7 Chapter 6 Victory and a New Life

Chapter 6 Victory . . . and a New Life By the spring of 1778, the British had left Philadelphia. Part of their army headed out to attack colonies to the south. The rest of the British moved on to New York City, where the fighting was fierce. In Philadelphia, they left behind a huge mess. Many buildings were ruined, most of the food in the city was gone, and ships in the port had been burned.

The British army had taken furniture, horses, and wagons. Thousands of Pennsylvania residents left with the British, choosing to side with England over the new nation of America. Betsy and her neighbors lived and worked in a city where it became harder and harder to survive.

Amid all the chaos, Joseph Ashburn returned safely from his latest voyage. While he and other men worked hard to clean up the mess the British had left behind, Betsy kept sewing. Along with flags, she sewed military supplies for the Continental army. Colonial soldiers used long-barreled guns called muskets. To load one, a soldier poured gunpowder down the barrel. Then he stuffed a lead ball in after it. Soldiers carried the powder and the balls in small bags called

cartridges. Betsy and other women sewed thousands of canvas cartridges. Betsy and Joseph's first child, a daughter named Aucilla, was born on September 15, 1779. Food was still scarce in the city. People were burning furniture to keep warm. Sadly, Aucilla got sick and died when she was less than a year old. In 1781, the couple had a second daughter, Eliza.

Later that same year, Joseph set sail on the Lion, which went all the way to Europe, chasing British ships. The Lion was captured, and Joseph was put in a British prison called the Old Mill.

The Old Mill Prison was a terrible place, with too many men packed into too little space. The prisoners actually sold their clothes to buy bread to eat. Disease spread quickly among the men. Joseph was among the hundreds of men who died there. Betsy Ross Ashburn was a widow once again. She heard the news about her husband's death weeks later from an old friend. John Claypoole had known Betsy since they were children. He had later become a sailor and had ended up as a prisoner in the Old Mill along with Joseph Ashburn. As a friend, he wanted to give Betsy the sad news in person. When he made it back to Philadelphia, he visited her straightaway.