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 INAUY AXli TRITL 
 
 WAR OF iSi2--^14, 
 
 BETWEEN' 
 
 ENGLziND AMLTIIE UNI'l" 
 
 V.PJTTEX r.Y OtsWim/ff TX DEFENCE Oi-' lllr 
 
 ,;n;iri'S, i.\- ' \ ' I E CANNON*.- .MOUTH, AN;' 
 
 WHO rA,-5Ei> Tiii;or(jir or. was anta'e- 
 
 V.TIXES!^ TO NEAllUY EVEKV -f^\V. 
 AND INCIDENT 11 F!: 
 llELATEli. 
 
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A NARRATIVE- 
 
 M 
 
 A SHORT AND THRILLING XARRATIVE OF A FEW OF TlIE 
 
 SCEA'ES AND INCIDENTS 
 
 THAT OCCURRED IX THE SAXG-UINARY AND CRUEL 
 
 WAR OF 1812—14, 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES 
 
 WRITTEN BY ONE WHO, IN DEFENCE OF HIS COUNTRY'S 
 RIGHTS, HAS FACED THE CANNON' S MOUTH, AND 
 WHO PASSED THROUGH OR WAS AN EYE- 
 WITNESS TO NEARLY EVERY SCENE 
 AND INCIDENT HERE 
 RELATED. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 JfcJ)VERTISER PRESS, NORWAY. 
 
 1853. 
 
 ^O yivA 
 
^'36 1 
 
 '^OP'A Z 
 
 ^"fl^/y 
 

 (^ 
 
 preface: 
 
 A-rthougli the following sketches were written entirely from 
 ttiemorj; more than thirty-seven years after the scenes and 
 incidents here related had passed away; yet the writer feels 
 confident there is no error or mistake of any importance, as 
 all are now. January, 1852, nearly as fresh in his mind as 
 they were the day they took place, and never can they be 
 eradicated from his memory, so long as he retains his natural 
 vigor and strength of mind. 
 
 Being solicited by friends t'O write them out and have them 
 printed, the writer has thought it might not be improper to 
 comply with their retjuest, believing that a true narrative, 
 like the following, is none the less interesting, although many 
 years may have passed away since the scenes transpired. The 
 narrative commences- from the time of the enlistment of thc" 
 Avriter, and all that is deemed worthy and is not too tiresome 
 fer the reade-r to- peruse, is noted and written out*> 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 'The autlior enlists as a private soldier, and -with his com- 
 pany marches to Portland, Me.; from thence to Burlington, 
 Vt., and from Burlington to the town of ChamplaiU; N. Y. 
 While there, he, with othars of his company, volunteered, and 
 ivent on board of the two U. S. sloops of war, Growler and 
 Eagle, carrying 22 guns, 11 each, then on Lake Champlain, 
 to serve as marines. The next day fought a battle Avith the 
 enemy, were overpowered by more than five times our own 
 number, made prisoners and sent to Quebec, and there confin- 
 ed en board a prison ship nearly six months, then set sail for 
 Dartmore prison, England, — numbering 372 prisoners, besides 
 the guard and ship's crew, about 40 more. Seventeen days 
 after leaving Quebec, and Avhile in the Gulf of the St. Law- 
 rence, we met Avith a sad disaster and came near being all lost 
 in conse(iuence of losing the ship's rudder. We Avere there- 
 fore obliged to put the ship back, and entered the harbor of 
 Halifax, Nova Scotia. 
 
 Our intense suffering Avhile on board that horrille ship. 
 We wore ordered to leaA^e the prison sliip and Avere thrust 
 into a dirty, loathsome prison on Melville Island, then occu- 
 fjied by more than 1500 American prisoners, and confined 
 there nearly six months. Our sufierings Avhile there and the 
 subsequent exchange of all of us who Avere so fortunate as to 
 endure and surviA-e the cruel privations of an imp-isoumcut 
 in a foreign land of a year's duratic«i. 
 
NARRATIVE. 
 
 Immctliately after tlic United States declared -\var Avitli Eug- 
 liuid, there was a call made for volunteers to serve one year 
 ill tlie U. S. army, and the writer of these sketches enlisted 
 as a private in a company commanded by Capt. Oliver Iler- 
 rjck, for that term of time. The company Avas orjTanized in 
 October, 1812, and in January following Avas ordered to Port- 
 land, Me., and there avc took up our (pnirters in old Fort 
 Sumner, on Munjoy's neck, now Mount Joy, and cold quart- 
 ers they Avere. Here Avcrc five companies, commanded by 
 (Aiptains Ilcrrick, "White, Elkins, Snell, and Bryant. The 
 three former Avere quartered at the Fort, and Snell" s and Bry- 
 ant's companies Avere quartered in pri\'atc houses, near the 
 Fort, hired for that purpose. 
 
 The companies Avere paraded and drilled every day, Sun - 
 days and stormy days exccptetl. Our quarters and parade- 
 grounds were surrounded by sentries; at all times on guard to 
 ]irevent desertions, to keep oif intruders, &c., and from 1\ 
 M. to 4 A. M., at the striking of the tOAvn clock, they Avere 
 ordered to sing out at the top of the A'oice, " All is Avel 1,'' 
 which, in a still, calin night, might be heard for miles. 
 
 Our only fare Avas one pound of salt beef, one pound of 
 bread, and one gill of potato Avhiskcy per day. This avc souu 
 became tired of, and prevailed on our officers for liberty to go 
 into the tOAvn, \Yhich Avas granted us about twiccaAvcek. We 
 !s.)on, Avith happy hearts and jovial glee, found our Avay to our 
 old friend Quincy, the one-log man, Avho then kept a victual- 
 u?.g cellar on Avhat was then called Fi:ili strcijt^ now Excbang.? 
 
street. Here vre were furriishecl -^-itli mugs of flip and mauy 
 good bites, -which Ave enjoyed -with keen appetites. 
 
 Our old friend was then somewhat advanced in years, and 
 was a good, kind hearted man. In his younger days he had 
 been a practical fniiner, in that part of the State of Maine 
 called the Sandy River country. While there, beina; eno-aged 
 in felling a tree, it slipped from the stump upon his foot and 
 so severely injured him that it was found necessary to ampu- 
 tate the leg near the hip. 
 
 Maej' of our men, by the time they had ])een in Portland a 
 few weeks, found themselves so short of cash that they had not 
 the means to purchase a meal of victuals. That fact being 
 made known to Mr. Quincy, he generously offered to supply 
 them on tick, by their promising to pay him wdien they re- 
 ceived their pay from the Paj-mastcr. I think he lost noth- 
 ing on that score, for I believe all paid him well. But alas, 
 our old friend is gone ; he has long been numbered with the 
 dead. 
 
 An amusing incident took place while we were in the Fort. 
 Tlie company of Ca])t. Snell had not received their advance 
 pay and bounty money, as had been promised them when they 
 enlisted. After being in Portland several wcelcs and not rc- 
 ce:\ing it, they supposed they were not bound to serve their 
 country without pay, therefore, one morning about daylight, 
 about 80 of them pushed past the sentries, and took up their 
 line of march for their homes in Poland ajid Hebron, in doub- 
 le quick time. An alarm was immediately given, the compa- 
 nies were called on to the parade ground, and thirty men se- 
 lected including mj^self, to pursue the deserters. All of us 
 were fully equipped for the occasion. "We took horses and 
 sleiglis and commenced tlie pursuit, under the command of 
 Gapt. Chapel of Portland, who, by the way, was a furious old 
 fellow. We came up with them at wliat is called Black-strap, 
 in Fidraouth. Capt. Chapel ordered them to halt, or we 
 would shoot them down I ^Ve only had guns and bayonets. 
 
but not a particle of ammuuilion mQx us. He instantly jump- 
 ed from his sloigli with his sword drawn, frothing and foaming 
 •with rage, and in his fury carelessly thrust the point of his 
 swoFd several iinches into the breecli of his horse ! The poor 
 fugitives surrendered at discretion, and "were driven back and 
 put into the black hole, or cellar, under the l^rt, and kept 
 there twenty-four hours as a punishment. 
 
 Sometime in the month of March, a British Cartel arrived 
 in Portland harbor from Halifax, -with American prisoners. 
 The prisoners were a remnant of the traitor Hull's army, 
 of about 2000 men which he igominiously surrendered to the 
 enemy without firing a gun, in the month of August previous. 
 Their privations and intense sufferings had been such that 
 they were reduced to the lowest extreme of wretchedness, and 
 when they landed upon the wharf they were scarcely able to 
 stand up on their feet. They were objects of universal pity, 
 and were iiumediately sent to hospitals fitkxl up for their re- 
 ception in the upper part of the city, and not far from Fort 
 Sumner, where we were (quartered. One man, by the name of 
 Russell, came to our barracks and gave us a short history of 
 their treatment and suffering while prisoiMjrs, the particulars 
 of which I do not now reanember. Little did we then think 
 that before four short months should expire, oursclf, or any 
 of our jovial company were doomed to be captured by our 
 common enemy and realize, by sad experience, the same cruel 
 treatment and suffering that poor Russell and his companions 
 had experienced; but such was the case, as my story Avill 
 soon show. 
 
 Our five companies commenced their march from Portland 
 to Burlington, al^out the first day of April; 1813. At that 
 time I was at home, at my father's house, in Pejepscot. now 
 Danville, I then being quite lame in conse(![uence of a severe 
 but accidental blow upon my knee. Being a minor and hav- 
 ing enlisted without my father's consent, some effort was made 
 by him to get me clear and detain me at home. Capt. Her- 
 
8 
 
 rick being at his home at the same tiiaie, Avhich was but a 
 few miles from my father's, called on and told him if he would 
 consent to let me go, I should ride with him in his sleigh to 
 P&rtland, and from thence to Burlington should have all the 
 assistance that my lameness requirec?. At that the old gent- 
 leman gave his consent, and after bidding all a hearty good- 
 l)y, I jumped into the sleigh with him and Ave Avere oif in a 
 ti'ice. "VVe arrived in Portland that evening. The companies 
 Avere all gone. Capt. Elkins", SnelUs, and Bryant's, had been 
 pfone about three daA^s. and Hcrrick's and "White's started the 
 morning before we arrived in Bortland. That evenino- Her- 
 rick enlisted tAvo sailors by the name of Simmons and Chute. 
 The next morning Herrick directed us to push on and over- 
 take our company, (himself being detained in Portland a day 
 or tAvo.) We came up with them the second day at Fryeburg, 
 having traveled fifty miles in two days, through mud, snoAV, 
 and Avuter. The next day after we left Portland, we were 
 overtaken bytAvo U. S. military officers on horseback. They, 
 seeino; avc Avere all dressed sailor fashion, and havincr oTins and 
 equipments, stopped and made some inquiries, and after being 
 informed that avc Avere U. S. soldiers, on our Avay to Canada 
 to fight the enemy of our country, one of them presented each 
 of us with a dollar, and told us to push on. He told us that 
 liis name Avas McCobb, that he Avas the first Col. of our Reg- 
 iment and Avas on his way to Burlington to join it, and that 
 we looked like iust such bovs as he Avished to haA'e in his rciz- 
 iment and on the lines, to face the enemy. 
 
 I cannot noAV, after the lapse of near forty years, remember 
 all our stopping places-, but I think the next night after avc 
 left Fryeburg, Ave put up at the tavern Avhere the Willy family 
 perished some years after hy a mountain slide. Our next stop 
 Avas at a public house kept by a man name<l Rosebrook. about 
 one or two miles beyond the Notch of the White Mountains in 
 New Hampshire. We arrived here about noon, the traveling 
 being bad, the baggage horses tired, and the icn. much flic 
 
9 
 
 trenied, it was resolved bv our officers- to "ive us a jrooa'restinfr' 
 
 <- / •/ coo 
 
 spell. Our cooks soon -went to work: and got on several large 
 kettles, and after boiling about one barrel of beef, we helped 
 ourselves to a hearty supper of beef and bread, and then retir- 
 ed to the barns, stables, kc, for our night's lodging. Our 
 two companies numbered about 160 men, besides commission- 
 ed officers and teamsters. We found but very few public 
 houses on the road from Portland to Burlington, that could 
 furnish lodgings for more than our officers and teamsters, con- 
 sequently, we soldiers had to take ourselves to the barns. 
 \n-ap up in our blankets and stow ourselves away in the hay- 
 mows, and notwithstanding the nights were cold and fveezing, 
 we generally rested Avell until the latter part of the night, 
 when we would begin to feel rather cool. "\Vc stopped at 
 Rosebrook's two nights, and then pushed on for Burlington. 
 
 The next day we crossed the Connecticut river on the ice, 
 and our teamsters continued to haul our bafmaoie on sleialis 
 till we got within about five or six miles of Montpelier, A't. 
 Here the snow had got so much woi-n in the road that they 
 were obliged to leave them and procure Avagons, and th^n we 
 pushed on again for MontpcEer, where we halted for the night. 
 
 The next morning the Reveille was beat at early dawn. 
 This was ahvays done to summon the men to Roll call, and 
 the barns, stables and out-houses were tjuickly emptied of 
 their occupants. After ;\nswering to our names and all had 
 taken their morning dram, (a glass of potato whiskey,) we 
 partook of our homely meal of cold beef and bread, and left 
 the pleasant village of Montpclier, the most of us, probably, 
 never to set eye& on it again. Our road this day continued 
 for many miles along the banks of Union river, a beautiful 
 stream, then free from ice and somewhat swollen. Beautiful 
 intervales stretched alonir on each side, and for manv miles 
 alon;:r the oast bank, there is a rano;o of hiHi ru{r2:od moun- 
 tains, which approach frcm one to witr.in half a mile of the 
 tivcr. 
 
10 
 
 We arrived at Burlington about tlie 15tli ©f April, having 
 been fifteen days traveling about two hundred miles. My 
 traveling from Portland to Fryeburg, on foot, so increased 
 my lameness, that from thence to Turlington I rode most of 
 the way. Little did I then think that that lameness would 
 trouble me for more than thirty-eight years then to come, but 
 such has been the case. 
 
 On our arrival at Burlington, we went into barracks with 
 about 2000 U. S. troops that had wintered there. At first 
 we were struck with horror at the sight of the bodies of dead 
 men lying upon the side-walks, wrapped up in dirty blankets, 
 but they soon became so common and familiar, that they were 
 but little noticed, for we were becoming inured to those cruel- 
 ties, bloodsheds and deaths, that always follow in the trail of 
 war. 
 
 Burlington Tillage lies upon the East shore of Lake Cham- 
 plain, with a gentle slope to the water's edge. It was then, 
 1813, a large, neat, handsome village, and had the appear- 
 ance of being a place of consid-erable trade in time of peace, 
 with their Canadian neighbors, having uninterrupted sloop 
 navigation to the Isle Aux Naux, about 60 miles, and in row 
 boats to St. Johns, about 20 miles farther, and within about 
 80 miles of Montreal. 
 
 On the north, and contio;uous to Burlinixton villaii-e, tlierc 
 was an extensive pine plain, and here were the L"^. S. soldiers' 
 barracks and parade grounds, being about ten acres, enclosed 
 by sentries at all time on guard. 
 
 We were at this place about three weeks, and it was diffi- 
 cult for us to get a permit from our olTicers to go to the vil- 
 lage, which was less than one fourth of a mile from our bar- 
 racks. I got but one while tliere, and that not to be absent 
 more than one hour. Those that were not on guard had to 
 submit to a loiin-. tiresome drill cvcrv dav. and after the drill 
 we were put on fatigue — tbat is. we Avere set to work with 
 shovels, hoes. ))ickaxes. &c., digging up stones, stumps, and 
 
11 
 
 1-oots, -and leveling tlic ground, Avhicli I .sup|y»sc "vvas done 
 more to keep us out oi" idleness than anything else. 
 
 While we were here, a young man deserted, ■with the intent, 
 as v:as supposed, of joining the enemy. lie was pursued by 
 some dragoon?, overtaken, and brought back, tried by a Court 
 jVLu'tial, and condemned to be shot ! He belonged in Ver- 
 mont., and had a wife. She being informed of his situation, 
 came to visit him in his dismal abode, a sort of cell for the 
 safe -keeping of prisoners. I was on guard at the prisoner's 
 door, when she was permitted to go into his room, and never 
 shj\Jjl I forget the scene that followed. The prisoner was seat- 
 ed on his couch when his wife entered, and without speaking 
 a word she fell at his feet, and for some time tliev both seem- 
 cd to liavc lost the power of speech. She choked, sobbed and 
 ci'icd ; and her grief and sorrows seemed more than a young 
 and delicate female ouo-lifc to bear, Soon after she went to the 
 connuanding General, and plead Avith all the strength of a 
 Avoman's love, for the life of her husband ; but her pleadings 
 were in vain, for he was soon executed. 
 
 Some four days after this, one poor fellow was made to run 
 the gantelope, for desertion. All the troops, excepting those 
 on guard, &c., were drawn up in double rank, that i?, in two 
 lines about six feet apart, facing each other, every man being 
 furnished with a small Ijundle of birch twigs : the prisoner 
 was then brought on to the ground, the drums beating and fifes 
 playing the Eogue's March, and placed in the open space be- 
 tween the files, and marched throunh one reirimcnt. au officer 
 holding the point of a draAvn sword at his breast and a file of 
 men with charged bayonets at his back, at a slow pace, every 
 man siviaji him a switch on his bare back, and blood was 
 drawn at almost every blow. They flogged him to their 
 hearts consent, before he came to me. and glad was I. 
 
 While we were here it was verv sicklv. Sonu' davs two or 
 three died in a day. Sergeant Sinclair, of Capt. White's 
 company, died here. He belonged in ]\lonn,outh. Me. 
 
12 
 
 We were here about three weeks^ and then <3apt. Ilerni'k 
 and Capt. White, with their companies, were ordered to the 
 town of Champhiin in l^e State of New York, about 50 miles 
 from Burlington. We went bj Avater, on board a sloop, about 
 40 miles, until we came to the mouth of a small river, where 
 we went on shore and stopped over night and took up ou:s 
 lodgings in barns, out-houses, &c., the best we could find. 
 The next day we ascended the river in row boats weight or tea* 
 miles. Nearly all the way both banks were cavered with a 
 thick forest of heavy timber, but as we advanced wc came to-. 
 a small but neat and pretty village, situated on the West side 
 and only one mile from Canada line. Here were two block 
 houses, or garrisons, built upon a little rising ground, one 
 on the West and the other on the East side of the river, and 
 about half a mile each from the village. These block houses 
 were built two stories High, of .hewn square timber about twelve 
 inches thick, and were bullet proof. The basement story was 
 about 25 feet square, and the upper story jutted over the low- 
 er story about three feet larger, w :ih port-holes to fire down . 
 upon the enemy, in case he should attempt to set fire to. or 
 blow up the garrison. We had also port-holes all around the 
 garrison, both in the upper and lower stories, so that we could 
 fire upon the enemy in case he should make his appearance in 
 any direction Avithin a fair musket-shot. These garrisons had. 
 not been occupied, and were just finislied for our reception, 
 llerrick's company occupied the one on the EiX-st side. It Avas 
 built in the forks of two roads, one leading to €anada, distant 
 one mile, the other to the lake, distant four miles. 
 
 Otir companies were ordered here as an advance guard and 
 to- prevent smuggling, which was said to be carried on to some 
 con3idera1)lc amount. The inhabitants on both sides near the 
 fines, were on the most friendly terms. The Yankees sup- 
 plying the Canadians with provisions, and the Canadians pay- 
 ing in English goods, kc. To prevent that mdawful inter- 
 course,, every night sentries were placed, not only by the sidcd 
 
15 
 
 •of all the roads and by-paths that led into Camada, but in open 
 fields, bushes, &c. Thej "were stationed alwut dark, and as 
 secretly and silentlj^ as possible. 
 
 As far as the eye could see from any point that was acces- 
 sible to us in our nunbles about the neighlx)rhood, all along 
 on the Canada side of the line the country was covered Avith 
 one dense forest ; no cleared knd or building could be seen. 
 This forest was Sfiid to be foil of hostile Indians, lurking 
 about and watching for an opportunity to fall upon and cut us 
 down. On that account the sentries were doubled, that is, 
 two men were put on guard together, Avith loaded muskets, 
 and at nine o'clock the Avatch-Avord, or countersign, was given 
 out to the sentries "by the sergeant of the guard. They Avero 
 ordered not to move a step, but to be Avide aAvake, to see and 
 liear all they could, and if any human l)eing came Avithin hail- 
 ing distance, they Avcre to demand, "Who goes there 7" If 
 those so hailed, should say " Relief," the sentry Avas to reply, 
 " Relief, stand: corporal, advance and give the countersign,*' 
 Avlrich he Avculd do, in a Ioav tone of voice, Avith the point of 
 the sentinel's baA^onet at his l^reast. The sentinel Avas then 
 relicA'cd from duty, Avhich Avas done every tAvo hours. If in- 
 stead of ansAvering "relief," the person so hailed should say, 
 "Friend," the sentinel Avas to reply, "Friend, adA^ance and 
 giA'e the countersign." If he refused to do so, the sentinel 
 Avas to call the sero-eant of the jruard and a file of men, to take 
 the " friend "' to the guard house to be examined. Should he 
 attempt to run fiom the sentinel, his orders Avere to shoot him 
 doAvn, if he could. There Avas but one man broutrht in Avliile 
 Ave were there. He Avas o;oin<T down the river Avith a boat-load 
 of English goods, one dark niglit; the sentinel hailed him. and 
 receiving no ansAver, fired upon hira : this brought him too, the 
 ball having passed througli the boat. He Avas taken to the 
 guard house, and the next morning he and his goods Avcro 
 sent to Burlington. aJid that Avas the last I ever heard of him. 
 
14 
 
 In tlie month of Decresiber before we came here, there •n'"a3 
 about 2000 U. S. troops- stationed at this place about ten days. 
 They had been on an excursion into Canada ; but the enemy 
 not being in sufficient force to meet them, fell back to their 
 strongholds, and the U. S. troops came out into this town, 
 (Champlainj) and there not being any barracks for their ac- 
 commodation, they went into a thick forest of hard Avood, OH 
 the outskirts of which Skere were raany small bushy pines ; 
 these they cut down to build their camps Avith, and although 
 many acres of wood were cut down, to keep their fires, in this 
 short space of time, it Avas said their camps Avere built in such 
 a slight and rude manner, that they suffered severely Avith th3 
 cold. 
 
 One day Avhile some of our men Avere rambling through the 
 woods that these troops had occupied, they found the body of 
 a dead man in a ci*adle-holIoAv, coA'ered OA'er Avith leaA'es, rot- 
 ten Avood, brush, &c. It avj1b told us that Avhile those troops 
 AA'ere there, one man AA'as killed by a staitinel who Avas guard- 
 ing s©rae hay. An officer AA'anting some for his horse, sent a; 
 man to get it for him, Avithout a AA'ritten order, as the regula- 
 tions required. The sentry forbid his taking any, but he dis- 
 regarded it, and attempted to carry sonre aAvay in his arms.- 
 The sentry becoming exasperated, thrust his bayonet through 
 his l)ody and killed him on the spot ! 
 
 This, reader, is no fiction ; it is a true story. Such is the 
 nature and cruel disposition of man, Avhen he supposes he has^ 
 the LiAvs of his country to sustain him. Tliat Avas the case 
 Avith that murderer, for such I must call him. lie seemed to 
 think ghat, because he Avas placefl tiierc by a militarj' officer to 
 guard the hay, lie had a right to take that man's life for at- 
 tempting to carry some away Avithout his consent. But such 
 Avas not the case. lie Avas handed OA'cr to the officers of jus- 
 tice, tried by the laAA'S of Ncav Yoik State, for manslaughter, 
 found guilty, and sentenced to the State Prison for life 
 
15 
 
 I 
 
 We "vrere at tin's place about four •weeks. Many of our men 
 vrerc taken cloAvn sick Avith fevers, and Joseph Freeman, from 
 the town of Greene, Me., one of Ilerrick's men, died here. 
 
 There was but httle military duty to be done ; no guard 
 duty, except as before stated, and but one short drill daily. 
 There were no fatigue parties called out to dig up stumps and 
 stones, to level and smooth off parade grounds. Neither were 
 we kept under very strict discipline ; for we were all good 
 and true men, and our officers had much confidence both in 
 our courage and fidelity. 
 
 The neighboring; farmers wishinfji; to lie on sood terms with 
 the soldiers, occasionally offerecf to hire them to Avork on their 
 farms ; there was, however, but a small number who acccptCv^ 
 the offer, for a vast majority felt themselves a little above toil- 
 ing on a farm. There were a few of us, however, who took 
 up with the offer, and Avorked by the day like good fellows. 
 The first day of June, I Avorked for a Avealthy man by the 
 name of Ashfield, difroiin"; stone Avith an iron bar. The nidit 
 folToAving it Avas my turn to go on guard, and, as I have be- 
 fore remarked, the sentinels Avere stationed tAvo together, so 
 tiiat if an Indian should steal upon them unaAvarcs, and loma- 
 haAvk one, there Avould be another man left to give the alarm. 
 Broiderick Dillingham, Avho I Ijelieve is noAV living in jNIinot, 
 Me., Avas the man associated Avith me that night. We Avere 
 placed by the side of a great' rock, in an open field, about one 
 half mile from the garrison, and ordered not to stir a step, but 
 to keep a good lookout for Indians. We did not see any, 
 hoAVCA^er, that night. 
 
 The next day I Avorkcd for the same man, planting coin ou 
 a piece of broken up ground. It Avas Dat. moist land, the fur- 
 roAvs lay tAVO together, that is, one furroAv turnjjd back against 
 the other and then liarroAved lengthwise. We planted the 
 corn on top of the furroAVS, Avithout manure. When I had 
 finished my day's Avork, Mr. Ashfield said he Avished me to 
 Sielp hisa finish planting his corn, tlie next day. and he Avoultl 
 
16 
 
 tlien;^3ay me all up. Tliis I consented to do; but, alas ! my 
 pay I never got, and Mr. Aslifield nor his farm did I ever set 
 eyes on again after that night. 
 
 The United States had three sloops-of war on Lake Cham- 
 plain, carrying eleven 12 pound carronades each, viz : Presi- 
 dent, Growler, and Eagle. They Avere intended for the pro- 
 tection of the inhabitants from the incursions and depredations 
 of tlie enemy. For some weeks they had been emploj-ed at 
 the head of the Lake, transporting troops, ^munitions of war, 
 &c., from the Vermont to the New York -side. In their ab- 
 sence, the British had been up with their gun-boats from the 
 Isle Aux Naux, (where they had a garrfeon of about 1000 
 men.) crossed the line and plundered the inhabitants on the 
 Lake shore, of their property, such as cattle, sheep, hogs, <fca 
 Lieutenant Smith, the commander of our forces on the Lake, 
 being informed of these depredations, came down with the 
 Growler and Eagle to protect the inhabitant and chastise the 
 enemy for their insolence. He came to anchor on the after- 
 noon of the 2d of June, within about one mile of Canada line, 
 but his vessels not "being more than half manned, he sent an 
 officer to our camp for volunteers to man them, as he expect- 
 ed an immediate attack by the enemy. 
 
 Just as I returned from my day's work to the garrison, the 
 naval officer rode up to the quarters of our officers. After a 
 short interview, Capt. Herrick called his company on to the 
 parade, which Avas nothing more than the common road, or 
 highway, and told them the outrages the British had commit- 
 ted, the situation of the two sloops, then lying about 4 miles 
 distant, that volunteers were called for to act as marines, that 
 he could not compel any man to go against his will, but for 
 one, he would go, if his men would follow him. And now, 
 says Capt. II., any of you that are not on duty, and are will- 
 111:2; to follow me, please step three paces in front of the ranks. 
 Instantly thirty-three of his men, including myself, stepped 
 from the ranks, and oui- names .were taken down. The oificjcir 
 
IT 
 
 tlion proceeded to the garrison of Capt. "White. In loss than 
 an hour he returned ^vith Lieut. Dcnison, of Capt. AVliite's 
 company, and twenty of his men. Immediately we, fifty-five 
 of us in all, Averc on our march for the sloops and a little more 
 active service, heedless and thoughtless to what that rash and 
 inconsiderate step would lead us. The road from our camp to 
 the Lake was then muddy and full of sloughs, and as the niglit 
 A\as cloudy and dark, we went through it, thick and thiu, 
 turning out for nothing. 
 
 As the sloops lay at some .distance from the shore, and as 
 we had to be taken GJ0f to them in small boats, it was near 
 midnight before we were all on board, and then all the chance 
 we had to get any rest Avas to lay down on the sloop's deck 
 Avithout any coA'ering. 
 
 We expected to be attacked by the enemy the next morn- 
 ing, and thought aa'c felt quite Avilling to exchange a few shots 
 Avith him by Avay of compliment. At daylight, no enemy ap- 
 pearing in sight, we w^eighed anchors and made sail doAvn the 
 ri\'er into the enemy's territory, expecting to meet him. At 
 eight o'clock A. M. we AA-erc Avithin about tAvo miles of the 
 enemy's Fort on Isle Aux Naux, and ton or twelve miles from 
 the lines. Five gun boats, full of men, soon made then- ap- 
 pearance round an intervening point of land, which lay be- 
 tAveen our sloops and the Fort. We were close upon them, 
 and immediately gaA'e them several broadsides of canister and 
 grape, Avhich so crippled one of their number, that they put 
 back, and aac saAv that one no more. The other boats also 
 retired out of the reach of our grape and canister shot, but 
 they being under the guns of their OAvn Fort, Ave could not 
 I'olloAv them, Avhcre they kept a continual firing upon us Avitli 
 1 2 pound shot. They had greatly the adA'antage of us at long 
 shots, their boats being Ioav on the Avater, and having but one 
 gun and that in the boAV, and their boats lying comparatively 
 y.till on the Avatcr, and our sloops being near tAvcnty times as 
 lyi'ge-, gave them a pretty fair mark to fire .at. On tlie othci- 
 
18 
 
 hand, the sloops being under sail and the gun boats being 
 small, it was no easy matter to hit them at long shot with a 
 ball. In addition to the gunboats, Ave had to contend with 
 five or six hundred of the enemy on the shore, who hid them- 
 selves behind large trees. The river there was about a mile 
 in width, and we had to keep near the West shore on account 
 of the shoalness of the water. The woods being thick to tlie 
 water's edge, and the trees large, the enemy was seldom seen, 
 but they kept up a continual fire upon us, their bullets whist- 
 ling through the sloop's rigging and against her sides like 
 hail stones. 
 
 Our whole force numbered only 105 men, while that of the 
 enemy Avas not less than 700 or 800. , Our foes being hidden 
 from our sight and about seven times our number, we Avere 
 obliged for the most part of the time, to keep our heads be- 
 low the gunAvale, or their bullets avouM lessen the number 
 of our mess. The enemy having so greatly the adA'antage of 
 us, both in numbers and position, Ave concluded to retreat, 
 but having to beat back against the wind and current, avc 
 made sIoav progress. As Ave retired avc kept a continual 
 thundering at the gun boats as well as the foe in the Avoods, 
 Avith broadside after broadside of canister and grape. As 
 those in the Avoods folloAved us they came to a piece of cleared 
 land, Avhere there Avas an old log house. A large number of 
 them entered and begaii to fire upon us, Avhen Ave brought 
 our guns to bear and gaA^e them a broadside of canister and 
 round shot that gave the old house a terrible shaking. Wo 
 Avere so near that Ave could see the splinters fly, and the red- 
 coats running for the AVOods for dear life. 
 
 Several of the enemy's grape shot struck our A'essels. One 
 shot entered a port hole, knocked off a splinter from one of 
 the gun carringes, Avhich struck a man Avho stood Avithin four 
 feet of me, in the face, smashing his upper lip, knocking out 
 his teeth and greatly bruising and disfiguring him. He fell, 
 as Avc thought, dead, and lay sometime Avithout motion; but 
 
I 
 
 19 
 
 after a^Yllilc be picked himself np and cra-wlod do-\vn into tlic 
 vessel's hold, and that -svas the last that I ever saAV of him. 
 His name was Perham, and he belonged in Greene, Me. The 
 same splinter wounded John Reed, a sergeant in Capt. Ilcr- 
 rick's company, who in consequence received a pension from 
 our government until his death, which took place in Novem- 
 ber, 1849. 
 
 Our vessel, the Growler, was struck several times with 12 
 pound shot, one of which passed through her hull, but fortu- 
 nately hurt no one. One struck the Eagle, and passed thro' 
 her, near the water line, and the water poured in so rapidly 
 that she began to sink, and to save themselves they hauled 
 down their colors and surrendered prisoners of war. She 
 was run on shore, near the enemy, where she heeled over witl 
 her hold full of y,-ater and gave up the ghost. She was fired 
 upon by the gun boats, and one 12 pound shot passed through 
 her mast, after she had surrendered and been run aground ! 
 
 The Growler, which I was on board of, continued to fire and 
 beat back near an hour longer, but having spent nearly all of 
 her ammunition, and seeing no chance to save ourselves, it 
 was determined to strike our colors also, and thus we became 
 prisoners of Avar to king George IV. As soon as our colors 
 came down, the enemy was along side with their boats. Capt. 
 Downa (who was killed in the battle with Comodore McDo- 
 nough Sept. 11, 1814, fifteen months after this) came on 
 board Avith his officers, and scolded our sailing master for not 
 brino-in-T our vessel to anchor after avc had doused our colors. 
 He told him he ought to be hanged, &c. He ordered our 
 officers to deliver up their SAvords, telling them they Avoidd be 
 returned again, but the promise I believe Avas never fulfilled. 
 
 In this battle the enemy acknowledged that they had thirty 
 men killed, about fifteen of whom Avcre killed in the old log 
 house by a broadside from the Growler. The number of their 
 wounded Ave did not learn. 
 
 AYe had but one man killed. His name Avas Gilbert Cham- 
 
20 
 
 bcrlain. He was one of Herrick's men, and was filiot throun-k 
 tlic head and instantly killed while resting his gun on the 
 gunwale of tthe vessel to fire upon the enemy. His native 
 place Avas the .town of Greene, Me. 
 
 About fifteen of our men wore severely wounded, all of 
 Avhom, except cOne, were the next day sent back over the linos 
 to o.ur own people. This man's name was Gooding, and he 
 belonged in JBrunswick, Me. He was severely wounded in 
 the shoulder by a shot, and was unable to be moved. 
 
 During the battle, which lasted about three hours, after a 
 few of the first shots, the enemy's gunboats were not nearer 
 than half a mile to our vessels, and the most part of the time 
 not nearer than a mile, consequently we fought at long shots. 
 Their shots would genei'ally strike the water about half way 
 between us, and then s'ldp along, striking several times before 
 tliey sank. One shot struck the water within about a cable's 
 length of the Growler, and then bounded into the air and Avent 
 directly over her. The shots that went through our vessel, 
 sti'uck the water first several times, and then had sufficient 
 force to pass through her sides. 
 
 This small victory gave the enemy great encouragement, 
 and emboldened them to rashness, and finally proved the means 
 of their entire overthrow in this quarter of their operations, 
 as the sequal wi*ll show. 
 
 Immediately after this engagement the British raised the 
 sunken Sloop, [the Eagle,] and after repairing her and the 
 Growler, manned them as well as their gunboats, and being 
 then masters of the Lake in point of strength, they sailed up 
 to riatsburg and Burlington, and after making a great display 
 of their strength, and having none to oppose them, returned 
 to their strong fortress on Isle Aux Naux. 
 
 At the time this expedition Avas sent up to the Lake, the 
 enemy collected about three thousand troops and sent them to 
 Odeltown, and from thence they crossed the lines Avith the 
 uvoAVcd intention of laying seige to the garrisons m thi? towji 
 
21 
 
 of Champlain, t'Kat -were tBen occtipied by the remnants of 
 Capt. Ilcrriclv's and White's companies. They however, hav- 
 ing notice of the enemy's approach, and not ])eing in sufficient 
 force to repel tliem, fell back several miles into the country ; 
 and when the enemy made their ai>pearance, they found noth- 
 ing to oppose them. They set fire to the garrisons and'made 
 good their retreat back to Canada. 
 
 The remainder of this season, and the fore part of the next, 
 both the Yankees and the l>ritish were busily engaged in build- 
 ino- and streno^thening; their fleets upon this Lake. The U. S. 
 had but one vessel left, the President, after the capture of the 
 Growler and Eagle; but by the first of Sept. 1814, they had 
 (juite a respectable force ready for immediate service. On the 
 11th of September, learning that the enemy was advancing 
 with all his force to attack him. Commodore McDonough, 
 who was then commander of the U. S. forces on the Lake, 
 brought his fleet to anchor in a kind of half circle, Avith springs 
 upon his cables, ali in view and not far distant from Platts- 
 l)nrir. A'crv soon Capt. Downa, the commander of the Brit- 
 ish fleet, made his appearance and began the attack. The 
 ])articulars of this hard fought battle I Avill not here relate, 
 jbr it is AvcU known to all who are acquainted with the history 
 of the war of 1812, that in that battle, Capt. Downa's fleet 
 was nearly anniliilatcd, and that himself and his lady, Avho 
 accompanied him, were both killed: also about sixty of hi-^ 
 men. besides a ]ar2;e number who were wounded and taken 
 lirisoners. 
 
 Li connection with this Naval arinament, the British raise<l 
 an armv of about fourteen thousand men, Avith which they in- 
 Naded the State of New York a second time. They reached 
 the hii-hts of Plattsburg iust in time to witness the destruc- 
 tion of nearly the whole of their fleet, without having it in 
 their power to render the least assistance, and accordingly 
 they immediately began their retreat back to Canada. 
 
 Gea. Macomb, who w-os then commandcr-ickchief at Platts- 
 
09 
 
 I I r • 
 
 burn;, -was not in suSicient force to risk a c:cncral battle, but 
 be succeeded in greatly barrassing tbe enemy's army, by an- 
 noying their flanks, cutting off tbeir rear guards, &c., Icilliug 
 and capturing about one thousand men. The British also lost 
 about one thousand men by desertion. 
 
 But, to return to mj narrative. After our surrender, -we 
 Avere conveyed to their fortress on Isle Aux Naux, and a 
 strong guard placed over us, and there "\ve Avcrc kept until the 
 next morning. What was most l^umiliating to our feelings, 
 "was, as wo approaclied the Island and as "\ve landed, ^ye "were 
 met by several hundred soldiers, and some scores of old "wo- 
 men and children, -who set up such a hideous squalling and 
 liurrahing, as I never heard or sa^w the hke before. We much 
 regretted that it "was not in our po"wer to stop their mouths. 
 One British soldier came rushing in among us and requested 
 to kno\Y if there "was one of our men killed "who had on a red 
 shirt. He said he fired at one, and sa"w him fill. We told 
 him that he did not kill him, but that he "was badly "wounded. 
 He "was an oldish man, a sailor, by the name of Duncan, and 
 had been ordered over the sloop's side to s"'.vab out and charge 
 one of the guns. This "\vas ahvays done "when the guns to be 
 charged "were on the opposite side of the vessel from the ene- 
 my. Duncan had charged his gun, and "was in the act of 
 sprinfi-in": over the .OTiiwalc to the deck, "when a musket ball 
 grazed his forehead, took a piece out of his hat three or four 
 inches long and the skin and flesh to his skull bone. He fell 
 to the deck stunned, but not killed, and "whether he ever re- 
 covered from the "wound is more than I kno"w. 
 
 Immediately after we surrendered, "we began to thro-w over- 
 board our small arms, — guns, pistols, S"words, tomahaAvka, cut- 
 lasses, boarding-pikes, tomahawks, &c., — so there were but 
 few left when the enemy boarded us. 
 
 The next day after our capture, we were taken down tlio 
 St. John's river in row-boats, about twenty miles, to the town 
 of St. Johns. On arriving, it being King George's birth-day. 
 
23 
 
 tho fourth of June* our guards gave each of us a glass of OKI 
 Jamaica, and reciucsted us to drink to the kealth of the King. 
 We drank ^vith thankful hearts, but the King we choose to 
 say nothing about. 
 
 The 5th day of June, we were taken by hind to Chanible, 
 a vil]a"-e situated on the St. Johns, which here takes the 
 name of SorreU. On account of rocks and rapids in the river 
 fiom St. Johns to this place, it is not boatablc, consequently 
 we had to foot it, except the sick, lame and halt, who were 
 provided with horses and horse-carts. 
 
 On our arrival, we Avere put into some old stone barracks 
 and confined there until about noon the next day, Avhen we 
 Avere aizain started for j\Iontreal, distant from Chamble about 
 fifteen miles, and from St. Johns thirty. On account of my 
 old lameness, I had the offer of a ride the whole distance, 
 which I gladly accepted. There were about ten of us who 
 rode in the two horse carts, one of whom was a young lady 
 who v>-as captured on board the Growler with us. She had 
 the offer of being carried back with the wounded over the lines, 
 Ijut she refused ; choosing she said, to go with the men, and 
 return home when they did. She Avas naturally a pretty de- 
 cent lookino: woman, but she Avas a deluded character. 
 
 We arrived at a hotel on the banks of the St. Lawrence, 
 nearly opposite Montreal, about five o'clock in the afternoon. 
 Here Ave Avere put into open boats and rowed over the riA'er by 
 hired Canadians, and then passed doAvn the river on the "West 
 side. Two boats also accompanied us. Containing about tAven- 
 ty-fiA-e soldiers Avith loaded muskets, ready to fire upon us if 
 Ave should attempt to make ourselves masters of tlie l)oats and 
 run aAvav Avith tlie boatmen. 
 
 We passed rapidly doAvn this mightj' river until near daik. 
 Avhen the l)oatmen put ashore and moored the boats a few fa- 
 thoms fiom the Avater's edge. The soldiers l)uilt a fire on 
 shore and stood guard over us all night. Not one of the pris- 
 oners Avas permitted to leave the boat, nor Avas tliero the least 
 
24 
 
 possible cliance for us to get any rest, except wHat we could 
 obtain by standing or sitting in the boats. 
 
 Early tbe next morning, the 7th of June, the boatmen came- 
 on board, took in their mud-hooks, and were again passing 
 rapidly down the river. On, on we went, where many of our 
 number w^ere doomed never to return ; never more to behold 
 the friends and happy homes they had left far behind ; and 
 little did they think of the suffering that: aAvaited them, — that 
 before that short summer should pass away, near one third <»f 
 our high-spirited, noble crew, would be mouldering in the dust 
 of a foreiirn land ! Alas ! such w^as their fate. 
 
 Our boatmen rowed all day. until near dark, when they 
 acain moored the boats in a small cove and near the shore. 
 A guard Avas placed over, us, as the night before, and Ave pass- 
 ed a second night Avithout any of us obtaining rest or sleep. 
 
 Early the next morning Ave Avere again on our way, l)ut 
 where w'e kncAV not. About dark we Avere landed at a village 
 called Three Rivers, and conducted into some old barracks, 
 Avhich was- gladly accepted as a resting place for the night. 
 Although Ave had nothing better to stretch our weary limbs 
 upon, than- the soft side of a board, yet we had a pretty good 
 night's rest, and avc Avere very much in need of it, for, being 
 in open boats the tAvo nights before. Avith nothing but the can- 
 opy of the heavens to cover or screen us from the chilly air 
 and' heavy night dews, to sleep was impostible ; nor Avas there 
 room in tlie boats for a, man to lay doAvn. We had nothing to 
 eat but raw pork and bread, and as for drink, Ave liad the riv- 
 er Avater v^e floated in, from the time Ave Avent on board the 
 boats at Montreal, until the first day of the next November. 
 The tide was always running at the rate of four or five mihs 
 an hour, and a-Miongh the Avater Avas SAveet to the taste, ytt 
 it being always a httlc turbid, the effect on our bowels and 
 health may easily be imagined. 
 
 On the morning of ttie 9th of June, avo tsok another start, 
 and about two o'clock in the afternoon we arxived within about 
 
25 
 
 one mile of the city of Quebec, and were ordered on board a' 
 transport sbip of 020 tons burthen, called the Malabar. She 
 had recently arrived from England Avith troops, munitions of- 
 ■vvar, &c., and was then lying at anclior about one mile abovo 
 the city and about that distance fro* the West shore, the riv-- 
 or there being about three miles -wide. As -we ascended the' 
 rope ladder and went over the side of the ship, -we found to out-* 
 sorrow, upon her deck and before our eyes, about three 
 hundred American prisoners. Although they had been there 
 but a few weeks, yet their soiTowfuI and haggard looks told a. 
 tale of suffering; and woe. 
 
 Our crew numbered a])out 90 men, the guard and sliip's 
 crew about 40 more, making in all about 430 men on board 
 that ship. 
 
 By day we had only about one-half the deck, it being barr- 
 ed across at the middle mast, and sentries placed to prevent 
 us from going any further aft, consequently we were badly 
 crowded and about as thick as we could stand. At sunset, 
 we were counted down between decks, and remained there un- 
 til sunrise the next morning, and then counted again as we 
 came on deck. None Avere allowed to go between decks dur- 
 ing the day, except one mess, of six men, Avho wore called by 
 turns every day, to go below and clean up, Avhich was no small 
 job, you may depend. They used three-cornered scrapers, 
 shovels, scrub-brooms, buckets of Avater, mops, &c. 
 
 The ship had tAvo tier of berths, one above the other, built 
 of rough boards around the loAver deck. They Averc intended 
 each to hold four nK'n,*but Ave Averc obliged to croAvd five into 
 each berth, and tlieii liad to lay spoon fashion, and when (iiie 
 turned or shifted sides, all luul to change too. For tluj Avant 
 of berths, thirty or fort}'' men liad to lie u[i'>u tlie bare deck 
 during the Avholc time wc Avere on board the Malaltar. We 
 Averc in Egj'ptian dark also, and many having occiisiou to go 
 upon the upper deck during the night, avouM troa<l on and 
 tumble over thodc who Avore strcchcd out on the deck, Avhicb 
 
26 
 
 ■was tlie occasion of many horrible oatlis and Litter curses. 
 Some had blankets and some had none, and the suiFering y\c 
 endured on board that horrible ship, nearly six months, "was 
 enough to excite pity in the most savage breast. Our pro- 
 visions were of the most loathsome kind. Vv^e had half a 
 pound of what they called pork, but it was much the poorest 
 of any thing of the kind I ever saAV before, also one pound 
 and a half of bread and one gill of peas per day, each. What 
 we lacked in meat alone, yxe had in meat and bread tos-ether. 
 for nearly all Our bread was full of live worms ! about half 
 an inch long, but a great part of it was so mouldy that worms 
 could not live in it. It had the appearance of being made of 
 barley meal, without bolting or sifting. It was put into coarse 
 bags and kept in the ship's hold, and had the appearance of 
 having been baked some years. 
 
 As we had to sleep upon hard boards, with nothing under 
 us but a blanket, the continual rolling alid motion of the ship 
 .soon wore the skin from our hij)S. We were kept in dirt and 
 £lth, had no clothing except what yve stood in when we were 
 captured, had no chance to wash a shirt 'or any thing else, and 
 no such privilege allowed us while on board that floating pris- 
 on. And I will further say, although it may cause a shud- 
 der, or a qualmish feeling to come over the delicate and sen- 
 sitive reader, (and well it may.) jet as it is true, and that 
 the reader may form some faint idea of our situation and suil- 
 ering, I will not pass it over in silence, and here it is. kind 
 reader, — we were all luusy ! Yes, these horrible virmin were 
 in our blankets, shirts, and every part of our clothing, and 
 swarming in every article. Their presence was caused by our 
 being confined so close together and ke|)t in dirt and filth, 
 Avithout a change of clothing. Thoy liad no respect of per- 
 sons, all had a full share of tl)eir company. Day times they 
 Avould hide themselves under tlie jiatches, pleats and seams on 
 our clothing, and at niglit would come furth fi'om tlieir liiding 
 places and prey upon our emaciated bodies, and althoug]\ wc 
 
27 
 
 slew vast numbers tliiilj, yet those that ckidcd our search^ 
 greatly outnumbered us. 
 
 Two of our number "were set to do the cookiiig, that is, to 
 ])oil our meat and peas. It Avas done in large sijuarc copper 
 ])oi]crs, set in a cast iron fire-place. The boiler was several 
 inches higher than the iron jambs that surrounded it on three 
 sides, and it also set far enough from the jambs to allow the 
 fa'o to blaze un around it, and here all those that had a tin 
 cup. or tin quart, Avould fill it with water and then set it on 
 the fire-frame, restino; it against the boiler, and then take 
 some of their miserable, loathsome bread, such as they could 
 not eat, burn it to a crust and make coffee of it. That we 
 relished hinhlv. 
 
 Vie were classed in messes of six, and some messes received 
 their daily portions together ; their meat was boiled in little 
 bags of liet work made of rope yarn, and then eat together. 
 They would frequently loose, hoM'ever, that way, for portions 
 of their meat would boil to pieces and fall through the netting, 
 and on that account far the greatest number of us Avould have 
 our portions divided, and each man take his part seperate, and 
 to make sure of the whole, would devour it raw. Many of 
 us, frequent]}- fihy or sixty, would, if possible, procure a lit- 
 tle stick or splinter, and stick on an ounce or two of lean pork, 
 and when the cooks took off the boiler, there Avould be a rush 
 made for the fire by some scores of men. to l)roil their m«it 
 on the few remaining coals that were left ; but the weak, the 
 timid, and the feeble, stood but a jwor chance. All were sel- 
 fish ; none, or but a verj' few, seemed to shoAV. or have any 
 feeling for tlieir fellow prisoners. They Avould l>e crowded 
 and Avcdged in five or six deep, with bits of meat on their 
 skewers, and in their scrambling and i)ushing, it AVOuld fre- 
 (piently get knocked off the skcAver, Avliicli Avould often cause 
 bloody noses, — it Avould be but a Avord and a blow, and the 
 bloAV very frequently come first. 
 
 In the month of August wc Avere visited by Gvn. Chandler 
 
2S- 
 
 Oen. AA'iiider, and Col. BaerstleF. who were pri.i':mers of war, 
 on a limited parole, at the town of Bowport, fou:^" or five miles 
 helow Quebec. Tlicy were accompanied by se^.'^ral British 
 officers and the U. S. Agent. They made us a present of 
 four dollars each in hard money-; an article very much needed 
 l)y us. The next day a French Canadian came off to the ship 
 in a bum-boat, to t^ade with us. He had cakes, pies, smoked 
 herring, fruits, vegetables, (fee, for all of which he asked 
 twice or three times as much as thev were worth : l)ut his 
 price had to be paid, or no trade. He was not allowed to 
 come on deck, nor were we alloAved to go over the side of the 
 ship to trade with him, so we let down our money in a pail or 
 basket, made fast to a line, and he would return just as mucli 
 of the article we wanted, as he pleased, and no more. 
 
 One time while John, for that was his name, was busilv 
 engaged, Avith his- back turned towards the ship, some one let 
 down a line with a hook attached to it, and drew up a small 
 Viasket containing a quantity of smoked herring, &c. Jolm 
 soon missed them, but knowing they were forever gone from 
 him, comforted himself by singing out at the top of his voice. 
 "Sacra non ge ! Sacra non ge ! begare.*' The Englisli ot 
 which needs no interpretation, but may easily be imagined. 
 John continued his visits daily Avhile our Ationey lasted, and 
 after he ha^l got it all. he took our lady prisoner on i-^hovo 
 with him, and that was the last I saw of either of them. 
 
 In the months of July and August, eight of the prisoners- 
 attempted to gain their liberty by swimming on shore in the 
 night. The two first that left the ship, we supposed Avcre 
 successful, for we never heard from them again. Their name* 
 were Smith and Hutchinson. They went on deck in a dark 
 nigiit and let themselves down into the water by a rope, un- 
 observed by the sentries. The nearest land they could possi- 
 bly reach by swimming, Avas a point that made lound Wolf's 
 Cove, and was about tlirce miles above wh^ro our ship lay at 
 Hnchor. 
 
^9 
 
 But a few liiglits after Smith and Iluteliinson left tlie sliip, 
 two others made the attempt ; but their strcngtli fiiihng them 
 long before thoy reached the shore, tkcy called loudly for 
 help, and a boat put off from a ship lying at anchor not far 
 from them, with an intent to save them, but before the boat 
 reached them, they sank and were both drowned. Their 
 bodies were picked up some days after, and buried. One of 
 them was a drummer, his najine was Haywood, and he belong- 
 ed in the State of New York. The name of the other was 
 Webber, and he belonged in the District, now State of Maine. 
 
 What, but the most intense suffering and anxiety of mind, 
 could induce men to risk their lives by plunging into the deep, 
 foaming river, on a dark night, knowing they must swim three 
 miles before they could reach land, or be drowned. 
 
 After that but two prisoners were permitted to go on deck at 
 once in the night; and the sentry was obliged to see them be- 
 low before others were allowed to go up, and being thus closely 
 watched, there was no more chance to leave the ship in that 
 way. But there was a scuttle in the side of the ship, about 
 eighteen inches square, strongly fastened with cross-bars of 
 hard wood, and small holes left to let in air to prevent the 
 prisoners from suffocating Avith heat. To get out that scuttle 
 was the next thing to be tried. Wc operated in the night 
 with our knives, and cut every bar nearly off upon the inside, 
 and then watchoil a favorable opportunity to go out, Avhich 
 must be in a still, calm night, with the tide coming in. Soon 
 a favorable opportunity occurred, and four stout hearted 
 young men got ready for their perilous voyage, and surely 
 none other than men of courage would have attempted it. 
 Three of them went out together, but the fourth man, whose 
 name was Hanway, put his head out through the scuttle, and 
 seeing the suiTOunding darkness and gloom of night, and 
 hearing the agitated waters as they foamed and dashed against 
 the side of the vessel, and realising the danger he was expos- 
 ing himself to, drew back with fear; but after waiting a few 
 
30 
 
 minutes, lie said lie liacl made iiii liis mind to leave tlie infer- 
 nal ship that night, and sink or swim, die or live, he 'would'' 
 make the attempt. Ahout fifteen minutes after the others, 
 had left, he went out with the flood tide, hut long before he 
 could see the shore he became weary, his strength began io. 
 fail him, and he called for help. A boat with three men was 
 sent from a ship, Ij'vag at anchor near by, to his relief, be- 
 fore they came up with liira he had reached the shore, but in 
 so exhausted a state that he could not get out of their way. 
 After telling them who he was, and seeing; his naked condition, 
 they furnished him v>-itli a part of their own clothing, together 
 Aviih a hat, shoes, &c., and told him to get clear if he could; 
 but after being gone about three days, he was captured and 
 brouii'ht back to the ship as'ain. 
 
 o to 
 
 The other tlii-ee men were gone about fourteen days, and 
 then captured and brought back by some armed Canadians 
 who were in pursuit of them for the sake of the reward of five 
 dollars a head, that was offered for their apprehension and re- 
 turn to the ship. They said that when they were taken, they 
 were within a few miles of the lines. 
 
 We had resolved that dishonesty of one prisoner towards 
 another, should bo punished. That we knew could not well 
 be dispensed with. There was a set of desperate men among 
 us, who seemed to take delight in cruelty and tyarannizing 
 over their fellow prisoners, and about a half dozen of these 
 rabbid fellows, made that resolve a plea for carrying out their 
 own i'al)liid principles. They fell upon one man and flogged. 
 him so severely that he had to be sent to the hospital, where 
 he soon after died. He was a dragoon ; his name Avas Shed,, 
 and he 1)elonged in Salem, Massachusetts. 
 
 Some days after this, they accused a young man of Capt. 
 Ilerrick's company, by the name of Emery, of stealing from 
 his mess, and began to prepare to "cob" him. Myself and 
 many others, knowing that Emery was an honest fellow, and 
 that the charge was false, determined that he should not bo 
 
liiirt if Avc could prevent it. But tbcy took poor Emery ami 
 Ji-agged him to one of tlic ship's gitns, set him astride of it, 
 and then four or five of them held him do^vn, ■while one Wel>- 
 ber, a large, powerful man, stood by "vvith a bat-board in his 
 hand to battel him "with. Four or five of us, Emery's friends, 
 crowded around, told them that Emery was innocent and that 
 their charge was false, and that he must not be hurt ; but 
 they heeded it not. Webber raised his cudgel and struck 
 Emery a cruel blow upon his breech, without our being able 
 to prevent it by reason of the crowd ; he raised his weapon to 
 strike again, — Emery begging for help, — in an instant I rush- 
 ed into the crowd and sprang upon Webber, wrenched the 
 cudgel out of his hand and threw it overboard, before he could 
 inflict another blow. Webber, Smith, Peterson, Blanchard, 
 Bill Evaton, or Saucy Bill as we used to call him, and Peter 
 McDaniels an Irishman, came at me like tigers, but I was 
 prepared for them, and gave them several well directed shots 
 of bone and sinew, which brought two or three of them down 
 sprawling upon the deck. The others closed in with me, but 
 my friends being on hand, we had it rough and tumble for a 
 short time. The officers of the ship hearing and seeing the 
 rumpus, were soon at the scene of action, and inquiring into 
 the cause of the tumult. We told them of the cruel conduct 
 of the rowdies, at which they ordered the guard to drive them 
 into tlic ship's hold, where they were kept until the next 
 momiing, which put a final stop to such reprehensible conduct, 
 and Yv'ebbcr v.-as soon after drowned in attempting to swim 
 ashore, as I have before stated. 
 
 While we wore on boaid that ship it Avas very sickly among 
 the prisoners, and for several weeks in the latter part of Juno 
 and the first of July, some days two. three, and sometimes, 
 four men would die. One man died the next day after wc 
 were put on board the ship. Volunteers being called lor to 
 go on shore and bury him, myself with several oth.er prison- 
 ers, offered our services. We went under a guard of British 
 
32 
 
 soldiers, landed at a wliarf and passal -tlirougli tlie upper part 
 of the city. The ascent was quite steep from the 'wharf, and 
 I noticed one street so steep that it was not passalnle except for 
 foot people, and then only on stone steps. The houses were 
 mostly built but one story high, and wei'e of undressed stone, 
 which gave ithem a rough, ragged appearance. The buildings 
 were very compact, and the streets narrow, and as Vy-e passed 
 out of the city to the burying ground, which is on the border 
 of the Plains of Abraham, Ave passed through two ponderous 
 iron gates, in the two massive stone walls that encircle that 
 part of the city. We dug a grave in the common burying 
 ground and there deposited the mortal remains of our fellow- 
 prisoner, and .returned to the ship. 
 
 On our visit to the city, we Avere accompanied by Capt. 
 Askow, the commander of the prison ship. He had no con- 
 trol over us prisoners, but he seemed to be a kind hearted 
 man, and appeared to pity our situation. He told us while 
 on our way to the city, that he hoped before many weeks his 
 ship would 1)0 made a cartel of, to take us to the States, but 
 the kind wishes of the good man were never- realised by us. 
 
 About twenty of our men died on board of that horrible 
 ship Avithin a few fclays after we arrived on board. They had 
 no more nursing and but little more attention paid them, then 
 would so many brute beasts. Their dead bodies were put 
 into coffins made of rough boards, sawed by the prisoners on 
 board the ship with whip-saAvs. 
 
 Some time in the month of July, the sick, about thirty in 
 number, Avere transfeiTcd on board of a brig that had been fit- 
 ted up for a Hospital, and Avas then lying at anchor not far 
 from tlic ]\Lilabar. I soon after reported myself sick, and 
 sick I Avas. I Avas sick of my horrible situation, and I did 
 not think I could find such a dirty, loathsome, horrible place 
 on board tlic l)rig, as I was then in, and so it proved. The 
 sick there Avere poorly provided for, had bad accommodations, 
 an\ l)ad nurses. We Avcre on boiuxl the brig about three 
 
33 
 
 weeks, and in that short time many of our men breathed their 
 last. Corporal Herrick^ a cousin to our Captain, died there, 
 also, a man wlio belonged in Greene, a member of our compa- 
 ny, a man by the name of Churchill, who belonged in Paris, 
 and a man by the name of Pratt, are all that I now recollect. 
 
 The Doctor ordered all that were able to walk, to go on 
 deck every pleasant day, and those that were not too feeble, 
 to be helped on deck. The head nurse, whose name was Cor- 
 nel, got a rope and put it around a sick man's body, who was 
 as helpless as an infant, drew him up and lay him upon deck, 
 and the poor fellow died in less than one-half hour after. A 
 cruel nurse surely. 
 
 Some time in August, the British had got a Hospital fitted 
 up, a short distance above the city upon the border of the 
 Plains of Abraham, and nearly opposite where our ship lay, 
 to which place the sick were immediately sent, and where 
 great numbers of them died. Five of those that died here, 
 belonged to the small remnant of Capt. Ilerrick's company. 
 
 When I left the brig, with some others, I was ordered back 
 to the prison ship, where we were doomed to remain about 
 three months longer. Soon after my return, one of my berth 
 mates,, who slept with me, was suddenly seized in the night 
 Avith powerful delirium. His talk was frantic, wild and inco- 
 herent, but I contrived to keep him in the berth until morn- 
 ing. After we were counted up, out of the dirty hold, on to 
 the deck, I took him by the arm and led him to the sentry, 
 who was always on guard to keep the prisoners from going on 
 to the quarter deck, and asked him to be so kind as to speak 
 to Capt. Askow and ask him if he would not come there. 
 He complied with my request, and soon the Capt. came. I 
 pointed to the young man that was bereft of reason, and asked 
 if there could be anything done for him. The Capt. put his 
 hand on his shoulder and bid him follow; lie took him as far 
 as the cabin door, and then brought him a tumbler of w ine ; 
 the poor fellow grasped it with both hands, drank it off at a 
 
34 
 
 draught, and returned to me, apparently better.. I assisted? 
 liim all I could, and that Avas but little. Soon after noon the 
 Doctor came on board and ordered this man, -with some others, 
 to be sent on shore to the hospital. Before they reached the 
 shore, however, it began to rain, and poured down in torrents. 
 Surely, thought I, this is too bad weather for a sick man to be 
 out in, and it was. The man died in a few days after he got 
 to the hospital. He was a kind hearted, noble spirited young 
 man, and was one of Herrick's company. His name was 
 Trost and w^as a toAvnsman of mine. The names of the other 
 four who belonged to Herrick's company, that died in the 
 hospital, were Edward Parker, Jacob Sinclair, of Greene, Me., 
 and two young men who were brothers, by the name of Pratt, 
 ■who belonged in Livermore, Me. 
 
 One poor fellow by the name of Eames. attempted to run 
 away from the hospital, but did not get far. A Canadian 
 seeing him crossing some fields, went at him with his hoe- 
 handle, and Eames being too weak to resist, had to surrender, 
 and was sent back to the ship. 
 
 There were more than one thousand Amci-ican prisoners 
 sent to Quebec during the summer, and as they died off on 
 board the ship and in the hospital, our number was kept good 
 on board the ship, by new comers, of which there were more 
 or less every week. 
 
 About five hundred prisoners were put on Ijoard a large 
 ship called the Cathcart, that lay at anchor about one mile 
 below the Malabar, and on the opposite or East side of the 
 river, but we had no communication with them whatever. 
 
 Amonri: those that stood o-uard over us on board the ISIala- 
 bar, was an old soldier, who told me that he Avas in the Brit- 
 ish army and fought in several battles in the American Rev- 
 olution. He shoAved me the scar of a Avound on the forehead, 
 a little above the eye, that he said he received from the point 
 of an A.mei'ican soldier's bayonet, — ia a charge. The d€^t)t,iiX: 
 
35 
 
 his forehead T\'<as about as large as a beau, and tlic old soldier 
 seemed to be quite prowd of it. 
 
 While this man was standing sentry one day, with a bayo- 
 net in his hand, to prevent the prisoners from going between 
 decks, a Frenchman, who was an American prisoner, attempt- 
 ed to pass him and go below. The old soldier instantly put 
 the point of his bayonet to the Frenchman's breast, and told 
 him if he attempted to pass he would do it at his peril. The 
 Frenchman drew a long sheath knife, and faced him, and after 
 some sharp words between them, and keenly eyeing each oth- 
 er's weapons, they lowered the tones of their voices, and thr 
 Frenchman sheathed his knife and retired. 
 
 I Avill now relate an incident that I was an eye-witness to, 
 and then continue my narrative. The ship's Boatswain, an 
 Englishman, by the name of Ross, being engaged one day fix- 
 ing some rigging under the round-top, near the head of the 
 main mast, seated on a handspike lashed to the rigging, when 
 the handspike broke, precipitating him the distance of about 
 forty feet to the deck. He first fell across the mizzen stay, 
 which was about twenty feet from the deck, and then pitched 
 over and went down head first, striking upon the head of one 
 of the ship's pumps, breaking in his skull the bigness of a tea 
 cup, and leaving a piece that cut in and broke off in the solid 
 vrood, about one inch iii length. He was taken up senseless, 
 and sent on shore to the hospital, and in about five weeks was 
 able to come on board again ; the Doctor having taken out the 
 broken peices of his cranium and put in a pcice of plated 
 silver. 
 
 Bv the time cold weather set in, many of our men bofran to 
 sufter with the cold, their clothes having rotted with dirt and 
 filth, and dropped off from them. Having no bedding, ex- 
 cept one blanket to every five men, which we spread under us, 
 we slept with our clothes on, which greatly hastened their 
 tlecay. 
 
36 
 
 The Roman Catliolics of the city being made acquainted 
 with our condition, generously contributed sonietliing to our 
 then present need, and sent us a lot of ready made clothing, 
 Avhich was distributed to those who were most needy. I ob- 
 tained one shirt, and that was all the clothing I received dur- 
 ing the time I was a prisoner, which was one year. 
 
 About the 20th of October, 1813, the prisonship Cathcart, 
 which had been lying at anchor about one mile below the 
 Malabar, for about four months, set sail for Dartmoor Prison, 
 England, with about five hundred prisoners on board. On 
 the first day of November follovang, the ]\Ialabar set sail for 
 the same port and prison, with 372 prisoners on board, to- 
 gether with 27 German soldiers as a guard, and four passen- 
 gers, besides the ship's crew and officers, in all numbering 
 more than four hundred souls. Three of the passengers were 
 Ladies, an old lady and her two daughters, and a British of- 
 ficer who was wounded on board the gun-boats in the battle 
 with the Growler and the Eagle, on the 3d day of June be- 
 fore, the yard that held up the boat's sail, being shot away, it 
 fell upon him and broke his shoulder. 
 
 We sailed from Quebec in company Avith eight merchant 
 idups, loaded with lumber, &c.; and all under convoy of t\vo 
 Ships, a Frigate, and a Sloop of AVar. 
 
 The IMalabar was the fastest sailer, and was soon far ahead 
 of all the other vessels. As the navigation of the river was 
 considered somewhat dangerous, on account of shoals, rocks, 
 &c., our passage down was quite slow; but, as I have before 
 said, the ]\Ialabar was the foremost ship, and on her arrival at 
 a place called Brandy Port, near two hundred miles below 
 Quebec, she came to anchor, in order to wait until the rest of 
 the fleet came up, that from thence all might take a new start 
 together. Soon after she came to anchor, there came on a 
 heavy East wind accompanied with much rain. Tlie gale 
 was tremendous, and caused our ship to drag her anchors, and 
 after buffeting the winds and waves for many hours, one of 
 
Ol 
 
 the anchors gave -way, the shank breaking near the stock, anJ 
 the remaining anchor continuing to drag with greater rapidity. 
 The officers were in much fear that the ship, by the violence 
 of the Aviud and waves, would be driven upon the opposite 
 shore, Avhere not only the ship, but the lives of all on board, 
 must inevitably have been lost. But a good Providence or- 
 dered it otlicrwisc, and our ship after dragging her remaining 
 anchor nearly across the river, which was there nearly twenty 
 miles Avide, was brought up, the anchor having caught and 
 held, and she rode out the gale, and we were safe. 
 
 Where the ship lay, tliere w:is no harbor, no high land t<> 
 break tlio fury of the winds, from any point whatever, and of 
 course ships there would feci tlic force of the winds about th',' 
 same as on the open sea in that gale. The Malabar pitched 
 and rolled tremendously, her decks often being deluged witli 
 Avater. After waiting here about two days, all the fleet came 
 up, and we proceeded on our voyage for England togethej-. 
 About the time we arrived at the mouth of the river, ther-' 
 came on a thick fog, and for about three days we were not in 
 sight or hearing of any other ship, and on that account, we. 
 the prisoneis, thought we saw a favoral)le opportunity to n 
 gain our liberty by taking the ship. In conse(|uence of tl 
 small allowance of unwhol.^ome provisions, and our long coi 
 fincmcnt, we were greatly reduced in bodily strength and ac- 
 tivity, but nevertheless, our spirits were buoyant with hope, 
 and we felt satisfied, in our own minds, that if we made on^- 
 vigorous effort with whnt little remaining strength we were in 
 possession of, we coidd make ourselves masters of the noble 
 ship and tluit liberty, tlint boon we so much hankered aftci'. 
 was within our reach. Accordingly, we that felt ourselve-* 
 most capable of performing the hazardous and perilous task, 
 one hun(hed of us in all, drew up and signed our names to a 
 paper, wh^ch was placed in the hiuids of our leader whos;; 
 name was IJeaty, pledging ourselves to rush on dock the ne.\t 
 morning at early dawn,— each man having tlie part assignc.li 
 
 n- 
 
 a- 
 1- 
 
38 
 
 him he was to take. These plans and arrangemctits were made 
 by us while between decks. The guard numbered twenty- 
 seven men. and the ship's crew and oiScers about fifteen more. 
 The prisoners numbered three hundred and seventy-tAvo ; but 
 then, we were unarm.ed, Ave had no weapons and depended 
 upon Avhat we sliould be able to pick up on and about the 
 deck. While the guns of our guard were always loaded and 
 ready to be fired upon us, there was also a small SAvivel placed 
 upon a pivot on the ship's poop, that Avas intended to be fired 
 upon the prisoners and to SAveep the ship's deck with grape 
 and canister shot, (Avhich is the most cruel and destructive of 
 any thing that can be fired upon a body of men,) in case they 
 should attempt to rise and overpoAver them. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the formidable Aveapons that Avere thus 
 arranged against us, we turned into our berths that night, in- 
 dulging the fond hope that by our OAvn physical strength and 
 courage, Ave should be masters of that valuable ship before the 
 rising of the sun the next morning. But, alas ! we Avere 
 doomed to be disappointed, and our expectations to be OA'er- 
 thrown. Before the next morning Ave all came near being 
 lost in the mighty ocean. We had been in a thick fog for 
 about three days, our navigators Avere not able to keep the 
 ship upon hel- right course, and about eight o'clock she struck 
 heavily upon some rocks, which instantly unshipped and car- 
 ried aAvay her rudder, and we saAv it no more ! The prison- 
 ers Avere in their berths betAveen decks and in total darkness. 
 
 As the sliip struck, avc distinctly heard the loud voice of 
 Mr. Sennett, the first mate, giving orders for a double guard 
 to 1)0 set at the ship's hatchAvays, to prcA^ent us prisoners from 
 getting on deck ; also, to let go the anchors, and to clear aAvay 
 and make ready the boats for launching. These orders Avcre 
 given in quick succession, and Irll like thunder-bolts upon our 
 startkd ears, and when avc found ouisclves confined between 
 decks, Ave began to tliink avc Avcrc doomed to a Avatcry grave. 
 
39 
 
 As the anchors brought her up m shoal water, the bottom 
 ^f the ship continued to strike heavily, which greatly alarmed 
 all on board, and caused the prisoners to make a rush to the 
 hatchway, with an intent to gain the upper decl^ by force. 
 Some hundreds of frightened human beings were soon gather- 
 ed in and around the foot of the steps, which were narrow, 
 and woidd not admit of two to go abreat. Many ascended 
 the stairs in single i'lh', 1)ut were puslied back by the two 
 sentries with the l)recch of their guns, and as I have before 
 said, we were in total darkness, but there was a glimmer of 
 light that shone around the foot of the stairs, which proceeded 
 from lanterns huns; in the riffirinfr; above the deck. 
 
 CD CO O 
 
 I saw that the chance to get on deck was small, especially 
 for me, as I was nearly at the outside of that thick mass of 
 men gathered around the stairs, but nevertheless I was deter- 
 mined to make the attempt. I pushed myself through the 
 thick crowd, and after awhile gained the steps, and soon got 
 about ha'f Ava^' up, where I made a stand for some minutes. 
 Soon something took place on deck which caused the sentries, 
 who were much alarmed for their own safety, to turn their 
 faces from us, I instantly made a leap and sprang past them, 
 and succeeded in reaching the main deck. Five or six others 
 followed me, Avithout the sentries bemg able to prevent them, 
 and we were all that gained the upper deck that night. 
 
 Wlien we got ( n deck, the long boat, which was lashed on 
 deck and had been fdled with much trumpery, was all clean- 
 ed out, the lashings taken off, except just enough to keep her 
 in {)1ace, and tackh-s were made fist to hoist her out at a mo- 
 ment s notice. The carpenter was standing by with a shop 
 ax in his hand, ready to cut the last piece of lashing that held 
 her, so that she might be hoisted into the water, if need be, at 
 the shortest notice. 
 
 Very soon after we got on deck we colh^cted around and 
 near the old carpenteV, as he stood by the boat, (he had been a 
 rough and ovet bearing, but was apparently a man of courage 
 
40 
 
 and resolution,) who said to us, " My poor fellows, deatli now 
 stares us in the face ; there is but a small chance for our 
 lives." 
 
 There being a heavy rolling sea, as the ship settled in the 
 trough her bottom would strike, and it occurring several times 
 during the night, occasioned much alarm to all on board. 
 
 The night was dark and fogy, and we could see nothing 
 from the ship but the foaming billows that sparkled like fire- 
 brands, as they dashed against the rocks a short distance from 
 the bows of the ship. 
 
 While we lay there, and all of us being in much fear that 
 the ship would bo dashed to pieces against tlic rocks, one of 
 the English seamen went down to his berth and brought up a 
 large bag, stuffed full of clothes, &c., and threw it down upon 
 deck. Mr. Sennet seeing it, said to him, — 
 " What have you got tliere, Peter?" 
 " My clothes, sir," said Peter. 
 
 " Well, what are you going to do with your clothes?" 
 '•'I am going to carry them on shore, sir." 
 '• Damn your old duds," said the officer, " throw them back 
 again ; you may think yourself well off if you get on shore 
 alive, without your clothes." 
 
 Peter threw his clothes back again without further cere- 
 mony. 
 
 At daylight the next morning, the wind getting in the 
 Northwest, and the fog having cleared away, the anchors 
 were hfisted and we w^ere soon blown out to sea. Alwut ten 
 o'clock A. M., wc saw a sail on our larboard bows, and imme- 
 diately hoisted a signal of distress. The ship bore down and 
 about noon came within liailing distance. She proved to be 
 one of the men of-war which was to convoy us to Englund. 
 When lier commander was informed by Capt. Askow, of the 
 loss of the Malabar's rudder, he sent ten or twelve of his men 
 on board to help our carpenter build another, and by sunset 
 it was completed and shipped. Capt. At;kow was then order- 
 
41 
 
 ed to put into ILilifax,, Nova Scotia, tliat being the nearest 
 port, and tlie man-of-war bore away and avc saw her no more. 
 Night soon came upon us and witli it a lieavy gale of wind, 
 which soon carried away our now and slightly built rudder 
 and left our shi}» unmanageable. All that night and a part 
 of the next day, wc lay at the mercy of the winds and waves. 
 There being a heavy sea the ship rolled and pitched tremend- 
 ously, often dipping the ends of her yards in the sea, and the 
 waves breaking ovei- and w:ishing her decks repeatedly. The 
 scene was alarming anil aAvful to beliold, and we were in much 
 fear that the ship would go down with all on board ; but soon 
 after noon ilie wind died away, and the sea became somewhat 
 calmer. The Englishmen tlicn run out about ten fathoms of 
 cable over the stern of the siiip, and made the end of it fast 
 to one end of a long heavy spai-, and to the other end of the 
 spar they made fust the shank of a broken anchor, Avhich sank 
 that end and left the other several feet out of water : th.ey 
 then took a long rope, or hawser, and made that fast also to 
 the end of tlic spar that was out of Avater, and then brought 
 each end of the hawser around each side of the sliip and made 
 them fast to the wheel on the ship's poop. By that simjjlo 
 mode of contrivance they we e enabled to make some progress 
 in steel inii, but ii» conse(.ucnce of the sunken timlier at the 
 stern, she made but little headway, and on that account they 
 went to work and picked up all the loose and scattering tim- 
 ber about the ship, and after riinc days labor u};on it they had 
 something they called a rudilc)-, and on tlie morning 'of the 
 tenth day from our loosing our first rudder, they cast loose 
 the log at the stem, took in the edjle, ard shij ped their sec- 
 ond rudder. About noon the sume i^ay we saw a sail on our 
 stern larboard (quarter, whiih ap] eared to be in chase of u.^. 
 The officers immediat'ly pointed their spy gbis^es towards ;lie 
 stranger, and very .'^oou sbe was pr nounccd nn Ameii(3;n 
 Piiva^cer. Oh, b.ow our hearts leajied for joy at that unex- 
 pected nL^ws. Vt'e began to think that succor was at hand, 
 
42 
 
 and tliat wc were soon to be relieved from our horrible situa- 
 tion and that liberty was within our reach. But, alas ! we 
 were doomed again to be disappointed, for as soon as the offi- 
 cers discovered that the ship in chase was an American Pri- 
 vateer, they ordered the sentries to drive all the prisoners be- 
 tween decks, which was done at the point of the bayonet. 
 
 Although the prison-ship Mas not intended for a fighting 
 character, yet she carried twelve 12 lb. cannonades, that she 
 might defend herself against Privateers, &c. Her guns were 
 immediately loosed, the ship cleared for action, and all made 
 ready for a bloody fight. But that, it seemed;, the British in- 
 tended to avoid if possible, for they made all sail they possibly 
 could and put before the wind, which was then fair for our 
 destined port. The Privateer gained rapidly upon us, but did 
 not get within gun-shot before night came upon us, and dark- 
 ness put an end to the chase, and we saw them no more. 
 
 The next morning, soon after daylight, we came to anchor 
 in Halifax harbor. Had daylight continued one hour longer, 
 in all probability the Malabar would have been captured by 
 the Privateer, as she had only six seamen besides her officers, 
 and our guard of twenty-seven Germans, — five or six sea- 
 men htiving been taken from her while she lay at anchor at 
 Quebec, and sent to the Lakes to help man the British fleet 
 there ; but their places were made good by American sailors, 
 prisoners, that were captured- Avith the Growler and Eagle, 
 They were hired to help work the ship to England, and in 
 case the ship had been attacked by the Privateer, of course 
 would not have fought against their own friends and country- 
 men. 
 
 Wo were twenty-seven days on the passage, which is usu- 
 ally made in less than half the time, having been blown far 
 out to sea, and for nine days in a not much better condition 
 than a wreck. 
 
 Two of the prisoners died on the passage. The first man 
 that died, whose name was Ford, was sewed up in his blanket 
 
43 
 
 with a stone at liis feet, and then placed upon a plank, and 
 after prayers were read by a venerable old man. a prisoner, 
 the body was committed to the ocean. It Avas a soiruwful 
 sijjht. The other man. avIiosc name was Enierv. one of Jler- 
 rick's men, died the day before we got into Halifax, and wa.s 
 bui'ied on shore. lie Avas the same man I have before sj)oken 
 of while at Quebec. 
 
 Soon after we came to anchor, Dr. Roland, an Englishman, 
 came on board and ordered all the sick to come, or be brought 
 on deck, Avhich order uas soon complied with, and about sev- 
 enty miserable, dirty, ragged, forlorn looking beings, were 
 soon paraded along the deck, to be examined by the Doctor. 
 Observing that the Doctor seemed to be a kind hearted man, 
 and that he rejected none that came forward, I too stepped 
 in and joined them, not that I was so much sick of any par- 
 ticular disease, as I was of being confined on board of that 
 horrible ship, where -vve were kept in dirt and fillli. and had 
 to live on the most loathsome food. 
 
 The weather was cold and our clothes in rags and dropjiing 
 off from us. To keep ourselves from being devoured alive, 
 there was not a day Avhile we were on our passage, when the 
 weather would admit it. l)ut what mysilf ami many others, 
 would go between decks and bring our dirty blankets to light 
 on the upper deck, and to prevent falling by the continual 
 rolling of the ship, avc would put one arm lound sonic of tho 
 standing rigging and hold on. and commence searching for 
 those troubles<mie virniin that were daily jneying upon our 
 emaciated bodies. All we found we caught, and tliose wc 
 caught we killed, and those we couldn't catch, we kept alive. 
 After we bad given our blankets a tlioiougli search, oui- shirts 
 would come next. But enough of this, for my heait sickens 
 while I write, and now, after the lapse of ne.ir forty years, 
 when I look back and view the scenes of siifll;! ing and woe 
 which I passed through while on boaid of that huiiiblo and 
 loathsome prison ship, my mind is lillcd with honor, and it 
 
44 
 
 seems more like a dream than anything real, or that ever took 
 place. 
 
 Dr. Roland ordered all the sick to be helped into the boats 
 that were lying along side, and as we put off from the ship 
 and neared the wharf, Ave passed within a short distance of 
 the U. S. Frigate Chesepcak, which was captured by the 
 British Frigate Shannon, in the month of June prior, a few 
 miles out of Boston harbor. I noticed many shot holes in 
 her bows and sides, and also that her bulwarks were badly 
 shivered, which altogether told a tale of death to many of her 
 brave men. 
 
 After we landed on the wharf, the good Dr. ordered us to. 
 parade ourselves in a straight line, which was soon done he- 
 then took down our names with a pencil and paper, and then 
 told us to follow him, which we did with a liglit and (piick 
 step, not having put ou-r feet on land before for al)Out six 
 months, or from tlie 0th of June until the "JTth of November., 
 The Doctor conducted us into one of the lower rooms of th&- 
 British Navy Hospital, a large three-story building. The 
 rooms were large, and it being a very cold day, they had a. 
 tremendous great fire. Five or six Lirgo tubs Avere placed 
 along in the room, each one being a])out tv»"0-thirds full of 
 warm water. The Doctor told us to strip off every rag of our, 
 clothing, tie them up in scperate bundles and put them out at 
 die door and they would be sent to the wash-house, and then 
 to go into the tuhs. wash, and give ourselves a good scrubbing 
 and by the time that was done, each man would have a clean 
 suit of warm clothes sent him. In the building there was 
 about one hundred sick and wounded British seamen, and the 
 room wo were in was where the nurses done their work.. 
 Tlicir number was ten or twelve, five or six of them being 
 quite pretty ycung women. They Averc continually pa.?sing 
 and re-passing througli the looui, Avhich of course, we being 
 all young men, caused us to hesitate and be a little 1 a.shfal 
 about obeying the Doctor's orders. Seeing Avhich, xhij said. 
 
45 
 
 we had better obey him and not mind or care for them. Ac- 
 cordingly vic took up \vit\ their advice, and by the time v>'o 
 had taken a jjood scrubbing, ^vhich we much needed, "vve had 
 each of us a wliole suit brouglit in, all neat, clean, and >Yarni. 
 The clothes Avere of a curious cut and make, and all in exact 
 uniform, Avith the King's stamp upon them. In addition to 
 our ncAv suit, each man had a Avhite Avoolen cap, and all of us 
 being tlius clad in uniform, made a gi'Otes(iue appearance. 
 
 We were then conducted by the good Doctor to a new hos- 
 pital tliat had not been occupied, and was but a few steps 
 from the Marine Hospital. Here there was about two acres' 
 uf land enclosed Avith a board fence about ten feet high, pick- 
 eted Avith iron pikes, and Avithin that enclosure Averc the tAvo 
 liospitals, store houses, &c. The jjuilding Avhich Ave occupied 
 Avas about two hundred feet long and sixteen Avide, and one 
 story high. Our beds Avere all placed along on one side of 
 the room, about one foot apart, and each man had a good clean, 
 Avarm, soft bed to himself, all the bedding nice, neat and clean 
 and placed upon a Ioav sacken bedstead. The other side of 
 the room Avas occupied Avith tables, benches, kc. Here for 
 about four weeks Ave lived like pigs in cloA^er. Our neat, 
 clean, Avarm clotliing, and clean, soft beds, and Avarm, com- 
 fortable building to liA'e in, AA'ere luxuries avc had been depri- 
 A'L'd of so long, Avhich Ave had so little expectation of enjoying 
 in an enemy's countjy. Our provisions Avere good beef and 
 bread, and potatoes, one pint of tea Avell sweatened Avith sugar 
 every morning, and Ave had not been there more than a Aveek 
 before Ave Avcre as lively as crickets. — excepting eiglit or ten 
 Avho Avere so reduced, Aveak and feeble, Avhen they got there 
 that six or scA'cn of them died in a few days after arriving at 
 the hospital. One of them Avas a young man by the name of 
 Theodocious Merrill, a drummer in Capt. Herrick's company, 
 and a son of the late Levi Merrill, Escp, of Turner, ^le. Ho 
 Avas a noble good hearted young man. At the time of his death 
 he Avas about tAventy-onc years of age, and Avhen made pris- 
 
46 
 
 oner about six months before, was stout, robust, and rugged, 
 in all the strength and vigor of manhood ; but his privations 
 and sufierinfj had brought on disease, and disease death. 
 
 Another of our crew that died in that hospital, while we 
 weue there, belonged in New Gloucester, Cumberland County, 
 ~Mq. Ilis name was Howard, a man of noble stature, but 
 death marked him as a victim, and he was doomed to a pre- 
 mature grave in a foreign land. 
 
 While we were here we had no guard set over us, but went 
 anywhere about the yard we pleased. The yard extended from 
 high water mark up about twenty-five rods, and was on the 
 outskirts but within the limits of the city. There were two 
 gates to pass through to get out of the 3-ard. One of them 
 opened out upon the wharf and was kept locked, the 
 other was to pass through in going to the city. At the latter 
 there was always a porter standing unarmed, but he permitted 
 no one to pass tlirough without a written permission from Dr. 
 Koland, or some Naval or Military officer, excepting those lie 
 know to be hospital nurses, vraiters, &c. 
 
 "While we were here we were visited by two American pri- 
 vatcersmen, who Avere pi-isoners. One of them told me the 
 following story. He said his name Avas Gunnerson, that he 
 belonged in Portland, Me., and that he sailed out of Salem, 
 Mass., in a Pi-ivateer with one hundred men on board. 
 While sailing doAvn ou the coast of Halifax, in a storm, they 
 took shelter in a small harbor, or creek, and while there were 
 becalmed. There being a light breeze farther out, a British 
 74 gun-ship hove in sight, and soon manned their barges and 
 sent them in to take command of and bring out the Privateer. 
 As they drew near, one of the Lieutenants urged the Captain 
 to have the long Tom, as they called one of their guns, fired 
 upon the barges ; but the Captain told him it Avould be of no 
 use, as they were already in their power. The Lieutenant 
 then went below, and they supposed put a match to the iMag- 
 azine, and the Privateer blew up. They two were the only 
 
47 
 
 men on board who escaped with their lives. They "Wcrc ?E«cle 
 prisoners and sent to Halifax, and on account of the miracu- 
 lous preservation of their lives, they -were allo^ved the freedom 
 of the city on their parole of honor. 
 
 They said that -when the Privateer blew up they were stand- 
 ing upon the deck, and the first notice they had of the catas- 
 trophe, they found themselves flying at a great hight in the 
 air. Happily they fell into the water without being much in- 
 jured, and being good swimmers they succeeded in reaching 
 the land without much trouble, as the distance from the Pri- 
 vateer was not great. They wandered about in the woods for 
 several days, not daring to make themselves known to the in- 
 habitants, but Inuiger at last drove them to do it. They call- 
 ed at a farm-house and made known their misfortune and sit- 
 uation, and implored their friendship and assistance ; but to 
 no purpose, for they were immediately made prisoners and 
 sent to Halifax. 
 
 About the 25th of December, 1813, all of our old duds 
 were brought back, and we were ordered to strip oflf all our 
 clean warm clothing, dress ourselves in our old dirty rags again 
 and prepare to leave the hospital for a prison ! The order, 
 although cutting to our feelings, we had to obey. But to part 
 with all our neat, warm clothing, and again have to Avcar our 
 old, dirty rags, and take up our abode in a dirty, loath- 
 some prison, Avas what we did not feel prepared to endure. 
 True, our clothes had been slightly washed, but what re- 
 mained of the skeletons were disgusting to our feelings. 
 "Wear them we must, or perish with the cold ; and by the 
 time we had got them on our backj;, all of the three hundred 
 prisoners that liad remained on board of the ship in tlie liarbor, 
 except one man who had died, were brought up under a strong 
 guard and halted l)efore the door of tlie hospital. It Avas a 
 very cold, windy day, and the poor fellows were shivering and 
 trembliiiir in the bleak wind. \\c to the number of about 
 
48 
 
 sixty, soon joined them, six or seven of our men liaving died^ 
 and three or four being unable to leave. 
 
 We were all soon on our way, under a strong guard, to the 
 prison on Melville Island, about three miles back of the city. 
 Our way lay 'Over a high ridge of land, the ground was cov- 
 ered with snow and ice, the day very cold, the men thinly 
 clad, many of them with their feet nearly bare, and conse- 
 C|uently they suffered severely. 
 
 Melville Island is small, containing not more than two or 
 three acres, and is situated at the head of a cove or an arm of 
 the sea which makes up from the entrance of Halifax harbor. 
 The cliannel is narrow, but of sufficient depth for sloop navi- 
 gation to the Island. There is a bridge from the Island to the 
 main land. The Island is in the form of an egg, and the pris- 
 on is situated upon the small end and surrounded with a pick- 
 eted fence, enclosing about three-fourths of an acre, including 
 what the prison, cook-house, kc. stood^ upon. The space of 
 ground not occupied by the buildings, Avas about one-fourth of 
 an acre, and that was all the prisoners were permitted to oc- 
 cupy during the day. Every night at sunset, we Avcre coun- 
 ted into the prison, and the next morning at sun-rise, we 
 were all counted out again. 
 
 The })rison Avas about one hundred and fifty feet long, h\ 
 about fifty feet wide, and fourteen feet posted. The upper 
 room or chamber, was seperated into two rooms, one of which 
 was occupied by officers taken on board Privateers, and the 
 (jther as a hospital fur the sick. The entrance was bj^ stair- 
 wav at each end and outside of the buildint*:: the inside I 
 7iever saAV. The hjwer part of the piison Avas formed some- 
 thing like a horse-stal)le. I'he door Avas at the end of the 
 building, and stalls Avere built on t-ach side and a broad alley 
 between them, the Avhole length of the prison. The stalls 
 Avere scA'en or eight feet Avide, and sixteen feet decj). We 
 slept in hannnocks, slung across the stalls, four tier high, one 
 above the other, Avith thirty-tAvo men in CA^ry stall. The 
 
49 
 
 upper tier of liammocks Avere elevated about twelve feet from 
 the floor. 
 
 "When we were turned into that prison there ■were about fif- 
 teen hundred prisoners in it, all seamen, and our crew increas- 
 ed that number about three hundred and sixty more. The 
 hammocks being all occupied, but very few of us got any rest 
 the fiist night. There were neither benches nor scats of any 
 kind in the prison, and far the greatest number of those poor 
 f'ellows had to either stand up all night, or stretch themselves 
 out on the dirty, filthy floor. One generous hearted seaman 
 offered to let me sleep in his hammock with him. I gladly 
 accepted the offer, but it was close hugging. lie was one of 
 the unfortunate crew of noble fellows who were captured in the 
 Chesepeak. He with the rest of that noble crew, numbering 
 some over three hundred men, Avcrc the next day put on board 
 the Malabar, and sent to Dartmoor Prison, England, and that 
 Avas the last I ever saw of them. Not but a few minutes be- 
 fore they left the prison yard, one of them, a noble looking 
 fellow, gave me a short but thrilling narrative of the battle in 
 which the Chesepeak was captured by the Shannon, the par- 
 ticulars of which are now so imperfectly remembered that I 
 vrill not attempt to relate them. After the Chesepeak men 
 had left, we Avere all provided Avith hammocks, the same they 
 had occupied. I Avas so fortunate as to get an upper one, 
 which I much preferred, although I had to climb up tAvclve 
 feet to get into it. 
 
 We had Ijetter provisions here than on board the ^lalabar, 
 and in addition to Avhat the British allowed us, Mv. Mitchell, 
 the U. S. Agent, provided for us daily, potatoes, coffee, sugar, 
 tobacco, &c., at the expense of the United States, but still 
 we suffered much. We Avere a mixed multitude, some from 
 nearly every part of the civilized Avorld, (and surely one Avould 
 liaA^e thought, after seeing the conduct of some of those men, 
 that they Avere not brought up in regions Avithin the bounds of 
 ciA'ilization.) numbering in all about 1560 men, and about 
 
 .4 
 
50: 
 
 400 of whom were negroes, which certainly added nothing of 
 an agreeable oder, — all crowded together and confined by bolts 
 and bars within the walls of a dirty, loathsome prison, — with 
 a train of artillery planted near us, manned with a strong 
 o-uard, whose orders were to cut us down if Ave made the least 
 attempt to make our escape from our dirty den, and all this 
 severity we had to submit to for no other crime than being 
 found defending our country's rights. 
 
 The bad air and heat and stench, caused by so many human 
 beings being shut up together for so "long a time, was almost 
 suifocating, and too bad to be endured by human beings. 
 There was no necessary, drain, vault, or sewer, within the 
 walls of the prison ; instead of which tubs were used, and tho 
 effect they had on our nasal organs, may well be imagined. 
 
 When we were all in, we had to repair to our hammocks. 
 They were each supplied with a dirty blanket, which was well 
 stocked with virmin, as was also every article of our clothing, 
 it not being in our power to prevent it. 
 
 Of the 1560 men about 1200 were seamen. Many of them 
 were harsh, cruel, overbearing men, and showed but little 
 sympathy or feeling for each other, and none for the soldiers. 
 They did not regard the rights of the soldiers as equal vath 
 their own, and joined together in clubs or ship's crews, and 
 their motto was right shall yield to might. Although tho 
 soldiers had been longer in confinement than the sailors, and 
 had been kept on food not fit for dogs, and cousc(|uently were 
 more reduced in bodily strength and activity ; numbering less 
 than one-third of the seamen, and consequently unable to cope 
 with them ; and although they were huddled together day and 
 night, yet they declared their Independence, and passed their 
 famous Non-Intercourse Act, prohibiting all intercourse with 
 the sailors. Soon after this, a Mr. H., a soldier, who Ibelievo 
 belonged in Portland, Me., was seen to sell to a sailor a very 
 small quantity of sugar to make into candy, to be again sold 
 to the soldiers. Tliis was a traffic they had been much in tho 
 
51 
 
 habit of, and hence the non-intcrcoursc act. For violatlnjr 
 that act Mr. H. was tied up to a post and received ouc dozen 
 hishes with a cat- o' -nine-tails, on his bare back, which (h'cw 
 blood at every stroke. 
 
 Such scenes of cruelty vrere of common occurrence, but 
 happily all did not possess such a cruel spirit. One man in 
 particular, by the name of Palmer, took much pains to soothe 
 and encourage such of the prisoners as had become disheart- 
 ened under their misfortunes, and whose tide of life was fast 
 ebbing, of whom there were many, and to while aAvay the tedi- 
 ous and sleepless hours of our long evenings, after wc had re- 
 tired to our hammocks, he would tell us long and amiising 
 stories and anecdotes, with which his mind was well stored. 
 He was intelligent and gentlemanly in his deportment, and 
 had traveled and seen much of the world. 
 
 The sentries prevented quarrelling in the prison yard, but 
 inside, the prisoners could have a regular box whenever they 
 saw fit, and to show the rabbid disposition of many of the sea- 
 men. I will here relate one little affair which shall suffice for 
 all of the kind hereafter, and which I was unceremoniously 
 and unexpectedly drawn into. It Avas this : — A Frenchman, 
 captured on board an American Privateer, assaulted a soldier 
 and gave him a blow Avith his fist, and as he attempted a sec- 
 ond blow the soldier caught and held him fast, which lie could 
 easily do, he being much the strongest man. In an instant 
 he was surrounded by forty or fifty sailors, and several of 
 them fell upon and gave him a severe beating. There wen^ 
 many soldiers that saw it, but they did not dare to meddle or 
 interfere, knowing if they did they would come only off 2d best. 
 A crowd had gathered around, and a young man, a sailor, said 
 to me, ' • It was a shame for these fellows to beat that soldier 
 so."' ''Yes," said I, "and they were rascals for doing it.'' 
 The T^rds had scarcely passed my lips when some one stand- 
 ing behind, struck me a severe blow on the head. At the 
 time I had my shirt off, hunting it, but iustantl}' turning 
 

 round, I was face to face vritli the fellow, a sailor, "wlio was in 
 an attitude to strike asain. I asked him what he meant. 
 He stepped back a feAV paces and, with an oath, dared me to 
 come there and he would let me know what he meant. At 
 that, my old Ebenezer was up to its highest pitch. Some 
 friends took my shirt, jacket, &c., and I tied my suspenders 
 around my waist, having no clothing on except my pants, 
 (old trousers.) A ring was instantly formed, and I entered 
 it. Smith (for that Avas his name) came at me and struck 
 the first blow, which I partly parried off, and at the same in- 
 stant gave him a blow that sent him staggering back against 
 the crowd; which prevented him from falling to the floor. 
 He recovered and came at me again. I warded off his blow, 
 and gave him a shot that fell him to the fioor. He staggered 
 back several prices before he fell, and in attempting to follow 
 liim up, although I did not intend to strike him Avhile he was 
 down, some one caught mo by the shoulder and gave me a 
 sudden pull back, which, by the floor being wet and slippery, 
 caused my feet to slip and brought me to the floor, but I was 
 (juick up again. The battle was resumed on both sides with 
 much vigor, and for some time blows flew thick and heavy. 
 It Avas soon seen, however, that Smith's ammunition began to 
 fail, and that his shots had but little or no effect. His friends 
 seeing that he was about used up, took him out of the ring, 
 and instantly the Frenchman Avho began the battle, came at 
 me and Avithout speaking a vrord, struck me a heaA'y bloAV over 
 my eye, and was' as quickly out of my sight. No sooner 
 Avere Smith and the Frenchman fairly out of the way than a 
 Bulllieaded seaman came at me, and, Avithout speaking, struck 
 an unlooked for and cruel bloAV on my stomach, Avhich nearly 
 knocked the breath out of my body, and for some time I was 
 as helpless as a child, and blood floAved profusely from my 
 SLtomach. It Avas a hard fought battle, and probably AvilJ 
 ncA'cr be forgotten by any of those that saAV it. 
 
53 
 
 My friends very quickly gathered arond mc, aiul Yentccl 
 their curses upon the head of the hist named vinaiuous sailor, 
 who so badly hurt me without the least pro^■ocation. Otic 
 man by the name of Boyd, >Yhoni I shall always remember, 
 said to me, "01 Avish I may live to sec you and those fel- 
 lows in the States, and there let them come at yon one at a 
 time, and give you an equal chance, I would bet dollars ypu 
 would Avhip them all!" 
 
 Smith was a man I had never spoken to before he struck 
 me, nor did I then know his name. He was about my own 
 ao-e and weight, and was used to boxin::^, a recreation that I 
 was unused to. 
 
 Soon after the battle was over, the Frenchman came to mo 
 and said, — "Me be sorry I strike you. "When I be mad I 
 don't know^ what I do." 
 
 Many of the sailors had plenty of money, but as there was 
 no one allowed to visit us with any thing to sell, money was of 
 but httle use, except for gambling, and there was much u'i 
 that carried on. There Avas a dispute one day between a sol- 
 dier and a sailor, as they stood around the gambling board, 
 the sailor threw a handful of small change into the soldier' s 
 face, which badly cut and hurt him, but he did not dare re- 
 sent it. 
 
 Several of the sailors were, put into the hospital for nurses, 
 and waiters on the sick. One man was permitted to go to tho 
 city several times with an overseer. The last time he went, 
 he made his escape, tlic overseer reporting that the prisonci- 
 knocked him down, and made his escape while he -lay stunn- 
 ed ; but it was thought the prisoner bribed him to let him go. 
 They spent several days searching for him, but without suc- 
 cess. 
 
 Another prisoner, a soldier, by the name of Rice, a bright 
 little fellow, that a British officer took a liking to, was taken 
 for his waiter, — to black his boots, do chores, &c. After be- 
 ing out a few days, Rice, in compaty with a British ^^oldi 
 
 J( r 
 
54 
 
 Avas detected in making counterfeit dollars, for -wliicli, it Avas 
 said, the soldier was severely flogged, and Rice was sent back 
 to prison with a cannon ball and chain made fast to his leg, 
 Avhich he had to Avear for several Aveeks. 
 
 Many of the prisoners were disposed to be industrious when 
 they could find any thing to do. Some AA'Ould build ships in 
 miniature, that Avould be done in the neatest style and finish, 
 their only tools being a jack-knife and gimblet. They Avould 
 hang them up in the prison to be vicAved by those who visited 
 us. Mr. Mitchell the U. S. Agent, in company Avith scA'cral 
 British officers, A'isited us CA'ery Aveek for the purpose of in- 
 specting the prison and the condition of the prisoners. They 
 would frequently give small presents in money to those who 
 seemed to be most industrious in making birch hats, wooden 
 canes, knitting, ship-building, kc. 
 
 There Avere three messes, six men in each mess, called 
 out every day, to go over on to the main land under a guard 
 of soldiers, to gether birch (twigs) bushes to be tied up into 
 brooms, Avith Avhich to scrub and SAveep the floor. This AA'as 
 no small job. In addition to the brooms avc used three-cor- 
 nered steel scrapers. shoA'els. hoes, tubs of Avater, mops, &.c. 
 The floors were laid with thick plank, and Avould bare hard 
 scrubbing, and Avhile that Avork Avas going on, the prisoners 
 were turned into tlic yard Avherc they remained until it Ava** 
 done, let the Aveather be Avhat it Avould, hot or cold. 
 
 After the birch broonis had been used for one day they were 
 claimed as the property of the mess that Avcnt after them, and 
 Avhen they had got enough, Avith Avhat beef bones they could 
 save, to do their own cooking, they Avere always glad to do it, 
 rather than trust it Avith the cooks^ Avhcrc it Avould often boil 
 to pieces and drop out of the netting and portions of it Avould 
 get lost, or fall to the cooks. 
 
 Each mess had a tin pail or some other cooking utensil, 
 and there being plenty of stones and pieces of old brick, kc, 
 in the yard, avo Avould build a small fire-place Avith them, set 
 
55 
 
 on our pails, and build oiir fire T\ith the old brooms and l)eef 
 bones. We had a cook-house in the yard and men to do our 
 cooking, but -when -we chose to do our OAvn, we were obliged 
 to find our o^Yn fuel and do it the best way we could. 
 
 As I have before said, Mr. Mitchell, U. S. Agent, with a 
 number of British officers, visited the prison every week. As 
 soon as they entered the yard they would be surrounded by 
 some hundreds of men, some eagerly incjuiring what the pros- 
 pect was of our getting away from that horrible dirty jdace, 
 and all anxious to hear every word that might escape from 
 their lips on that subject. One day, while those gentlemen 
 were in the yard, some one threw a stone which hit one of the 
 British officers, but did not hurt him much. It was an un- 
 called for insult, as the officers had always treated us civilly. 
 Some inquiry Avas made to know who threw the stone, but no 
 one pretended to know an\-thing about it, but the next day 
 word came that no more provision would be served out to us 
 until the offender was exposed. To prevent further trouble, 
 he was informed against. His name was Fountainroy, said to 
 be an Englishman by birth. He was put into a cell or dun- 
 geon, under the prison, and kept there about fourteen days, 
 and fed on nothing but bread and water. 
 
 There were about twenty French prisoners here, Avho were 
 said to be some of Napoleon's men. They spent much of 
 their time in fencing, exercising with a straight, neatly made, 
 wooden sword. They would have their head, face and hand 
 protected by a net-woik made of stiff wire, and I have fre- 
 quently seen two of them stand face to face; and sti iking at 
 each other with all the fury and skill they were masters of, 
 for an hour or more, without one being able to hit the other, 
 when that was done the game was up. 
 
 We, the soldiers, were confined in that dirty, unwliolesorae 
 prison near five months, but we did not suffer here for the 
 want of provisions, although our situation was deilora'ile. 
 We were kept in dirt and filtli, and as it was on bo.ud the 
 
56 
 
 sliip so it was here, we liad no privilege allowed us to AYasli 
 any of our clothing, and the consequence was, as I have said 
 before, we were swanning with virmin, it not being in our 
 power to prevent it. 
 
 A great many of our men died in the hospital that was in 
 the prison over our heads. One man by the name of Stan- 
 hope, died there. He was a southern man, and belonged in 
 the State of Kentucky. With some others he was captured 
 and brought down the river St. Lawi'encc and put on board 
 the prisonship Malabar, while she was lying at anchor near 
 Quebec, not but a few days after my confinement there. He 
 w^as full six feet six inches in hight, and when he came on 
 board was well and rugged, and the strongest and one of the 
 most powerful men that I ever saw, and not only that, I knew 
 him long enough to know that "he was an honest man — the 
 noblest work of God." His confinement and sufFerimr sfradn- 
 ally wore upon his constitution, and he sunk under it. Ho 
 was with me in the hospital at- Halifax, and not being so sick 
 but that he could Avalk about. He and about sixty others of 
 us were ordered to leave the hospital for Melville Island, 
 where he soon after died. A young man by the name of 
 Levi'in Fobes, of Paris. Me,, died there. Prisoners were fre- 
 quently brought in which kept our number good in the prison. 
 
 One young man was brought here avIjo was captured in 
 the Growler, with myself and others, the June before. He 
 was shot through his thigh with a nuisket ball, and was sent 
 back over the line with the rest of the wounded men. He 
 soon got well, went home and entered on board of a Privateer, 
 went to sea, was again captured, sent to Haliiixx and there 
 kept until- the war was ended. His name was Gctchell, and 
 he belonged in Bi'unswick, Me. There wore two brothers of 
 them captured on board the Growler. The other Avas sent to 
 Quebec with us, and to get cleai' of his confinement, he ship- 
 ped on board tlic Brig Summers, commanded by Capt. Son- 
 ley, to go to England. The Brig was made a Hospital. aC 
 
57 
 
 and I Tvas on board of licr about three vrccks in the month of 
 August. Soon after the sick prisoners left her she sailed for 
 England, but Avas cast away in the Gulf of the St. La-wrence, 
 and Avas a total loss. Tlic crew were all saved. We had the 
 news of this while I was on board the ^Malabar^ but Avluit be- 
 came of Getchell I nc\er knew. 
 
 To relate here all that took place while in that horrible 
 prison, after the lapse of near fortj years, is what I have no 
 disposition to undertake, neither would it be of much interest 
 to the reader. Time passed away slowly. Every day seem- 
 ed a week, and every week a month. The turnkeys and over- 
 seers often told us that an arrangement was beincr made for an 
 exchange of prisoners, and that soon a Cartel would be fitted 
 out to carry us to the States, — this was often sounded in our 
 ears. On the 2d day of June, A. D. 1814, one of the prison 
 officers, an old lame man Ijy the name of Grant, came to the 
 gate of the prison-yard and said, "All the soldiers get ready 
 and come out, a Cartel is ready, and Avaiting to take you on 
 board and carry you to Salem, Mass."' That ncAvs greatly 
 rejoiced us; nothing could have equaled it. One seaman of- 
 fered a soldier fifteen hundred dollars in gold, if he would lot 
 him take his place and answer to his name, but the offer was 
 refused. As we passed out through the gate we found no 
 British guard in waiting to receive us, and therefore had no 
 fear that tliey intended to deceive us. After we were all out 
 and while passing over the bridge to the main land, the sailors 
 whom we had left behind, gave us three cheers, to which wr 
 responded. 
 
 "We passed through the city and were soon on board the 
 Cartel, a large English transport ship with a white flag wa- 
 ving at her mast-head. To describe the joy we then felt, of 
 being speedily set at liberty, is far beyond what I am able to 
 do, but this much I can safely say, that day was the happiest, 
 ■iay of my life. . 
 
58 
 
 The ship's sails were soon spread to the winds and she wa^ 
 imder good headAvaj, and then those generous Brittons treat- 
 ed every man of us to a glass of old Jamacia, but many did 
 not care to drink and gave their portions to a few old soakers, 
 mostly Irishmen ; the consecjuencc was, it created quite a con- 
 fusion among them, a box they must have, and at it they 
 went, rough-and-tumble. This occurred on the upper deck. 
 Our officers Avent among and endeavored to make peace with 
 them, but did not succeed. The rowdies were determined to 
 box it out at all events, and for that purpose they went be- 
 tween decks and soon were in the greatest tumult. A Mr. 
 Kemp, the English Agent, an old gentleman Avho had charge 
 of us prisoners and was very friendly, in company with Capt. 
 Bradford and Capt. Steel, U. S. officers, followed them, and 
 again tried to make peace with tliem. The British Agent 
 told them that unless they stopped their quarrelling he would 
 put them on board of the first British man-of-war ship that 
 we fell in with. At that, one of them aimed a blow at the 
 old gentleman's head, which knocked off his hat, and he was 
 glad to get out of his way. 
 
 One man by the name of Hooper, was so crazed from wliat 
 he had drank that he took hold of a piece of loose rigging, let 
 himself down by the side of the ship and dropped into the sea. 
 There not being much of a swell at the time, the sails were 
 backed, the ship hove-to, a boat was lowered and the drown- 
 ing man picked up before life was extinct. He was seized 
 by the hair of his head as he was going down the last time. 
 
 When we went on board the Cartel, we, for the first time 
 since our capture, saw our officers who came home with us. 
 They told us that for some montlis during the fall and winter, 
 they had been confined in the hold of an old hulk of a prison 
 ship where they were scarcely allowed the light of the siin, 
 and Avere otherwise treated very cruelly. That was what the 
 Jiritish called an {^ct of retaliation, which I have neglected to 
 notice in its proper place, and therefore mention it here. 
 
59 
 
 Some time during tlic suftinior, Avliilc the Malabar and 
 Cathcart Averc lying at anchor botbro the city of Quebec, they 
 ■were boarded by some British Xaval Officers, Avho took there- 
 from some twelve or fifteen prisoners, whom they claimed as 
 deserters from the British service, and sent them to England 
 to be tried for their lives. It was said that they could prove 
 that they were inhabitants of the United States before the 
 declaration of war, and therefore claimed her ])rotection as 
 American citizens That was soon made known to the Ame- 
 rican Government, and accordingly our people retaliated, and 
 double the number of British Prisoners Avere taken on the 
 lines and put into closer confinement, (into cells.) This be- 
 in2; made known to the British, thev asrain retaliated, and 
 took double the first number. This last number was made up 
 of non-commissioned officers, drawn out by lot, and John 
 Reed, a sergeant in Capt. Herrick's company, a resident of 
 LcAviston, Me., and John Moody of Monmouth, Me.; a corpo- 
 ral in Capt. "White's company, Avere tAvo of that number. 
 They, Avith others. Avere taken on shore at Quebec, and con- 
 fined in cells in a close jail. Our people retaliated again, and 
 the British folloAved suit, and each every time doubling their 
 last number. The last time the British retaliated, they took 
 their number in part of commissioned officers, and Capt. Iler- 
 rick Avas detained as one of them, as before stated, but Iioav 
 the matter Avas settled I never kncAv. 
 
 After a pleasant passage of five days came to anchor in Sa- 
 lem harbor, Mass. Soon after Ave came to anchor, two of the 
 English sailors undertook to haAC a little bit of a box by them- 
 selves ; one of the ship's officers seeing it, went at them with 
 his cane and gave them a scA'^erc drubbing. This occurred on 
 the upper deck, and to have a box Avas such a luxury, they 
 Avere determined to haA-e it out, and for that purpose they 
 Avent between decks and Avent at it again. The officer foiloAV- 
 ed, unperceived by them, and fell upon an^gave them anoth- 
 er beating Avith his cane. Shortly after a Yankee sloop came 
 

 60 
 
 along side anil made fast to tlie*sliip's fove-chains for tlie pur- 
 pose of taking us on board. The sloop being ten or fifteen 
 feet lower on the water than the ship, we had to go down on a 
 rope ladder, and notwithstanding the same officer that had 
 just caned the two sailors, stood by to see that none of his 
 men left the ship with the Yankees, one of the men that he 
 had just flogged slipped down the ladder, unobserved by him, 
 and in an instant was in the hold of the sloop. He was not 
 missed until the sloop had got two or three cable's length from 
 the ship and under a good headway, and then John Bull be- 
 2;an to bellow lustily for our skipper to stop, to heave-to, 
 while they could get out a boat and come and get their man : 
 but our skipper's only answer was, he waa in a hurry and 
 could not stop. The Enghshman went clear, and when he 
 found that he was free, free- from British tyranny, he wa.^ 
 frantic with joy. 
 
 In a few hours after ayo went on board of the sloop, we 
 were landed on Governor's Island, near Boston harbor. Here 
 we lived in tents for about tliree weeks, and then we were paid 
 every man one years wages. Ready-made clothing being 
 brouo-ht on to the Inland for sale, every man furnished him- 
 self with a decent suit, and then we made a deposit of all our 
 old weaving apparel, and likcAvise parted with our numerous 
 little friends, who might well be called "bosom friends," for 
 they would not leave nor forsake us, but h.ad followed u,^ 
 through all our troubles and in every trying scene through 
 which Vv-e had passed. 
 
 Out of three hundred and seventy-two prisoners who sailed 
 from Quebec seven months before, only about three hundred 
 lived to get back to Boston, and out of thirty-three of Capt. 
 Hcrridc's men, Avho volunteered and went on board that fatal 
 sloop on Lake Champlain, only twcnty-tAvo lived to reach 
 their homes. One man was killed in the battle at the 
 time of our capti^, and ten died from diseases, trouble and 
 anxiety of mind, brought on by liarsh and cruel usage. jMa- 
 
i 
 
 61 
 
 ny became insane, and sevcrti died in tliat condition ; one- 
 man recovered, and one Avas brought back to Boston ciuzj.- 
 His name was Abner INIack, and Avas about 20 years of age ; 
 belonged in "Western Kcav York, and Avas captured at the bat- 
 tle at Sackett's harbor, Avhere the British Avere driven from 
 the field of battle AA'ith considerable loss in killed and Avound- 
 ed, including Gen. Rial, Avho Avas shot from liis horse Avhile at 
 the head of his command, and soA^erely Avoundcd. AVhile on 
 their retreat they fell in Avith and captured a fcAV scattering 
 militia-men, including poor Abner Mack and one HeyAvood 
 who, as before stated, Avas droAvned in trying to SAvim ashore 
 from the Malabar, Avhile she lay aHianchor before Queljec. 
 Poor Abner Avas a mere boy. He became deranged in his 
 mind in a fcAV days after his confinement on board the IMala- 
 bar, and continued insane throughout his captivity. He Avould 
 sing and dance, preach and . pray, and in his Avild paroxisms 
 Avould call loudly for his father, mother, brothers and friends 
 to come and take him from his horrible den ! His situation, 
 his cries and moans made him an object of pity, and notAvith- 
 standing our OAvn situation, many of us pitied and had a kind 
 feeling for poor Abner ]\Iack. 
 
 The prcA^ailing diseases Avith us A^'as fcA'er and dysentery, 
 and there Avas not one in ten that Avcre taken doAvn Avith it 
 Avhile A\'e Avere at Quebec, A^dio CA'er recoA'cred. They Avero 
 sent to the Hospital Avhere they Avcre poorly taken care of, 
 and death soon released them from their suflerino-s. Before 
 
 o 
 
 taken sick they Avere generally the most robust, rugged look- 
 ing men there Avas among us. 
 
 Soon after an'C Avere paid off on GoA'crnor's Island, avc Avere 
 in the '' City of Notions," Avhere Ave made purchases to our 
 liking, and Avhere also Ave found some of our friends, avIio had 
 come for those of us Avhose term of serAuce l;ad exjiircd, to 
 take us to our homes, not on Stage Coaches or Railroad Cars, 
 l)ut in single horse Avagons, and Avh6re, oM^r.r arrival, a\c 
 
 found our friends glad to see and receive uHI our homes. 
 
 
/ 
 
 62 
 
 And now kind reader, here ends mj story, written wli«lly 
 From memorj, nearly forty years after the scenes and inci- 
 dents here related had passed away. It has been the author's 
 misfortune to be deaf about thirty-seven years of that time, 
 and for nearly twenty years, last past, it has been very diffi- 
 cult for him to hear the sound of the human voice ; but not- 
 withstanding he has been deprived, those many long years, of 
 one of heaven's richest blessings, he has not been inactive, 
 nor idle, but has been busily engaged and diligently and hon- 
 estly employed in providing those necessaries which tend to 
 make life pleasant and desirable, — believing that much of ev- 
 ery man's good or bad Ihck, happiness or misery, in this life^ 
 is brouglit about by the course he chooses to pursue, and that 
 without the aid of any special or Divine Providence, as many 
 will have it. 
 
 July 2Qih, 1852. 
 
 Note. — Since the above Narrative has been written I have 
 learned by the pubhc papers, that Capt. Oliver Herrick, 
 whose name has been so frequently mentioned in the forego- 
 ing pages, died at Lewiston Falls, Me., on the 4th day of 
 July, this present month. 
 
 July 2Qlh, 1852. 
 
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