Incarceration Conditions of the French Prisoners of War in the British Prison in Chatham in 1803-1814: Regression Analysis of the Duration of Captivity and Mortality

Abstract

The relevance of this article is studying of the problem of “Man at war” includes examining a fate of prisoners of war. Detention conditions of Frenchmen in England during the Napoleonic wars remain a subject of discussions in the foreign historiography. Besides this, it has also never been studied earlier in the national historiography. In the article they are considered by means of regression analysis of captivity duration and mortality. Their dependence from such factors as age, height, rank, type of vessel, year of capturing etc. is considered. This method reveals if there was any discrimination in releasing and if food supply and other conditions were satisfying for survival in detention. The results are compared with the data of the Danish and Norwegian prisoners who were kept in the same prison. The aim is to examine detention conditions of the French captives on English prison hulks. The result of the study is reveal of the duration of captivity depending from the period of seizing: the first arrivals spent the longest time in a prison that indicates the halting of captives’ exchange as early as 1803. It also depended from way of leaving the prison: if the prisoner was exchanged, dyed or escaped. Persons aged less than 12 and over 50 were released earlier. Children, the elderly, officers could be released only on parole. Military seamen were kept longer than the rest. At the same time, death in captivity appears to be occasional. It indicates that food of the French prisoners in England was sufficient for survival. But other conditions led to a high mortality: 8-14 % of the French captives died in custody.