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
I know of no examination after this, if such an interview may be
called an examination; for, on the ---- of April, myself and a few
others were set at liberty. We had made application the night before,
and passed the night in sleepless anxiety. At 10 o'clock orders were
sent down to collect our things. We dare not call our wretched
baggage, by any other than the beggarly name of "_duds_." In
consequence of this order, the turnkey conveyed us to the upper gate,
where we remained a while fluttering between fear and hope. At length
the sergeant of the guard came, and opened the gate, and conducted us
to the guard room, where our fears began to dissipate and our hopes to
brighten.--When the clerk entered, he must have seen anxiety in our
countenances, and was disposed to sport with our feelings. He put on a
grave and solemn phiz, mixed with a portion of the insolence of
office, as if he were about to read our death-warrants, while we cast
a look of misery at each other. At length, with apparent reluctance,
he vouchsafed to hand to each of us, like a miser paying a debt, the
dear delicious paper, the evidence of our liberty! on which was
written, "by order of the transport board." This was enough, we
devoured it with our eyes, clinched it fast in our fists, laughed,
capered, jumped, screamed, and kicked up the dirt like so many mad
men; and away we started for Princetown, looking back as we ran, every
minute, to see if our ceroebrus, with his bloody jaws, was not at our
heels. At every step we took from the hateful prison, our enlarged
souls expanded our lately cramped bodies. At length we attained a
rising ground; and O, how our hearts did swell within us at the sight
of the OCEAN! that ocean that washed the shores of our dear America,
as well as those of England! After taking breath, we talked in strains
of rapture to each other. "This ground, said I, belongs to the
British; but that _ocean_, and this air, and that sun, are as much
ours as theirs; or as any other nations. They are blessings to that
nation which knows best how to deserve and enjoy them. May the arm of
bravery secure them all to us, and to our children forever!" Long and
dismal as our captivity has been, we declared, with one voice, that
should our government again arm and declare war, for "_free trade and
sailors' rights_," we would, in a moment, try again the tug of war,
with the _hard hearted Britons_; but with the fixed resolution of
never being taken by them alive; or, at least, unwounded, or
unmutilated. I see, I feel that the _love of country_ is our "ruling
passion;" and it is this that has and will give us the superiority in
battle, by land and by sea, while the want of it will cause _some
folks_ to recoil before the American bayonet and bullets, as the
British did at Chippewa, Erie, Plattsburg and New Orleans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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