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1777 Massachusetts Council Chamber Orders Wood be Supplied to General Burgoyne and his Men held as Prisoner

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November 15, 1777-Dated Revolutionary War Period, Manuscript Document Signed, “Jer(emiah) Powell Presidt.” (1714-1789), being Orders from the Massachusetts Council Chamber in Boston, to Stephen Sewall, a Representative of the Town of Cambridge, Ordering him to Provide Wood for Heating Fuel for General Burgoyne and his Soldiers being held as Prisoners of War, Very Fine.

This impressive large 14.75" x 11.75" Manuscript Document is well handwritten on a large sheet of laid period paper with a "J. Dubois" watermark, and an sharply Embossed Paper and Wax Seal of the Paul Revere styled “1776” Dated “Sword in Hand” design of a Patriot Minutemen fully affixed at top left. Document is Signed “Jer(emiah) Powell (1714-1789), as President of the Massachusetts Council. Powell went on to serve as the Second President of the Mass. Senate (1780-1782). Also Signed, “John Avery” (1739-1806), as Deputy Secretary of the Council Chamber, who later served as the First Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This Revolutionary War Document has superb historic content, pointing out that General Burgoyne and his soldiers were being held as Prisoners of War, and are entirely out of fuel for heat, have been unable for some time to cook their food, and are suffering from the severity of the Winter weather, therefore demanding that fire wood be immediately provided to them. This Document reads, in part:

“Whereas the Council of this State have been informed that Genl. Burgoyne with the Officers & Soldiers of his late Army now stationed at Winter & Prospect Hill are entirely without Fuel & that for some time past they have not had sufficient to dress their necessary food, this together with the severity of the weather, makes it absolutely necessary for this Board to exert the power in them vested to remedy the present inconvenience & thereby prevent any infraction being made in the Convention entered into between Genls Gates & Burgoyne & also to prevent the Destruction & Waste which will be made in & about the Town of Cambridge unless an immediate supply of Fuel be furnished. -----

You are therefore hereby Authorized & Required immediately to impress seven cords of good merchantable fire wood & sufficient teams to cart the same to Winter & Prospect Hills this day & as much more on the morrow & there deliver the same to Quarter Master Chase, who will pay you fifteen Dollars p. Cord therefor. The necessity of the case makes it absolutely necessary for you to carry this Order into Execution. You will therefore suffer no impediment to put a stop to your proceedings, but at all hazards fully comply with the Order aforesaid... Given at the Council in Chamber in Boston on Saturday the fifteenth of November 1777 ---- (Signed) Jer. Powell Presidt.”

An important, very scarce and significant Revolutionary War battle of Saratoga aftermath Document, reflecting the mistreatment afforded British General Burgoyne's surrendered Red Coat soldiers, and an attempt by the Massachusetts Council to honor their proper treatment to alleviate, in part, their great suffering.

Winter Hill and Prospect Hill, Dated Less than a Month after Gen. Burgoyne Surrendered his Army to Gen. Horatio Gates at Saratoga.
After the surrender of General John Burgoyne's British army at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, the captured soldiers faced a variety of experiences during their imprisonment.

While Boston itself wasn't a direct location for the incarceration of Burgoyne's troops, many of the prisoners were eventually sent to camps and prisons in and around Massachusetts, including Boston, as the Revolutionary War unfolded.

One significant location where British prisoners were held was Prospect Hill in Somerville, just north of Boston. The prisoners faced harsh conditions during their captivity, including exposure to the elements, insufficient clothing, and limited rations. The Continental Army struggled to provide for the needs of both its own soldiers and the prisoners.

Over time, some prisoners were exchanged or paroled, but those who remained in captivity often endured hardships. Disease, malnutrition, and inadequate medical care were common issues in the prison camps of that era.

The treatment of prisoners of war during the American Revolutionary War was generally challenging for both sides due to the logistical difficulties and lack of established protocols.
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