Part 3 (2/2)

Sept. 13.--We arrived at Quebec; and were immediately put on board two transport s.h.i.+ps laying in the river; and here commenced the greatest of our sufferings as prisoners of war. The weather was cool and we were dest.i.tute of sufficient clothing; the provision which was dealt out to us was fit for none but hogs. Each man received three sea biscuit for his daily allowance, about the size of a saucer; these were full of small worms, and we drew no better bread while we continued on board. Beef and pork was given us once a week, in quant.i.ties too small to satisfy our appet.i.tes. We also drew peas, rice, and oatmeal, which after being boiled they called _Burgoo_, or some such name;--it was bitter and not at all palatable even to stomachs as hungry as ours. We complained, pet.i.tioned, and remonstrated against such treatment; but no notice was taken of us whatever. The healths of the men in a short time began to waste away, and another vessel was prepared to receive the sick. The weather becoming too cool for our comfort, we were supplied with blankets, and in a short time afterwards we found ourselves covered with vermin, which no doubt we received from these blankets, as they were old, and had probably been used on board of other prison s.h.i.+ps, previous to our arrival. We formed a kind of police on board to keep ourselves as clean and make our situation as comfortable as possible, and each of the decks above and below was sc.r.a.ped and washed down once a day;--we had no soap allowed us to wash our clothing, neither had we money to buy a single article for our comfort; and even if we had, the extravagant price demanded for all articles, would have taken nearly the whole pay of a soldier for one year to supply him with necessaries for a month.

Many of the men died here, and were buried back of the city. Our situation became alarming, and a pet.i.tion from the prisoners was drawn up to be forwarded to the Commanding Officer at Quebec; but we received the agreeable news that we were to be sent home on parole, and of course it was withheld. Nothing could exceed the joy manifested by the prisoners on the reception of this pleasing intelligence. Capt.

Baker, a few days previous arrived with money to pay off the men; but only a few of the non-commissioned officers were paid, as it was considered improper to give all the men their wages, in consequence of the high price demanded for necessaries. Potatoes were sold on board for half a dollar a peck, while they were selling in the city for half a dollar per bushel; prices in the same proportion were set upon all the articles we stood in need of.

Oct. 26.--Some of the non-commissioned officers were permitted to go on sh.o.r.e and purchase necessaries for us on the pa.s.sage; and had the privilege of selling articles to the men, which was a great relief to us, although _they_ also demanded an exorbitant price for their goods;--taking advantage of the privilege given them to help their suffering comrades, many of them had the n.i.g.g.ardly meanness to turn it into a speculating business;--however, there were a few n.o.bler minded ones, who did all in their power to alleviate our sufferings;--such were sergeants Wright, Jennison, and Forbush, to whom many of the men are indebted for their friendly a.s.sistance during our confinement.

Oct. 27.--The officers of the regiment who had been quartered in the vicinity of Quebec arrived on board to take their pa.s.sage with us to Boston.

Oct. 29.--Early in the morning we set sail from Quebec in company with another transport with prisoners, for Boston.

Nothing of consequence took place except the death of one or two of our men, until we arrived in the Gulph of St. Lawrence, where we experienced a severe gale of wind, which drove us on our course at an amazing rate. During this gale our situation was truly distressing; some were sea-sick, others were frightened, and all expected to be lost. Late at night, _breakers_ was cried out by the hands on deck, and those among us who could be of any service, sprang from their births, and a.s.sisted the seamen to put about the s.h.i.+p.

Nov. 14.--We had cleared the Grand Banks, and were far out at sea, with very boisterous weather; many of the men had died and were cast overboard. The weather was so foul and cloudy that no observation could be taken, and the Captain of the vessel had been unwell during the whole pa.s.sage, and it was deemed necessary to make the nearest port. We steered a N.W. direction, and on the 20th Nov. we discovered land directly ahead, and made all sail for it.

About 12 o'clock we came up to the light house, and fired a signal gun for a pilot--a man came off, and informed us where we were, (our Captain being totally ignorant)--it proved to be Shelburne on the east side of the bay of Fundy. The inhabitants came off in boats with produce and fish, which they sold at a fair price. We tarried here the day following our arrival, and a month's wages were paid to each man to purchase themselves necessaries. In the pa.s.sage to this place, we had consigned the bodies of fifteen of our comrades to a watery tomb, and two others died here, and were interred on the beach.

Nov. 24.--A pilot was taken on board, and we again set sail with a fine breeze, and arrived at Boston the 28th Nov. 1812.

The other transport which sailed from Quebec in company with us, arrived two days previous;--they had lost ten men, who died on the pa.s.sage; and in our pa.s.sage we had thrown over thirty in the whole number. The reader can form his own opinion from this one circ.u.mstance of the severe treatment we had experienced in our captivity.

On our arrival at Boston, we had the good fortune to meet with our late Colonel, then Gen. Boyd, who commanded at that place. As soon as this benevolent officer was informed of the arrival and distressing situation of his late regiment, he had the best quarters provided for our reception at Charlestown, and provisions sent to us in abundance.

There were only two hundred of us now remaining of the regiment. We tarried here until the 1st. of January, 1813, when each man received his pay, clothing and furlough from Gen. Boyd, to return to their homes.

Thus ends the Journal of the march of the 4th regiment of U.S.

Infantry. Perhaps no other regiment in any two campaigns since the revolutionary war, have experienced greater hards.h.i.+ps, performed more toilsome marches, or fought better in the field of battle. For this we have received our clothing, pay and rations, and the _thanks_ of our government.

List of killed and wounded of the 4th Regiment U.S. Infantry, in the battle of Tippecanoe.

Late Capt. _Whitney's_ Riflemen.

Under the command of Lieut. Abraham Hawkins.

Killed--Ira Trowbridge. Wounded--Ensign Buchested; Sergeant Reuben Newton; Sergeant Aaron W. Forbush; Adam Walker; Ebenezer T.

Andrews; Wm. Brigham; Samuel Briggs; Eph. Hall; Edward R. Tuck; Israel Newhall; Samuel Thing.--Total 12.

Capt. _Paul Wentworth's_ Company.

Commanded in the action by Lieut. George P. Peters.

Killed--Wm. H. King, private. Wounded--Lieut. George P. Peters; Corporal S. Johnson; Curtis Phipps; Charles Wait; Wm. Layman; Caleb Critchet; Jacob Kealer; Noah Furnald; Jos. Burditt, dead; Stanton Smiley; Nathaniel Haynes; Isaac M. Nute, dead.--Total 13.

Capt. _W. C. Baen's_ Company.

Wounded--Capt. W. C. Baen, dead; Dexter Earl, dead; Sylvester Dean; John Donnahue; Timo. Foster; John D. Jones; Daniel Rodman; John Mahannon; Fra's Nelson; Isaac Rathbone--.Total 10.

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