Reply #10: When we fought the British during the revolution.............

[Bonhomme Richard]

how many of our soldiers wore a uniform of any kind. In actuality, quite a few of our colonial soldiers caught, either by surrender or just trapped, were given no quarter, primarily by the Hessians. Many were bayoneted on the spot. What is interesting is that Gen. Washington insisted that british and Hessian soldiers we captured were treated with respect and not ill treated. A lot of our soldiers wanted to treat the prisoners in kind so they were not very pleased. Washington wanted to show that we were a civilized and humane people (enlightened) and also believed that many of the prisoners would warm to our cause if treated well. A nation ruled by free men.