History of New Bedford and its vicinity, 1620-1892, Part 20

Author: Ellis, Leonard Bolles
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Mason
Number of Pages: 1170

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203

IMPRESSMENT OF JOSEPH BATES.

white ware and highly decorated with patriotic emblems. It bears on one side the picture of a full-rigged American whale ship that Mr. Til- ton thinks is a representation of the ship William Rotch, from which his father was taken. It is a valuable and interesting relic, and highly prized by the present owner.

A list has already been given of New Bedford ships captured during the first three months of the war. Among these was the ship Catha- rine, valued with cargo at $60,000. John James and John Underwood belonged to her crew. They were both made prisoners; the former was put in a prison at Cork, Ireland, and the latter at Dartmoor.

Among the names in the list of Dartmoor prisoners is that of Joseph Bates, of Fairhaven. In his autobiography, published in 1859, are found many thrilling incidents that are connected with his experience as an impressed seaman in the English navy, and as a prisoner at Dart- moor. At the early age of fifteen he went to sea as cabin boy in the ship Fanny, Capt. Elias Terry, which sailed from this port in June, 1807. After an experience full of exciting adventure he found himself, with a number of fellow sailors, in Liverpool, April, 1810. . He says: "A few days after our arrival a press-gang (an officer and twelve men) entered our boarding-house in the evening and asked us to what country we be- longed. We produced our American protections, which proved us to be citizens of the United States. Protections and arguments would not satisfy them. They seized and dragged us to the 'rendezvous,' a place of close confinement. In the morning we were examined before a naval lieutenant, and ordered to join the British navy. To prevent our escape four stout men seized us, and the lieutenant, with his sword drawn, going before, we were conducted through the middle of one of the principal streets of Liverpool like condemned criminals ordered to the galleys. When we reached the riverside a boat well manned with men was in readiness, and conveyed us on board the Princess, of the royal navy. After a rigid scrutiny we were confined in the prison room on the lower deck with about sixty others who claimed to be Amer- icans, and impressed like ourselves. This eventful epoch occurred April 27, 1810."

An attempt to regain their liberty by breaking the bars of the port- holes and thus to escape by swimming ashore was met with severe pun-

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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.

ishment, the Americans being taken one after another and whipped on their naked backs in a most inhuman manner. In a few days he and others, pronounced in good condition, were transferred to the stationary or receiving ship, Saint Salvador Del Mondo, at Plymouth, where he found about 1,500 other victims like himself. In three days he was drafted, with 150 others, and sent on board His Majesty's 74-gun frig- ate, Rodney, Commodore Bolton.

During the weary months following, earnest effort was made by Mr. Bates's father to get his release from the English navy, but without suc- cess. Then came the declaration of war. In the squadron of ships in which he was a sailor there were more than 200 Americans. They re- belled against their position. A committee of six, of which Mr. Bates was one, walked to the quarterdeck and addressed the commanding officer as follows : " We understand, sir, that war has commenced be- tween Great Britain and the United States, and we do not wish to be found fighting against our own country ; therefore it is our wish to be- come prisoners of war !" Their patriotic request was rewarded by an order to go below, and they were then placed at the pumps for exercise. Their scanty allowance was cut down one-third, and the men otherwise ill-treated. They soon, however, were recognized prisoners of war and relieved of the routine work of an English sailor.

Passing over chapters full of exciting scenes we find Mr. Bates at last a prisoner at Dartmoor in the summer of 1814. His description of the prison harmonizes with that of Mr. Andrews, which has been given. At the time he entered Dartmoor there were 6,000 Americans confined there. He says : " We were guarded by a barrack of 600 soldiers, were counted out in the morning and driven in at sunset. It was quite a sight when the sun shone to see those who desired to keep themselves decent seated in groups about the yard cleaning their blankets and beds from vermin." Sorrowful, indeed, are the tales Mr. Bates tells in his little book of his sufferings during these weary months, and it is a fair conclusion that his experience was typical of that of the great army of men who were his fellow prisoners. When the glad news of peace reached them in February, 1815, Mr. Bates says : "Shouts of raptur- ous joy rang through our gloomy dungeons such as most likely will never be heard there again. What ! about to be liberated ; go to our

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CAPTAIN MCKENZIE.

native country and gather around the paternal fireside once more ! Yes, this hope was in us, and it seemed sometimes as though we were almost there." At this time the prisoners were engaged in the herculean task of opening a subterranean passage to the outside of the prison walls, and Mr. Bates makes mention of Capt. Lemuel C. Wood, of Fairhaven, who lived in the prison, and with whom he had friendly intercourse. Captain Wood informed him of the difficulties encountered in working in this stifling hole after they had made considerable progress. The men, returning from their task with a small bag of dirt, would be black in the face and nearly exhausted for want of breath. Their great hope was to get to the seacoast and, by seizing a vessel or boats, to reach the coast of France. Their well-nigh successful plans were defeated by the treachery of one of the prisoners, who was liberated as a reward for his base betrayal.

Mr. Bates was a witness of the massacre that occurred in the prison April 6, 1815, when seven prisoners were killed and sixty wounded. Mr. Bates was liberated April 27, 1815, after two and a half years' service in the British navy and two and a half years as a prisoner of war. With 300 other liberated Americans, he embarked in the cartel ship Mary Ann, Capt. Carr, for the United States. When a few days out they discovered that the plan was to land them at James river, Virginia. As the greater part of the prisoners were New England men, they revolted, took pos- session of the ship, rounded Block Island and anchored off New London. Here a company of Massachusetts prisoners chartered a fishing smack, and twenty-two of them were carried around Cape Cod into Boston. Here Mr. Bates met a friend and townsman of his father's, Capt. Thomas Nye, who lent him twenty dollars with which to buy decent clothing. "The next evening, June 14, 1815," Mr. Bates says, " I had the indescribable pleasure of being at my parental home in Fairhaven, surrounded by mother, brothers, sisters and friends, all overjoyed to see me once more in the family circle, after six years and three months ab- sence from them."

Among the best known of New Bedford citizens who were prisoners at Dartmoor was Capt. Daniel Mckenzie. He was a man of fine pres- ence and genial disposition, and occupied a prominent position in the local affairs of the town. We find in the Mercury a paragraph alluding

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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.

in complimentary manner to a public address he made, in which he told the story of his prison life at Cape Town and Dartmoor during the war of 1812. That was a half century ago. About twenty years later, his son, Alexander McKenzie, D.D., of Cambridge, wrote the following narrative from notes and papers of his father, and called it "An Old Sailor's True Story." It is in reality a vivid portrayal of Capt. McKen- zie's actual experiences. He was nineteen years old when taken pris- oner and died in 1854, sixty years of age. He lies buried on Maple avenue in Rural Cemetery. By special permission of Dr. Mckenzie, the narrative is given in this history.

Dr. Mckenzie visited the Dartmoor Prison in 1887. He says :

" It is now greatly enlarged to a common prison. Building No. 5 in which the Americans were, is now used as a tailors' and shoemakers' shop. In a field near by is a monument in memory of the American prison- ers who died between the years 1809 and 1814, and lie buried there."

" On the old gate is the inscription : ' Parcere subjectis.' A Wesleyan chapel is on the spot where was the market-house where the prisoners exchanged for meat the trinkets they made from bones. The whole place is very high and very dreary. The prisoners must have had a dismal time there. The 'true story' which follows was written from my father's account, and is substantially as he wrote it. I see that it is substantiated in some points by other narratives."

CAPTAIN MC KENZIE'S NARRATIVE.

I will tell you something of my experience during our late war with England. When the declaration of war was made I was boatsteerer on board an American whaleship, cruising in the Pacific Ocean for the spermaceti whale. In 1813, on our homeward passage, we were inter- cepted off the island of Trinidad in the South Atlantic by a British ship of war, on her eastward voyage to China. The process of capture at sea when belligerent parties meet, and only one is armed, is very simple. In our case we had approached our enemy in a dark and foggy night, and when daylight appeared were very near him. A shot was thrown across our bows, and the English colors hoisted. We hove to and set the stars and stripes. An officer was sent on board, who inquired the

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MCKENZIE ARRIVES AT CAPE TOWN.

name of our ship and to what nation we belonged. Our captain in- formed him that our ship was owned in the United States and we were Americans. The officer then informed us of the existence of war, and that we were prisoners to His Majesty's ship of war, the Acorn ; he ordered us and our baggage into his boat, and in half an hour we were on board the Acorn. Our ship was manned by Englishmen, and we were in the enemy's, on our way to the Cape of Good Hope, bewailing our unfortunate condition, while John Bull rejoiced in his success. In this ship we suffered exceedingly from a short allowance of provisions and water. Many offers were made to us Americans to enlist in the Eng- lish service, to all of which we replied with indignation. After a tedious passage of forty days, we arrived with both ships at Cape Town, a Brit- ish colonial settlement at Cape of Good Hope. The day after our ar- rival we were put with our baggage into a launch, and to the exceeding mortification of our captain, who was a very gentlemanly man, he was ordered into the same boat, and we were towed to shore by another boat about half manned. This I noticed afterward was a common specimen of British courtesy toward Americans when in their power. On land- ing we were drawn up in line, counted several times, and, after our marks, description, and age had been taken, marched under a guard of soldiers to prison, where, as misery likes company, we were happy to find about two hundred of our countrymen. Our ship and cargo was sold at auction, and the proceeds swelled the British treasury ; my share I have not received back and rather think I never shall. During my seven months' stay at the Cape prison, we were kindly and indulgently treated ; we could obtain leave of absence from prison on parole, in or- der to work in the town or country-our employers giving a small bond for our appearance when the officers should call us in.

I will describe the prison and prison life as I found them. Our loca- tion was a little back of the town, and at the base of the famous Table Mountain. The prisons were built of stone, flat on the top, and twelve feet high and encircled by a high wall. We were guarded by soldiers, and sentinels were posted at the gate and in front of each prison. We obtained water from a clear brook that passed a few yards from our gate ; we had access to this brook through the day, guarded by a senti- nel, whose duty it was to count us out and in. We used not unfre-

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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.

quently to confuse him by rushing out in a crowd for water; this was done when a party wished for a cruise to the town. As the sentinel could not leave his post, the rogues would crawl along the brook pro- tected by the bank until out of sight. On their return they would mingle again with their companies, and, in another crowd, regain the prison and escape detection. Sometimes they were caught by the senti- nel when returning, or were missed by the turnkey when he called the roll, our companions to whom was intrusted the duty of answering to our names, failing to imitate our voices. In this event, the runaways were punished with forty-eight hours of solitary confinement, sleeping on stones, and living on bread and water. To escape from the prison was never thought of; indeed, it seemed impossible, as the colony was sur- rounded by savage African tribes. As I have said, we were kindly treated, better even than we deserved; for we were mischievous and troublesome, and lost many indulgences through our own recklessness. We were first allowed a daily walk, under guard, around the town, but the liberty party one day, in a drunken frolic, having broken a resident's fence, we lost this pleasant recreation. I often heard the English say, not only at this prison, but on board prison ships, and subsequently at Dartmoor, that Americans were the most difficult to govern of all the nations they had held prisoners. Their zeal in hatching up plans to an- noy their keepers; their bold and indomitable spirit, leading them to break down all order and discipline; their astonishing tact in meeting and overcoming all obstacles ; their coolness and readiness in emergen- cies-all these qualities made them captives hard to hold. The secret was and is, that Americans are free, and feel it everywhere and always.

To illustrate what I have said I must give you a few incidents. We were allowed lights in the prison until 8 o'clock. At that hour the sentinel would order them out, not unfrequently, however, if he happened to be a clever fellow, and an old acquaintance, he would manage to forget the order, and the lights would burn till 9 or 10. A frequent repetition of this indulgence nearly rendered it a custom. Our evening employments were various; some mended their clothes, some plaited the palm leaf into hats, some played cards, checkers, and other games. One evening a party of us were playing cards ; a Scotch guard was on, always more precise in enforcing orders than the English. At 8 o'clock the sentinel

209

YANKEE MISCHIEF.

ordered us to put out the lights. We replied that the game was nearly ended and then we would do so. The sentinel again harshly called out, " Put out the lights." We laughed and replied we would when we were ready ; the sentinel's frenzy put us in a mood for fun. He gave the alarm and soon the sergeant and all the guard were at the door. While they were forming outside we within took our hammock lashings, tied them together, and fastened one end to a ring in the door which opened outward. Having no place to which to fasten the other end we all sat down, and, bracing against one another, held the door fast. The sergeant ordered out the lights. After calling him sundry hard names we peremptorily replied that we would not put them out, all the while holding the door while the soldiers outside tried to get it open and threatened to fire in if we did not put out the lights or open the door. We called them cowards and fools, and told them they did not dare to fire. As there was nothing by which they could open the door, they took hold of the bottom and sprung it till we could see the ends of their fingers. At length one of us said : " Let us slacken the rope a little and pinch their fingers." We slackened it, and instantly the ends of three or four dozen fingers came in sight around the edge of the door, when the word was given, " Pull!" and pull we did, while they shrieked in their agony and we mingled our wild laughter with their cries. Poor fellows! they had to extricate themselves, or their companions for them, by prying off the edge of the door with the points of their bayonets. When they were liberated, they retired to the guard-honse, probably to poultice their fingers. We fastened our door to a stake and retired from the scene, leaving the lights to extinguish themselves. The ser- geant was ashamed to report his defeat, and so the affair ended.

Soon after this the crew of a captured French frigate arrived, and they, about 500 in number, were marched into prison-a filthy and dis- gusting set of men. After a short consultation among ourselves we concluded not to admit them, as there were other buildings in the yard unoccupied. We called accordingly on the agent of the prison, Lieu- tenant Mears, a crusty and superannuated naval officer, and remon- strated against living with Frenchmen. He replied that no more prisons would be opened until these already open were filled. We retired to our apartments and resolved ourselves into a committee of the whole on

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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.

ways and means to keep out the Frenchmen. We concluded under the circumstances we had better fight it out. We knew the guards would not dare to fire on us, and that we could easily enough beat the French- men. We organized for the combat, placing the strongest in front and others in reserve. All this was done very quietly, while without was a great noise-a confusion of tongues and no interpreters. We remained sullen and still, " nursing our wrath to keep it warm." When they had finished counting, examining and numbering the poor foreigners, they ordered them to take their traps and move on. Poor Johnny Crapaud was at a loss what to do; but as the guards pressed the hardest he marched to the door. Then came the tug of war. After a short battle the French retreated and we were masters of the field. We thought we had finished the business of the morning very comfortably. The lieutenant called us scoundrels and rebels, told us if we were in any other than English hands we would be shot, and then ordered other prisons opened for his new captives.

I have one other story to tell on this point. Complaint was made by the turnkey of the prison that the Americans, notwithstanding the most vigilant watch, would escape from the prison and roam about the town for days together, often committing depredations. The commander in - chief, General Beard, a fractious old soldier, who, we were told, fought against Washington in the Revolution, and who had been defeated, in- quired why the prisoners were not missed when the roll was called. The turnkey replied that every man, so far as he knew, answered to his name morning and evening; at least every name was answered to. The general inquired if we were drawn up in columns at the roll - call. " No," replied the turnkey, " they will not form a line ; they say sail- ors are not soldiers, and were never intended to be." We had an object in this refusal ; for if drawn up in line we should be unable to answer for one another in case of any absence. The general said he would come in person, with a hundred men, the next morning and try his skill at drilling us. We had timely information of his intention.

It may be well for me to describe the way in which our old French friends were daily drilled. The first two men out would stand one on each side of the door; the next two by their sides, and so on till all were arranged far enough apart to allow the turnkey to pass between

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A LUDICROUS DRILL.

the lines. This, by the way, was very amusing to us; for, since the poor man had unfortunately lost one eye, he had to count up one side and down the other ; and when he came to the head of the column, some Yankee would call out " About face, backward march," greatly to the annoyance of the turnkey.

Now for the only military drill of my life. At the time appointed, General Beard with his officers and men, arrived. The prison yard was capacious and level, and he easily arranged his troops with sound of bugles and trumpets. The Americans were then ordered in front of the military, when the general addressed us in a short but commanding speech. He told us we were prisoners of war -- it so happened we had found that out before ; that he knew much of our country and its his- tory, and that we were fortunate in falling into so good hands; that it was a happy circumstance we were of the same origin, and spoke the same language with themselves ; that the object of his visit was for our good, and if we would attend to a few simple regulations, it would be for the advantage of all concerned. After this address he ordered a half- dozen lieutenants, sergeants and corporals to form us in line. I was the first man placed. I was directed to turn my feet out, keep my arms down and my head up. One after another some forty or fifty were placed on the same line, when we began to nestle and get out of position, and the general to scold, while the other officers were doing their best to remedy matters. We laughed at them long and loudly. The general rode up and down the line, complaining that it was not straight, and we meant it never should be. We were ordered to " dress front." We had arranged beforehand not to understand the order, and all was confusion, when all at once our well-known bugle sounded. We had a large crooked-necked cow's horn which we called a bugle, and used to call all hands to dinner. One of our comrades, a queer fellow named Smith, had concealed this under his jacket with the end near his mouth, and now gave the dinner call. We turned and simultaneously set up a roar of laughter. The general was amazed ; the horses neighed and reared, and a more ludicrous scene I never beheld. Smith was taken away, and the brave general rallied and tried twice more to ar- range us ; but an evil spirit seemed to have taken possession of us, and arranged we would not be. No words of mine are sufficient to express

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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.

the wrath of the disappointed general, and I do not believe that all the generals in Great Britain could · have formed us in a line after our horn sounded. The general called us stubborn, stupid, rebellious scoundrels ; then turned to leave us. We bade him good-bye, reminding him that this was not the first time he had been beaten by Americans. No other attempt to drill us was made at this depot.

But after all, as I have before said, probably never were prisoners more comfortably situated. The climate was mild and beautiful, the soil rich and generous, and the market loaded the year round with the products of the country, and the shores were visited by a great variety of the finest fish in the world, and a sad mistake we made by asking to be removed to England, thinking there to be more in the way of an ex- change ; for before we reached England the exchange had stopped, and we were compelled to drag out a miserable existence in a loathsome prison till the war should terminate. But of this by and by.

In July, 1814, the returned East India convoy arrived at the Cape under the protection of the Denmark, ship-of-the-line, and the Stag, frigate. These ships had lost many men by sickness, and we Americans were asked to join them, as seamen for the passage to England. Twelve of our number, including myself, accordingly joined the Marchioness of Exeter, Captain Baines. This was the largest of these fine ships, all of which were in reality ships of war, having batteries of heavy cannon and a marine guard of musketry, with uniformed officers and regular gradations of rank and promotion. Besides our officers, we had 100 English sailors, fifty Lascars and Chinamen and 300 company's troops, which were quartered at the guns in time of action. This was the most remarkable voyage of my life, and I must describe it somewhat in detail. We had never before sailed in an English merchant ship and could but notice a great difference in the usage and fare here, and on board one of our own ships. Our daily rations were a scanty supply of half- cleaned Bengal rice, a pint and a half of water, and a good allowance of salt meat, much of which we could not eat on account of our limited supply of water. We had no bread, flour, peas, beans, tea or coffee, which made a good variety in an American ship. Now an American sailor is very jealous of the rights of his stomach; and to avoid any future trouble we made an agreement previous to enlisting that bread should

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AN INCIPIENT MUTINY.

be daily given us, but for thirty days after we sailed only the rations just mentioned were received.

We were badly treated and worked hard and we decided that some- thing must be done. After consultation we decided we could get on very well if bread was allowed us, and remembering our agreement, we unanimously resolved to do no more duty without bread, but how to get it was the question. I was appointed to lead, and the rest were to follow to the quarter-deck to lay before the proud and lace-bound cap- tain our complaint and our determination, and it was agreed that all would consent to any arrangement I should make. To the quarter deck we went; the captain sent the second officer to inquire our business. I replied that we wished to speak to the captain. Accordingly he ap- proached and asked what we wanted. I answered we had come to re- mind him of a contract he had made when we joined his ship, that bread should be daily served to us, which contract had not been kept, though we understood there was bread on board. The captain replied angrily there was bread on board and that at a proper time we should have it. I replied that he would, of course, manage the economy of his ship in his own way; but that, so far as we were concerned, we should discontinue work till we had the bread. This he did not much seem to like, and he asked me if Americans could not subsist on the same food as English- men. I answered that I had no doubt Americans could do all that Eng- lishmen could, but whether they would or not was another matter. The result was, we were ordered under arrest and a guard placed over us. Soon after, the cutter was manned and I, with a companion, one Frank Rich, was ordered into it, and our captain followed. We pulled to the flagship, where our captain had an interview with Commodore Baker, after which I was ordered to the quarter-deck where stood the commo- dore and Captain Baines, with a dozen officers in a semi-circle, a very imposing spectacle-at least, considering the occasion. The commo- dore asked me my name, which I gave him, reminding him at the same time that I was born in the United States. "Are you sick ?" he then asked. "I am not well," I replied. "You are not sick, but discon- tented," he continued. "I understand from Captain Baines that until you twelve Americans came on board his ship he had a very orderly and faithful crew, but since then your influence has created a disaffec-

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History of New Bedford and its vicinity, 1620-1892, Part 20

Author: Ellis, Leonard Bolles Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Mason Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Ellis, Leonard Bolles
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Mason
Number of Pages: 1170