During the Revolutionary War, 2,600 prisoners were held at the sugar houses in New York. Of those 2,600 prisoners, 1,900 (73%) died in captivity. Approximately 12,400 patriots were held on prison ships, with a death toll of 11,000 prisoners and only 1,400 survivors. Looking at these horrific numbers, I wondered, how was it that Miles survived and had the strength to escape and make his way to Valley Forge? One reason I can think of for his survival is his youth, as he was only 20 or 21 when he was taken captive.
In order to find more about Miles Oakley and his Revolutionary War involvement, I searched for information on the Fold3 website. I found 40+ pages of documents pertaining to Miles Revolutionary War service. From the documents, I found Miles had enlisted three times during the course of the war; his first enlistment was at the age of 18 in 1775. He was captured in 1778 by the British army, held at the Sugar House in New York for five months; then on the British prison ship, the Jersey for three months. Miles escaped on Christmas Eve in 1778 and made his way to Valley Forge where General Washington signed his discharge papers.
During the Revolutionary War, 2,600 prisoners were held at the sugar houses in New York. Of those 2,600 prisoners, 1,900 (73%) died in captivity. Approximately 12,400 patriots were held on prison ships, with a death toll of 11,000 prisoners and only 1,400 survivors. Looking at these horrific numbers, I wondered, how was it that Miles survived and had the strength to escape and make his way to Valley Forge? One reason I can think of for his survival is his youth, as he was only 20 or 21 when he was taken captive.
2 Comments
Yvonne Basinger-DeCorrevont
4/7/2013 02:59:09 pm
Wow I just found that Miles Oakly is my 9th great grandfather. Been researching like crazy through ancestory.com for the last 2 months. So cool to see someone else related to him.
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Kathryn Watts
4/7/2013 07:16:46 pm
What information do you already have on Miles and how are you connected to him?
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Author - Dr. Kathryn M. WattsI live in Orange, California with my husband Bill, and my service dog Timber. Genealogy is one of my favorite past times. Archives
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