With the eruption of conflict following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, suspicion of those suspected of Loyalist sympathies grew even stronger. Those persons alleged to have joined the enemy, robbed, or plundered were not to be considered prisoners of war, but convicted before the superior court and either sentenced to death, whipped, or imprisoned. By not obtaining the status of prisoner or war, a loyalist could not be pardoned, exchanged, or released. Patriotic leaders sought means to remove the more vocal loyalists from society and saw the answer in the ready-made prison at Simsbury.