More Americans Died on This British Prison Ship Than in Battle
About this episode
The episode discusses the tragic story of the HMS Jersey, a British prison ship during the American Revolution where more Americans died than in battle.
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the American Revolution, the British converted the HMS Jersey into a floating prison off Brooklyn, New York. Disease, starvation, contaminated water, and deliberate cruelty turned the ship into what its prisoners called “Hell Afloat,” where more Americans died than in all the war’s battles combined. Historian Robert P. Watson, author of The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution , shares the forgotten story of the prisoners who suffered aboard the HMS Jersey and the remarkable discovery of a 13-year-old survivor’s diary more than two centuries later. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Our American Stories
Guest: Robert P. Watson
Topics covered
- American Revolution
- prison ship
- historical narrative
- disease
- survivor's diary
Keywords
- HMS Jersey
- American Revolution
- prisoners
- disease
- survivor's diary
- historian
- Robert P. Watson
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HMS Jersey, Our American Stories
Books & works: The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution
Places: Brooklyn, New York
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