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A journal, of a young man of Massachusetts, late a surgeon on board an American privateer, who was captured at sea by the British in May, eighteen hundred and thirteen and was confined first, at Melville Island, Halifax, then at Chatham, in England, and last at Dartmoor prison : $b Interspersed with observations, anecdotes and remarks, tending to illustrate the moral and political characters of three nations. To which is added, a correct engraving of Dartmoor prison, representing the massacre ofWaterhouse, Benjamin

History

A journal, of a young man of Massachusetts, late a surgeon on board an American privateer, who was captured at sea by the British in May, eighteen hundred and thirteen and was confined first, at Melville Island, Halifax, then at Chatham, in England, and last at Dartmoor prison : $b Interspersed with observations, anecdotes and remarks, tending to illustrate the moral and political characters of three nations. To which is added, a correct engraving of Dartmoor prison, representing the massacre of

Waterhouse, Benjamin

Dartmoor Prison; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Prisoners and prisons

Christians; for the character and general conduct of this commander
could not be concealed from them. He wore the British colours on his
house, and acted under this emblem of sovereignty.

It was customary to count over the prisoners twice a week; and after
the sweepers had brushed out the prisons, the guard would send to
inform the commander that they were all ready for his inspection. On
these occasions, Shortland very seldom omitted staying away as long as
he possibly could, merely to vex the prisoners; and they at length
expressed their sense of it; for he would keep them standing until
they were weary. At last they determined not to submit to it; and
after waiting a sufficient time, they made a simultaneous rush
forward, and so forced their passage back into their prison-house. To
punish this act, Shortland stopped the country people from coming into
market for two days. _At this juncture we arrived_; and as the
increase of numbers, increased our obstinacy, the Captain began to
relax; and after that, he came to inspect the prisoners, as soon as
they were paraded for that purpose. It was easy to perceive that the
prisoners had, in a great measure, conquered the hard hearted, and
vindictive Capt. Shortland.

The roof of the prison to which we were consigned, was very leaky; and
it rained on this dreary mountain almost continually; place our beds
wherever we could, they were generally wet. We represented this to
Capt. Shortland; and to our complaint was added that of the worthy and
humane Dr. M'Grath; but it produced no effect; so that to the ordinary
miseries of a prison, we, for a long time endured the additional one
of wet lodgings, which sent many of our countrymen to their graves.

We owe much to the humanity of Dr. M'Grath, a very worthy man, and a
native of Ireland. Was M'Grath commander of this Depot, there would be
no difficulty with the prisoners. They would obey him through
affection and respect; because he considers us rational beings, with
minds cultivated like his own, and susceptible of gratitude, and
habituated to do, and receive acts of kindness; whereas the great
Capt. Shortland considers us all as a base set of men, degraded below
the rank of Englishmen, towards whom nothing but rigor should be
extended. He acted on this false idea; and has like his superiors
reaped the bitter fruit of his own ill judged conduct. He might, by
kind and respectful usage, have led the Americans to any thing just
and honorable; but it was not in his power, nor all the Captains in
his nation, to force them to acknowledge and quietly submit to his
tyranny.

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