The prisoners' memoirs, or, Dartmoor prison : $b containing a complete and impartial history of the entire captivity of the Americans in England, from the commencement of the last war between the United States and Great Britain, until all prisoners were released by the treaty of Ghent. Also a particular detail of all occurrences relative to the horrid massacre at Dartmoor, on the fatal evening of the 6th of April, 1815.Andrews, C. (Charles)
History
The prisoners' memoirs, or, Dartmoor prison : $b containing a complete and impartial history of the entire captivity of the Americans in England, from the commencement of the last war between the United States and Great Britain, until all prisoners were released by the treaty of Ghent. Also a particular detail of all occurrences relative to the horrid massacre at Dartmoor, on the fatal evening of the 6th of April, 1815.
Andrews, C. (Charles)
Dartmoor Prison; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Prisoners and prisons
The morning after our capture, we were mustered on the quarter-deck,
to undergo a search; the men were then stripped to the skin, and
their clothing not returned; so that many of them were left without
any thing more then a shirt and trowsers. The next day, Mr. Barton
(the first lieutenant of the _Medway_) distributed the clothing he
had taken from our men, to his quarter-masters and quarter-gunners,
in my presence.
After being on board the _Medway_ five weeks, we were landed at
Simon-Town, twenty-five miles to the eastward of the Cape of Good
Hope; myself and brother officers paroled, and the men marched to
Cape-Town under an escort of dragoons; being obliged to ford a lake
on the march, where the boys were compelled to go over on the backs
of the tall men; this march of twenty-five miles was performed in
one day, and without shoes or food; the latter article they were
kept without four and twenty hours; their shoes were stolen by the
crew of the _Medway_ while they were asleep. After remaining in this
situation nearly eight months, without bed or bedding, (they were not
even furnished with straw, and their hammocks were taken on a plea
of their being public property,) we were all embarked in different
men-of-war and Indiamen for England; myself, and about sixty officers
and men, in the Cumberland, seventy-four, Captain Baker, were all put
on the lower gun-deck without distinction, among their own crew, and
fed on prisoners’ allowance; and on my remonstrating with the captain
for receiving such treatment, he ordered me off the quarter-deck,
with a threat, at the same time, to put me in irons.
We remained in this situation eighteen days, after which Lieut.
German, Gordon, and myself, were removed to the Grampus, thirty, at
St. Helena, admitted to the ward-room mess, and treated with civility.
With respect, I have the honor, &c.,
N. D. NICHOLSON.
CAPT. SAMUEL EVANS.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] This man belonged to Portsmouth, N. H.
* * * * *
Transcriber’s note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed and standardized without
notice; some formatting changes have been applied for readability.
Otherwise, spelling and punctuation has been retained as published.
The original was inconsistent in using the degree symbol (°) for
latitude and longitude. That have also been retained as published.
The following Printer errors have been changed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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