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Summary

Memorial erected 1866-8, commemorating the American soldiers who died at Dartmoor Prison, where they were held as prisoners of war during the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1427366: H M Prison Dartmoor: Obelisk in the American Prisoner of War Cemetery

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• OBELISK (XIX - 1866 AD to 1868 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Obelisk' is depicted on the late 19th century historic map in the cemetery.

Joy, R., 2002, Dartmoor Prison A Complete Illustrated History Volume 2 The Convict Prison 1850-Present Day At Her Majesty's Pleasure, 43, photographs (Monograph). SDV359843.

The inscription on the obelisk reads: 'In Memory of the American prisoners of war who died between the years 1809 and 1814 and lie buried here. Dulce at decorum est pro patria mori. (It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country).' Unfortunately the dates on the obelisk are wrong; no American prisoners were held at Dartmoor until April 1813; the last Americans left around July 1815 (dates should read between 1813 and 1815).
The cutting and installation of the obelisks was carried out by convicts, organised by Governor Stopford, in whose honour one of the fields on the estate is named.

Historic England, 2016, Case Name: H M Prison Dartmoor: American Prisoner of War Cemetery (Report - Assessment). SDV359541.

Summary of Building
Memorial erected 1866-8, commemorating the American soldiers who died at Dartmoor Prison, where they were held as prisoners of war during the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815.
Reasons for Designation
The Obelisk at the American Prisoner of War Cemetery, H M Prison Dartmoor, erected in 1866-8 by
prisoners of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison), is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Artistic interest: despite its modest design, it is of good quality reflecting its function as a
commemorative structure, and having been hand-carved by prisoners of Dartmoor Prison, adds further to its interest and poignancy;
* Historic interest: it is an important and rare example of a monument commemorating the American
prisoners of war who lost their lives in captivity during the Anglo-American War of 1812-5, the last military conflict between the United States and Great Britain;
* Group value: it forms the main focal point for the cemetery and has important group value with the
commemorative gate added in 1928, with the adjacent French Prisoner of War Cemetery, laid out together as a matching pair, and with Dartmoor Prison.
History
During the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816 and the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815, around 1200 French and 271 American soldiers died at Dartmoor Prison where they were held as prisoners of war. They were buried unmarked in a field immediately west of the prison outside the prison walls. In the early 1860s, in response to reports that during ploughing of the field human remains regularly came to the surface, Captain Stopford, Governor of Dartmoor Prison, decided to create two burial grounds outside the prison walls, one for the French and one for American prisoners of war. The human remains were exhumed, divided into two parts and then reburied. The two burial grounds were enclosed by a stone wall and the convicts of Dartmoor Prison (by then a civic prison) made a commemorative obelisk for each cemetery.
In 1928 the National Society United States Daughters of 1812, founded in 1892, added a Dartmoor granite memorial gate to the American cemetery, and later cast iron gates were added, presented by members of the US Navy. In 2002, on the instruction of the Governor Graham Johnson, the obelisks to both cemeteries were restored, and a cast iron entrance gate was added to the south side, including seats and a flagpole. In 2012 two further marble memorials were erected behind the obelisk, inscribed with the names of the 271 American prisoners of war who are known to have died at Dartmoor Prison.
The American Prisoner of War Cemetery at Dartmoor Prison continues to be regularly used for
commemorative ceremonies.
Details
Memorial erected 1886-8 commemorating the American soldiers who died at Dartmoor Prison where they were held as prisoners of war during the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815.
MATERIALS: Dartmoor granite.
DESCRIPTION: a memorial in the shape of an obelisk set on a circular base with central steps leading up to the memorial, standing on a slightly raised bed laid with gravel. Formerly, as shown on a photograph of the memorial of c1900, the obelisk stood on a stone rubble base forming a rockery planted with ferns. The front of the memorial is carved with the words: 'IN - MEMORY- OF THE - AMERICAN - PRISONERS - OF WAR - WHO DIED - BETWEEN THE - YEARS - 1809 & 1814 - AND LIE - BURIED HERE - DULCE ET - DECORUM EST - PRO PATRIA - MORI'
Underneath is the bronze star and anchor emblem of the US Daughters of 1812, added in 1987.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Shown on the modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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