David Franks: Colonial Merchant

13. The Revenge of the Radicals

Thirteen the revenge of the radicals The year 1778 had started with a welcome festivity—the marriage of Tench Coxe to Catherine McCall. This was unquestionably one of the high points of the social season. Coxe’s resourceful mercantile activities had resulted in sudden success, and he was marrying into one of the most prominent families in town. While both of Catherine’s parents had passed away, others in the family had intermarried with a number of leading citizens; there were marriages into the Inglis, Plumsted, Willing, and Kemble families. The list of attendees at the ceremony included the Allens, Chews, Francises, Shippens , and David and Margaret Franks.1 One week later, Congress anguished over the double standard of prisoner treatment and issued its resolutions designed to correct the disparities. Responding to a letter from General Washington, they recorded that bills of exchange to the amount of £600 sterling, purchased of David Franks, British commissary of prisoners residing within the jurisdiction of the states, were sent into New York for the relief of the prisoners, that every obstacle was thrown in the way to prevent the negotiation of these bills, and that after a delay of two months they were returned to Mr. Boudinot, the American commissary of prisoners.2 A week later, this information was published in local newspapers. Reading this account, David had to feel somewhat comforted by the knowledge that Congress blamed the British leadership, not him, for the failures in provisioning payments.3 But more bad news arrived soon enough. In early April, Franks’s deputy commissary, Joseph Simon, heard from General Horatio Gates that Elias Boudinot, the American commissary of prisoners, had made charges against him to the Board of War and that he was “therefore required to come to York Town [the temporary capital] without a Moments Delay to explain to The Revenge of the Radicals 137 the Board such Parts of your Conduct as appear to be Exceptionable.” At the board session, Simon was charged with accepting Continental money from David Franks for provisions delivered to British prisoners. Simon asked for time to answer the accusation and wanted David to provide a good response. Apparently the charge was partially valid. In the congressional orders, the requirement to accept nothing but gold or silver from the British had not specifically flowed down to the subcontractor level. However, David Franks and Joseph Simon were not in a position to dispute that point with the Board of War. Both were surely in trouble with Congress.4 In mid-May Simon wrote again in a clearly panicky mood. George Murdoch , his agent in Maryland, told him that all prisoners in that state would be relocated to Fort Frederick and that the Board of War had instructed him to continue to “furnish them as usual.” Simon was not being paid and could not extend further credit despite his strong sympathy for the captives. The Board of War had agreed to do all the delivery, so long as he would provide the goods. But he could not imagine how he would acquire the provisions . There would be upward of twelve hundred prisoners at Fort Frederick . He had advanced more than £15,000 and had new receipts covering nearly forty-five thousand rations. Most significantly, he had not received an answer to his question about the Continental money. If he didn’t hear by June 1, he would have to give up his participation in the prisoner program.5 The Mischianza came and went. Howe departed. His replacement, Sir Henry Clinton, arrived and soon withdrew from Philadelphia with his army, heading for New York. Congress and the rebel citizenry returned to the city to find it in shambles. The British had laid waste to everything—even the Tories were embarrassed and annoyed.6 On June 4 Congress directed the general in charge to prevent the removal, transfer, or sale of any goods, wares, or merchandise in possession of the inhabitants of the city until the ownership of the property could be determined. The general was Benedict Arnold, who had been appointed commander in chief of the forces of the United States of America in the city of Philadelphia.7 Arnold had come from a moderate, nonmilitary family in Connecticut and had gained exceptional success in battles at Quebec, Valcour Island, Freeman’s Farm, and Bemis Heights, the prelude to Saratoga. British military expert Sir John Fortescue said of him, “In natural military genius neither Washington nor Greene are to my...