What To Do With A Captured Brit?–May 21, 1776

Early in the war, it became apparent that the treatment of prisoners was going to be a very lopsided affair. British soldiers were treated humanely and with dignity. American soldiers…not so much. As we noted last August, when Americans were captured they weren’t treated as prisoners of war but rather as criminals who didn’t deserve dienity. During the course of the war, over 8000 soldiers died because of the conditions of their confinement. Despite this, it appears that the Continental Congress, when asked the question directly, determined that the humane route was the most appropriate one. This didn’t really change the British approach, but at least we had a policy, and we had it in writing. The post What To Do With A Captured Brit?–May 21, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.