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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

During all this solemn farce, poor Shortland looked like a culprit
under sentence of death. Some of the rogues had written, with chalk,
on the walls, BE YOU ALSO READY!--This commander's situation could not
be an enviable one. He was, probably, as courageous a man as the
ordinary run of British officers; but it was plainly discoverable that
he was, half his time, in dread, and during the scene just described,
in terror, which was perceivable amidst his affected smiles, and
assumed gaiety. He told a _gentleman_, belonging to this depot, that
he never saw, nor ever read, or heard of such a set of _Devil-daring,
God-provoking fellows, as these same Yankees_. And he added, _I had
rather have the charge of five thousand Frenchmen, than FIVE HUNDRED
of these sons of liberty; and yet_, said he, _I love the dogs better
than I do the damn'd frog-eaters_.

On the 30th of March we received the heart-cheering news of the total
defeat of the British army before NEW-ORLEANS, with the death of its
commander in chief, Sir _Edward Pakenham_, and Generals _Gibs_ and
_Kean_, with a great number of other officers, and about five thousand
rank and file killed and wounded; and what appeared to be absolutely
incredible, this unexampled slaughter of the enemy was achieved with
the loss of less than twenty killed and wounded on our side. Instead
of shouting and rejoicing, as in ordinary victories, we seemed mute
with astonishment. Yes! when we saw the Englishmen walking with folded
arms, looking down on the ground, we had not the heart to exult,
especially as the war was now ended. I speak for myself--there was no
event that tended so much to reconciliation and forgiveness as this
immense slaughter of the English. We felt that this victory was too
bloody not to stifle loud exultation.

We had heard of Generals Dearborn, Brown, Scott, Ripley, Gaines and
Miller, but no one knew who _General Andrew Jackson_ was; but we said
that it was a New-England name, and we had no doubt but he was a full
blooded yankee, there being many of that name in New-Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut.--But I have
since heard that he was a village lawyer in Tennessee, and a native of
South Carolina.

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