Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-05-08
FRENCH CRUELTY.

hLNS1 SRCrL I.
The following " plain unYarnishcd nara.
tive" from the Portland Gazette, is recon-.
mended to the attentive peru3al of our rulers
and their dcluded followers, who appear to be
determined, at The sacrifice of the bestipter.
ests OF our country and even the hazard Of
our national existence, to subserye the views
of Bonapalte.
PORTLAND, April o.
The subscriber, native of Gorham, in the
county Of Cumberland, sometime in the month
OF December, 1910, sailed from Hampton
Roads in the ship Eliza, oil Philadelphia, Phi.
lip Crandail, Of Portland, master, with cargo
Of flour and wheat, bound for Cadiz. On the
the 9Th of January, 1911, about four leagues
from ST. Lucar, was taken by French priva.
teer OF two guns and so or 40 men, and car,
ried into St. I.ucar, and the officer end crew
thrown into prison, where we remained Is
days under the pretence of being on euaran-
tine-from thence We were marched to St.
Maria (about leagues distance) where we
were again immured iii solitary prison and
continued in it l3 days, when captain Gran
dali and his mates had the Liberty of the town,
or as they call it a haroie Of honor; and tho
sailors we're marched back TO St Luar, and
imprisoned in the town gaol, solitary wet
prison, with nothing but stones TO sleep upon:
After remaining iii our new habltatlon three
days VIC were conducted on board slocp up
the river to Seville, * deposited inaprison With
about 100 Spanish prisoners, where weremaln-
ed taring the same as prisoners OF war, untl
the first of April-when we were joined by
about ] 500 American, English, Portuguese,
and Spanish prisoners and marched under the
direction of a guard of about 100 French
troops for Eayonne-Previous to our COM
mencing tie march We were robbed OF our
shoes--I had pair which reserved tor the
Journey, aid on the soldiers ordering meto
pull them OFF and my refusing, he stoopeo
down with view Of doing it himself, and on
my giving him blow, another OF the guard
came up and gave thrust with his Dayohe''
that would have pierced my body had hC'
Tended it of; but rs it WAS, gave me mars
that will long induce me TO remember thcN
We commenced our Journey under THIS escort
barefoot, on the lst of April, and suffered DNt
little Inconvenience on the first day OUT Ga
the second our feet began to blister ana 'n0
skin tare off from theu-so that every step
we took left the imprint, with the blood rom
our fect-our food was jackass Hesh 3, OI0"u
made of bran, and barely enoggs OF t0e' ~
sustain life. The fatigue and soreness OF oui
feet was so distressing, that numbers l%li.o
daiy--as soon as any one became unao'o w.
pursue the march, he vas shot. | nave NH0%',
% persons in this enleebled situation 70 %
shot dead in one day. Between ana ooS
were shot on the march. We continued out
march from the lst Of April to me s'h y,
June, Ca term Of 70 days. As we ae'ai n~u+
our numbers were augmented to DC "po"'
5000 who Joined US in the different to"nS$t ~
passed through, and the guard ncreasoe "
about 5000. Owing to our being iFequsiIp
Intercepted by the Spanish patriots w ~ ~,
Obliged to return to the place we had Sc. ~
from week previous. Although the oIa ,,,;l.s
from Seville to Bayonne, but about o9o l '',',rh
vet it was Judged thstwe had marched nS .,, +.
IS 1900 miles by marching and eonn'eF'aa' Co. G.,
ing. On the 9th of June We arF'v'p l q; 70
govia, and were placed in the prison lI hnt on
be the largest in SPAIN for five days J S,nrn
the night of the 9th of June y h1gi's 81 mi.
and myself found means to break OUT ~ IS a
SON, and lowered ourselves by the he,p . "