Prisoner of war Asgill was ordered to North America at the beginning of 1781, to fight in the
American Revolutionary War. where 13 British 'conditional' officers were assembled. Lots were instead drawn by a drummer boy (some sources suggest that there were two or three drummer boys) According to
William M. Fowler, as soon as Washington had given the order to take a hostage, he realised that what he had done was morally suspect and likely illegal. While Congress endorsed Washington's actions, others disagreed and
Alexander Hamilton considered them "repugnant, wanton and unnecessary". Soon afterwards Washington wrote to Hazen about Asgill's selection, asking why apparently available 'unconditional' prisoners were not chosen and suggesting to "remedy [...] as soon as possible this Mistake".
Chatham From Lancaster Asgill was transferred to
Chatham. Initially he was housed in the home of Colonel
Elias Dayton, who commanded the Jersey Line, who treated Asgill well, especially when he became too ill to be moved. Washington ordered Asgill be held under guard. He was sent to Timothy Day's Tavern, where he suffered beatings; lack of edible food; spectators paid to watch his suffering; and deprivation of letters from his family about which he was receiving information that his father was very ill and had died. Although the British
court martialled Lippincott for Huddy's execution, he was found not guilty on the grounds that he was acting on orders from
William Franklin. Washington wanted Lippincott be released to the Americans in exchange for Asgill, but was refused. During the months of Asgill's confinement, his fate drew considerable international public attention and also the direct intervention of the government of France on Asgill's behalf. Under pressure to spare Asgill, but unwilling to publicly back down from his position, Washington decided late that summer that the case had become "a great national concern, upon which an individual ought not to decide." He therefore sent the matter to be decided by the
Continental Congress. and King
George III became involved. She then wrote a letter to the
comte de Vergennes, the French Foreign Minister. After several days of debate, on 7 November, "as a compliment to the King of France", A week later Washington wrote a letter to Asgill, which he did not receive until 17 November 1782, enclosing a passport for him to return home on parole. Asgill left Chatham immediately that day.
Aftermath Four years after the events of 1782, news reached Washington that Asgill was apparently spreading rumours of ill-treatment whilst in custody in America. Washington was outraged, maintaining that Asgill had been treated well. In response, Washington had his correspondence on the matter published in the
New Haven Gazette and Connecticut Magazine on 16 November 1786 (with the exception of his letter of 18 May 1782 to Hazen which shows Washington's willingness to violate Article XIV of the Yorktown Articles of Capitulation). When Asgill read the account, he wrote to the editor on 20 December 1786, denying that he had spread rumours, and detailing his mistreatment while in captivity. Asgill's letter was not published until 2019, when a copy appeared in an issue of
The Journal of Lancaster County’s Historical Society dedicated to the Asgill Affair. Peter Henriques writes that the Asgill Affair "could have left an ugly blot on George Washington's reputation", calling it "a blip that reminds us even the greatest of men make mistakes". ==Subsequent career==