detailed engravings depicting the history of the British prison ship Jersey and the memorials to its victims. — *The British hospital ships – the 'Jersey' in the foreground*. Signed C. Parsons. New York Public Library.

In 2004, New York City dedicated $3.5 million to its restoration. Plagued by electrical and budgetary issues, the restoration ultimately cost $5.1 million.

In 2013, U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries introduced the Prison Ship Martyr's Monument Preservation Act, to study the suitability and feasibility of adding the monument to the National Parks System stating, "As one of America's largest revolutionary war burial sites and in tribute to the patriots that lost their lives fighting for our nation's independence, this monument deserves to be considered as a unit of the National Park Service." The act was passed in 2014. The study was completed but further evaluation is ongoing.

If these bones could talk, they would tell the story of sacrifice and a promise by many to keep their words alive. You can explore these stories, and others, in Readex's collection of early American imprints, newspapers, and government documents.