So John, William, their mother, and all of their family and friends prayed fervently that James would not have to serve any more time on a British prison ship.
* * *
The notice arrived unexpectedly on July 4. It came by courier from Camden and points south. The sheriff posted it at the courthouse. That was the best that he could do to get the information disseminated into the community. His method worked very quickly, especially with the patriotic fervor and celebrations surrounding the fifth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Word of mouth spread quickly throughout the county and region.
The notice read:
“By Order of General Sir Henry Clinton, Commander of His Majesty’s Forces in the Americas –
“A most amicable agreement for the exchange of prisoners has been attained between His Majesty’s forces and the armies and naval forces currently in rebellion against Great Britain. All rebel prisoners taken in the colonies of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia and being held in facilities in and around Charlestown will be exchanged forthwith on the island of Jamestown, Virginia. Such exchange to commence on July 15 and will continue until all agreed terms are met. Families wishing to redeem their family members are instructed to proceed to the point of exchange at their own leisure and expense.
“God save King George III.”
Daniel Pippin was breathless when he rode up to the Farr cabin in search of John and William late that evening. Daniel’s brother, Henry Pippin, was a close friend of James Hamilton. He, too, was missing after the battle at Camden.
John opened the door and yawned, “What’s wrong, Daniel?”
“They’re being released right away! Our brothers are being released!”
“What? How do you know? Where?”
“There’s a letter posted at the courthouse, just sent north from Charlestown. It says that Clinton has ordered an exchange to commence on the fifteenth of this month.”
“That’s less than two weeks!” exclaimed John.
“I know! That’s why I came right over. We’ve to go get them.”
“Where?”
“Jamestown.”
“Virginia?” John exclaimed. “Why Virginia? Why not just let them go at Charlestown?”
“I don’t rightly know. Maybe because it’s an exchange. Our prison camps are all up north. Maybe its half-way in between the two of them, or something.”
John nodded, “That makes sense.”
“We need to get going as quick as we can. I say we light out tomorrow.”
“You’re probably right,” John affirmed. “There’s no telling how long it’ll take to get there. But we need to plan a bit, though.”
“What’s to plan? We take plenty of food, extra clothes, and some powder and lead. We’ll sort the rest out as we go.”
John smiled at his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder, “Dan, you know we haven’t heard a single word about Henry.”
Daniel looked down at the floor, “I know, Johnny, but I can still hope. I have to, for Ma and Pa’s sake, at least. But even if Henry’s dead, I have to help you get James back home. That’s what friends do.”
John hugged his best friend.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Daniel.”
* * *
John awakened early the next morning and made his preparations. The entire house was thrown into an uproar by the news of the prisoner exchange.
John was floored when Ephraim sat down with him and stated his personal intentions.
“John, I aim to go to Jamestown with you.”
“Me, too!” injected William.
Ephraim looked at William and started to object, but then nodded his head in agreement.
“William deserves to go, as well. James is his brother, too.”
John objected, “But Mr. Farr, Daniel Pippin is already going with me. We were figuring on doing this ourselves.”
Ephraim shook his head in disagreement, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, John. It’s a long way to Jamestown … every bit of three hundred miles. There will be river crossings along the way. There might be Tories still on the loose. You need more hands and guns. Four will be better than two.”
“What about the horses? That’ll be a heavy load for one team, especially bringing men back with us. It might be more than James and Joel Moffat that need a ride home.”
“We’ll take extra horses. We’ll tie on my team as a spare, and William and I will ride our own mounts.”
John smiled, “Sounds like you’ve thought this all through.”
Ephraim nodded. “Truth is, I thought this out a long time ago. I’ve just been waiting on the opportunity to go and get James.”
“I’m grateful, Mr. Farr.”
“John, I know that you’ll never call me ‘Pa.’ I don’t deserve that, at all, after the way I acted toward you boys through the years. But can you at least call me Ephraim?”
“I can do that, Ephraim.”
Ephraim smiled and smacked John on the knee. “Good! Now let’s eat some of your Mama’s fine cooking and pack us a wagon.”
chapter sixteen
It was twelve days later, July 17, 1781, when the wagon and four weary riders from Mecklenburg County arrived at Swanns Point on the James River opposite Jamestown. It was a torturous journey. Because it was an unfamiliar land and terrain for them, they lost their way several times and twice had to cut cross-country in an effort to find suitable roads to reach their destination. But at long last the village was in view. There were two large ships anchored off the point and military encampments littered the far shore.
John left the other men to set up camp and hired a small boat to take him across the wide, slow-moving river. He soon found a very polite British major who had the dubious responsibility of disseminating information to people in search of their loved ones. The officer informed him that, thus far, only four ships bearing prisoners had arrived from Charlestown.
A quick survey of the passenger manifests showed that James Hamilton was not on any of those vessels. Furthermore, the British government could not give any assurances of how many ships were coming or the schedules of any possible arrivals. John returned downcast to their camp across the river.
For the next three days the men amused themselves as best they could. During the daytime they occupied their time taking naps in the shade or fishing in the brackish water. They talked, ate, and smoked their pipes. They played cards and told stories. They sought out and talked to other families waiting diligently for their sons and husbands to arrive.
The nights were miserable, for it was in the darkness that hordes of buzzing mosquitoes descended upon them. They tried everything to keep them at bay. They lit heavily smoking fires throughout their camp and covered their exposed skin with mud and ash. Still, the blood-sucking pests fought their way through and left all four of them covered with hundreds of itchy welts. Poor Daniel Pippin seemed to have excessive numbers of the bites and appeared especially sensitive to the insect’s venom. The others appropriately dubbed him, “Sweet meat.”
Early on the morning of the fifth day, July 21, William shocked the others from their boredom when he literally shrieked, “There’s a boat coming!”
Sure enough, there was a schooner downriver. It had just rounded the point four miles to the southeast and was slowly making its way toward Jamestown.
John shot Ephraim a hopeful look.
“You boys go on over,” Ephraim instructed. “I’ll wait here and keep an eye on camp.”
John grabbed a silver coin from his bag to pay the oarsman and the boys joined the small flotilla of tiny fishing vessels making its way northeast across the river. They pulled up on the muddy shore about ten minutes before the ship docked. People began to crowd around the point of debarkation.
A loud British captain bellowed, “Civilians will kindly stay behind the fence! Please allow us to do our work. If your family member is aboard this vessel, you will know shortly!
Do not make me tell you again!”
A small detail of Redcoats pushed its way through the crowd and stationed themselves as a barrier between the family members and the dock. The crowd backed up several steps.
Moments later the ship came into clear view. Well over one hundred men crowded the rail around the deck and peered into the waiting throng of civilians. Each man, most assuredly, prayed and hoped that they had at least one loved one in the mass of people.
John strained to see the faces of the men, but they all looked the same to him. They were all bearded and filthy and dressed in little more than rags. They were a pitiful sight, indeed.
The ship soon bumped and groaned to a stop against the timbers along the dock. It rode low in the water, so the level of descent from the deck of the boat to the small wooden dock was only about eight feet. A British soldier on board kicked a rope ladder over the side. The ladder dropped and the bottom end landed on the wood platform with a loud thump. Then, one by one, the skinny, pitiful men began to come down the ladder.
The Redcoat major standing at the base of the ladder shouted, “Prisoners! As you disembark you will state your name for checking against the ship’s official manifest. You will be informed whether you are dismissed or if you must wait in the holding area for further documentation or interrogation. First prisoner!”
The pitiful man at the front of the line stated plainly, “Michael Overby.”
The officer marked an “x” on his paper and then stated, “Michael Overby, you are dismissed.”
This ritual was repeated over and over again. Only two of the men so far had family waiting for their return. The look of want and disappointment on all the other men’s faces was almost unbearable. William fought the urge to cry. He simply could not believe the emaciated state of the men. His hatred for the British burned.
Over thirty men had descended the ladder, but so far no familiar names had sounded off. John and William’s disappointment grew.
William stated sadly, “James must be on another boat.”
Suddenly the officer in charged blurted out, “Well, state your name, you ignorant rebel!”
“My name’s Joel Moffat, you wig-wearin’ sissy!”
“Watch your mouth, boy, or I’ll have you run through!”
The crowd held its collective breath, not believing the insolence of this skinny, wooly mountain man. John fought his way toward the front of the crowd to try and see Joel. The officer hesitated with his response, and then marked an “x” on his paper.
“The rebel Joel Moffat is dismissed … and good riddance! Next!”
The next emaciated man spoke, “James Hamilton.”
“James Hamilton, you are dismissed.”
John finally plowed his way through the crowd. His eyes met his brother’s eyes. He screamed from the depths of his lungs and his soul, “Jamie!”
James didn’t run to him. He couldn’t. He could barely shuffle his feet. But he finally made his way past the Redcoat guards. John reached out to him and picked his big brother up in his arms in a tremendous bear hug. Unbelievably, John Hamilton now outweighed his elder brother by at least fifty pounds.
The crowd cheered at their emotional reunion. They parted to allow William and Daniel through. William took hold of his big brother and wept.
“What about me?” ask the smiling Joel Moffat who stood nearby watching the entire spectacle.
The Hamilton boys pulled him into their huddle, as well. Only Daniel Pippin stood alone. He peered anxiously at the men who continued to climb slowly down the ladder from the prison ship.
James reached over and took Daniel by the arm, pulling him near. He grabbed the boy behind the back of his neck and pulled him close, looking him directly in the eyes.
“Daniel, he’s not coming.”
Daniel nodded, tears welling in his eyes. “I didn’t think so. We haven’t heard from anyone but you and Joel these past months.”
“Daniel, your brother was our best good friend. He took sick right after we arrived on the first prison ship and died a few weeks later. He died peacefully in his sleep. He just went to sleep one night and didn’t wake up.”
“That’s the honest truth, Daniel,” affirmed Joel.
James continued, “We volunteered for the burial detail the next day. Joel and I buried him. We picked a pretty spot on the beach and we marked it in our minds. We know where he lays. Maybe we can take you there one of these days. Would you like for us to do that, maybe?”
Daniel nodded in silent response. James pulled the boy close and hugged him.
After a few more minutes of celebration, John spoke up, “Why don’t we get on back across the river. I don’t like being around all these Lobsterbacks.”
“Amen to that, Johnny!” exclaimed Joel as the group made their way to their small hired boat.
William and John helped support James as they walked across the hard rock and shells. Daniel helped Joel, but the sharp surface didn’t seem to bother him as much.
William told James as they walked, “Ephraim is waiting for us across the river.”
James stopped in his tracks and looked at John. He exclaimed, “Ephraim Farr?”
John smiled and kept walking. “I’ll tell you all about it, brother. Right now we need to get you two on over to the other side and get hold of some soap and razors. You both smell like a skunk died under your armpits!”
“Two skunks, at least!” chirped William.
The young men howled with laughter.
One hour later James and Joel bathed in the brackish water of the James River. Ephraim boiled some fresh water and gave them both a much-needed shave. He had to sharpen his razor three times to cut through their matted beards.
James watched his stepfather closely as he patiently shaved his face. It was hard to believe that the man who had been so mean to him for so many years, and was the object of his hatred for so long, was now showing him such mercy and kindness.
While Ephraim took care of their hair problems and helped make them more socially presentable, the other boys burned their nasty, vermin-filled clothes and laid out fresh breeches, socks, shirts, and weskits for them both. William provided them each with a beautiful set of moccasins that he made from elk hide.
Then they ate. Both men tried to eat too much at first, but Ephraim insisted that they proceed carefully in order to not become sick from overstuffing their shrunken stomachs. The men paced themselves, eating small meals and snacks, almost without ceasing. They ate and relaxed for two whole days along the river as their strength slowly found its way back into their members.
On the third morning after James and Joel were released, Ephraim and the boys awakened to find James and Joel breaking camp and loading their gear into the wagon.
James stated plainly and simply, “It’s time to go home.”
“The Redcoats burned our cabin and barn, James. We don’t have a home, anymore,” replied William.
James walked over to his little brother. “William, my home is where you are. It’s where Johnny is. My brothers are my home.”
William smiled and responded, “Then I’m ready. Let’s go home … together.”
And they did. James, Johnny, and William Hamilton’s war was over.
Three months later George Washington slipped down from the north and the French fleet sailed into Chesapeake Bay and cornered General Cornwallis just twenty miles to the east of Jamestown at a place called Yorktown, Virginia. And Cornwallis surrendered.
The American Revolution was over. The United States of America won its freedom and independence. And the Hamilton brothers went back to Mecklenburg County, rebuilt their cabin, and finally found peace.
the real hamilton brothers
Though some of the characters in this story are fictional, most of them were real, historical individuals. James, John, William, and Hugh Hamilton were all the sons of Hugh Hamilton of Mecklenburg County. They have many descendants living today. Both the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolu
tion recognize James and John Hamilton as Patriots of the American Revolution.
James Hamilton served in the militia in Mecklenburg County. His service is described in detail in his federal pension file in the National Archives. In that record he offered testimony regarding his actual battles and his capture at Camden, as well as his imprisonment on a British ship in Charleston.
John Hamilton served the Patriot cause, as well. He received payment for providing supplies to the cause and for service in the militia. The records for those transactions are located in the North Carolina state archives. However, the details of his actual service during the war are lost to time. Suffice it to say that he was, indeed, a Patriot and a soldier in the American Revolution.
William Hamilton’s service in the American Revolution is not documented. However, thousands of young men his age served in the American armies and performed Patriotic Service in support of the United States. This story about William is fiction, but we can rest assured that he was a Patriot from a dedicated family of Patriots.
Geoff Baggett
revolutionary war glossary
Charlestown – The colonial name of Charleston.
Continental Army – Soldiers in the federal army of the United States as authorized by the Continental Congress.
Dragoons – A special type of cavalry soldier in the British army.
Flintlock – The type of weapons, loaded through the muzzle, used during the American Revolution.
Frizzen – The part of a flintlock weapon that the flint strikes to make a spark and ignite the gunpowder.
Huzzah – A joyful shout, and the early form of the modern word, “hoorah,” or “hooray.”
Loyalist – A citizen of the American colonies loyal to King George III and Great Britain.
Militia – Local county and state military units. Most served locally. There were both Patriot and Loyalist militia units during the war.
Muster – The official forming of local militia units for mobilization in the war.
Little Hornet: Boy Patriot of North Carolina (Kid Patriots of the American Revolution Book 1) Page 8