Prisoners of War at Dartmoor: American and French Soldiers and Sailors in an English Prison During the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812

British history as it really was - no glamour but a straightforward account of what happened in a rural corner of England two hundred years ago during a fierce conflict with her traditional enemy France and an unexpected second war with a former colony, the United States. The incarceration of French and American prisoners of war in Dartmoor Prison was an astonishing episode in itself, where acts of cruelty and degradation by their guardians were countered by defiance and a spirited loyalty by the prisoners to their respective countries. Much of the story is told firsthand by those who were there, against a background of warfare and glorious victories on all sides.

The author relates how a barren landscape that was (and is) subject to the worst of winter weather was transformed into a thriving township by one very determined man, Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt and why such a place was chosen to build a prison. The design and costs of constructing the prison, and its later development are fully explained. There are several surprises in this true account of happenings inside and outside the prison.