Page 225 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo I

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The patriot minister Ezra Stiles noted that he believed that of the 309 persons he person-
ally knew who chose to stay in town after the British invasion, he thought at least 76, or 25
percent, were loyalists. A partial list of houses was made so that officials knew who was be-
ing billeted where, etc. Of the 147 houses listed, 21 of them were not occupied. At least 17 of
the occupied houses listed widows as the homeowners. If a male head of household remained
in town, he was likely to either be a loyalist or a Quaker pacifist. the occupation caused
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trade to entirely collapse. This proved to be a double-edged sword for the occupying forces
who had been counting on supplying much of their needs from local sources.
One of the most difficult situations for a people whose livelihood had been cut off by the
war had to do with the hundreds of refugees “who had been thrust out from their late comfort-
able and peaceable dwellings” and were “destitute of the means of support and subsistence.”
Fortunately for many of these destitute persons, the pious Quakers took it upon themselves
to provide some emergency support of the poor. One Newport woman in town during the
occupation wrote to leading Quaker merchant Moses Brown in Providence, “Where can they
[the poor] go to find imploiment at this season of the year, Who will fead, clothe, or receive
them into their houses, and many hundreds if not thousands are not able to provide for them-
selves, I have reason to think many for want to imploy are already reduc’d to live many days
together on bran and water boild together and a bit of bread, and some have hardly that, to
eat at a time.” Brown was convinced and immediately sent what money he could raise from
neighboring towns and included a personal loan from himself. 13
Discipline of the soldiers and sailors of the occupying force was clearly a concern to
both local citizens and the British high command. Just weeks into the occupation, a Private
nd
John Dowling of the British 22 Regiment was charged and convicted of rape and sentenced
to “suffer death.” Amazingly, the “injured party,” interceded on behalf of Dowling (which
likely meant that his liaison had either been consensual or the Americans were shocked at the
severity of the punishment) and he was pardoned by the General for his offense. Just a year
from his close brush with the hangman, Dowling deserted the army permanently on 9 Janu-
ary 1778 and made his way with another soldier to Providence, Rhode Island. 14
Patrols were ordered to sweep the town at night and instructed to “take up all suspected
persons who cannot give a satisfactory account of themselves.” Even the camp followers
came under the military discipline system and it was published that “no soldier’s wife is upon
any account to keep a shop, without permission in writing signed by the Commandant, or
Deputy Commandant of the Town, for which they must be recommended….The General is
concerned that no recommendation will be given to any women without a certainty that she
will not make a bad use of it, by selling spirituous Liquors.” Citizens of the town were not
allowed to leave the island nor have house guests without permission from the Commandant
General Richard Prescott. 15
Nonetheless, discipline of the troops seemed to be a chronic problem. On 25 July 1777, it

12 Withey, 212-213.
13 Withey, 214; Mary Callender to Moses Brown, 24 January 1776, Moses Brown Papers, Rhode Island Histo-
rical Society.
14 Don Hagist, General Orders, 14.
15 Don Hagist, General Orders, 14.