Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1838-05-30
From the Massilon (ohio) Gazette.
RETURN OF THE CAPTIVE.

Gus trade. There is "pride, and
pomp, and circumstance" about il, ex-
tremely captivating to the young and
ardent, who have only had the oppor-
tunity of seeing it in holiday dress.
Could IL always exhibit itself in page
antry or parade, it would be, indeed, q
glorious if not useful art but there
is an under current of misery in its
action and results, never seen by the
romantic, that strips from lis adventi-
tlous tinsel, and presents it naked, the
fruitful parent of pain and degradation.
The victorious general, surrounded by
his gaily decorated staff, with highly
disciplined and tastefully uniformed line
of soldiers in his front, presents a diff
ferent aspect from that which must
have met the eye when surveying the
carnage on the eve of the battle of
| Waterloo.
Our citizens yesterday morning were
introduced to the acquaintance of John
Wood, man whose tale of sorrow
could not fail of interesting the heart,
however callous, or however prone to
incredibly. A meagre sketch can
only be given now. The ample histo-
ry of his mislortunes may hereafter be
presented to the woodland, if given
by master hand, will command the
sympathy ofthe public, when the maw-
kish productions of fiction, which now
cumber our bookstores and insult our
taste, shall have become despised and
forgotten.
In the war of 1912, John Wood,
now fifty years old, was young and
industrious farmer in Braken county,
Kentucky. He was the husband of
young and interesting woman, and the
father oil two infant children. He was
living in happiness on farm, which
he earned by his industry-when the
gallant Captain Butler, (who after
wards fell at the capture of the British
batteries at Fort Meigs,) raised his
flag, and solicited the hardy Kentucki-
ans of Braken county, to enroll them
selves among the defenders of their
| country. John Wood was one of their
number. He suffered all the priva-
tions to which the chivalric army of
the northwest was exposed, during the
disastrous campaign which resulted in
the defeat of Winchester at the River
Raisn. By good fortune he escaped
the tomahawk of the savage allies Of
Grant Rrtt
Of war to Quebec.
He was next, with other American
prisoners, despatched in transport to
Plymouth, in England. From Ply
mouth, accompanied by crowd of
fellow prisoners, he was about to be
| transferred to Dartmoor-that well re-
membered scene of British cruelty and
| British owardice--when he found an
opportunity to elude his guards and
make his escape. He wandered thro'
the country, stealing through by-ways,
until he found himself at Bristol. Hun
ger compelled him to enter grocery,
the head quarters of British press
gang. Here he was pressed, and des-
pite his protestations that he was
citizen Of the United States, and fu-
gitive prisoner of war, facts which
might have been easily proven by ref
erence to the military authorities at
Plymouth, he was hurried on board
His Majesty's frigate Sea Horse, the
flag ship of the celebrated Sir Peter
Parker, and compelled to bear arms
against his own countrymen.
On board the Sea Horse were seve-
raj other Americans, who like Wood
had fallen victims to the British system
of impressment. They determined on
desertion and when lying in the
Port Of ST. Johns, succeeded in secu-
ring a boat, during an extremely dark
night, and attempted to reach the cas-
tern coast OF the State of Maine
They were instantly pursued, and
were obliged to desert their boats, on
the shore of New Brunswick, and
seek safety in the woods. After wan
dering about for two days, exhausted
with cold and hunger, and fatigue,
they were a?prehended by party of
British soldiers, and again transferred
to the Sea Horse. The punishment
that followed this act OF desertion was
inflicted with all that ingenious refine
ment of cruelty for which the British
navy is so celebrated.
The Sea Horse attached TO the
squadron under Admiral Cockburn,
was shortly afterwards ordered into
the Chesapeake, and took an active
part in the robbing, burning and muir
dering Of the defenceless inhabitants of
the coast. Mr.. Wood and the impress
sed Americans were never permitted
to leave their vessel. He was on
board on the night when Sir Peter
| Darka rnat HE f,ta a., eboxo A Lou,