Benjamin Waterhouse – Journal – 1816 | First Edition | War of 1812 Prison Journal

A Journal, of a Young Man of Massachusetts, Late a Surgeon on Board an American Privateer by Benjamin Waterhouse recounts imprisonment during the War of 1812. Published in 1816 in Boston, this firsthand narrative tracks the journey of a Massachusetts surgeon seized aboard an American privateer in May 1813. His story spans confinement at Melville Island, Chatham, and Dartmoor Prison. The book includes commentary on national character and cultural tensions among Americans, Britons, and others. A folding plate depicts Dartmoor Prison and relates to a notorious incident involving American prisoners. The Library of Congress notes the work as “a novel founded on fact.”

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Journal, of a Young Man of Massachusetts, Late a Surgeon on Board an American Privateer
• Author(s): Benjamin Waterhouse
• Publisher: Boston, Rowe & Hooper
• Edition: First edition. 1816
  • No mention of edition on title page, indicative of first edition.
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  7in x 4.5in (17.8 cm x 11.4 cm)
• Collation: 228 pp
• Illustrations: One folding engraved plate of Dartmoor Prison
• Contents Include:
  • Capture aboard an American privateer
  • Imprisonment at Melville Island, Chatham, Dartmoor
  • Eyewitness narrative connected to Dartmoor incident
  • Comments on politics and identity in wartime contex
• Reference(s): Howes W 155; Wright I, 2673

Condition:

Very Good. Bound in full leather with lightly rubbed corners and small areas of surface loss. Text block remains tight and secure. The folding plate is complete and creased. Interior pages show mild aging consistent with period.

Why Collect This?

• Cited War of 1812 prison narrative
• Includes engraved Dartmoor folding plate
• References Dartmoor massacre from primary perspective

Item Number: #29155