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
prisoner had received his usual allowance of bread, which was not till
after twelve o’clock at night. During this time, the guards, soldiers,
keepers, and every person connected with the prison, remained in the
greatest apprehension, fearing the prisoners had some further intention
than merely to obtain their bread; they feared their troubles would
end in a more serious way, and the prisoners all make their escape. But
next morning showed that the prisoners had no intention of escaping,
for during the confusion of the night, many of them had taken the
opportunity to scale the walls in an opposite direction, while the
attention of the guard was taken up with the main body of them.
Those that had gone out after remaining all night, came and demanded
admittance into prison again. This movement in the prisoners astonished
the natives of the moor, who left vacant their huts and fled for
safety; and the women and children had retired to the nearest towns,
and there took refuge, and the men had joined the garrison for
protection.
During the night an express was sent to Plymouth to acquaint Capt.
Shortland of the event, and that the prisoners had complete possession
of the whole garrison, and the control of all things at Dartmoor. In
the morning Capt. Shortland arrived with a reinforcement of two hundred
soldiers; but found all things quiet and tranquil; as the prisoners
had obtained their usual allowance of bread, they were satisfied and
sought nothing more. Capt. Shortland made an apology for the conduct
of the contractor, and things passed on tolerably well; but great
suspicions remained among the people who had formerly attended the
market, and these had spread abroad and become the general opinion
outside the walls, that the American prisoners being detained so long
since the ratification had arrived, now three weeks, in which time
Mr. Beasley might have had all discharged and on their passage to the
United States, had grown impatient; and as no ships had yet sailed from
London to receive them, their forbearance was quite exhausted, and
from some threats that had been thrown out by some of the prisoners
in presence of the market people, that if the agent of their country
did not procure their release within one month from the arrival of the
treaty, that they would take their liberty in a body, being determined
to risk their lives at all hazards, and depend on their own exertions
for their liberty among armed soldiers, rather than remain in the
wretched condition they were then in. These suspicions had gone so much
abroad, that every body about the prison was apprehensive the prisoners
would make the attempt to escape in a body, and some unhappy issue grow
out of it. But the prisoners generally had no design of escaping, as
by that means they would lose their opportunity of returning home in
the cartels. On the sixth, we addressed a letter to Mr. Beasley, on the
subject of our discharge, and informed him that we had made application
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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