2

supplies would much distress the enemy -- several petitions
from the distressed people to come on shore - answered
that the women and children might come on shore, if they
had no design to return, or to give any intelligence or assistance
to the enemy, and that upon their complying with these conditions
they should be protected - that the men should have
no other violence offered them than to retain them prisoners
until they could be fairly & impartially tried by the county
for taking up arms against it - Woodford sends his compliments
to Dunmore and requests the paper which contains
Dunmore's account of the battle of the GBridge - enquires
of the bearer of Dunmore's message (Jack Hunter) how he
intended to consider, in the exchange of prisoners, Dunmore's
new raised Athiopean Regiment - for so he dubbed the
runaway negroes that he had embodied & armed --
as many had been made prisoners - and were by his proclamation
emancipated and placed, as far as he could do it,
upon a level with other freemen - he affected to treat the
matter lightly but at last said he supposed they must
sell them -- understands that Elligood & Aitheson [name Aitcheson] prisoners
with many others from Hampton - request a list that they
may be considered in the next proposals for an exchange of
prisoners --