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
ARCHIBALD TAYLOR.
Sworn before me, this 28th June, 1815.
AARON H. PALMER, _Notary Public_.
* * * * *
KING AND LARPENT'S REPORT.
_Plymouth, 18th April, 1815._
We the undersigned commissioners, appointed on behalf of our
respective governments, to inquire into and report upon, the
unfortunate occurrence of the 6th April inst. at Dartmoor Prison;
having carefully perused the proceedings of the several courts of
inquiry, instituted immediately after that event, by the orders of
Admiral Sir John T. Duckworth and Major-General Brown,
respectively, as well as the depositions taken at the coroner's
inquest upon the bodies of the prisoners, who lost their lives
upon that melancholy occasion; upon which inquest the jury found a
verdict of justifiable homicide; proceeded immediately to the
examination upon oath in the presence of one or more of the
magistrates of the vicinity, of all the witnesses, both American
and English, who offered themselves for that purpose; or who could
be discovered as likely to afford any material information on the
subject, as well as those who had been previously examined before
the coroner, as otherwise, to the number in the whole of about
eighty. We further proceeded to a minute examination of the
prisons, for the purpose of clearing up some points which, upon
the evidence alone, were scarcely intelligible; obtaining from the
prisoners, and from the officers of the depot, all the necessary
assistance and explanation; and premising, that we have been from
necessity compelled to draw many of our conclusions from
statements and evidence highly contradictory, we do now make upon
the whole proceedings the following report:--
During the period which has elapsed since the arrival in this
country of the account of the ratification of the treaty of Ghent,
an increased degree of restlessness and impatience of confinement
appears to have prevailed amongst the American prisoners at
Dartmoor, which, though not exhibited in the shape of any violent
excesses, has been principally indicated by threats of breaking
out if not soon released.
On the 4th of this month in particular, only two days previous to
the events which are the subject of this inquiry, a large body of
the prisoners rushed into the market-square, from whence, by the
regulations of the prison they are excluded, demanded bread
instead of biscuit, which had on that day been issued by the
officers of the depot; their demands having been then almost
immediately complied with, they returned to their own yards, and
the employment of force on that occasion became unnecessary.
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