Thousands of soldiers were captured during the Napoleonic Wars. All were placed at the mercy of their captors. It was rarely comfortable and, more commonly, prisoners of war were abused by their guards, kept in primitive conditions, and were prone to disease, until peace or exchange. It was a test of endurance. I hope to post accounts by some of the unfortunates who were caught and held over the course of the conflict. Here is one account by an unfortunate dragoon captured by Arab horsemen in Palestine in early 1799. Here is another by Jean Le Roux, prisoner of the English.
An account by a French prisoner held at Ashby in Leicestershire
Jean Le Roux celebrated his eighteenth birthday as he set sail from Brest, bound for Saint Domingue in the West Indies. He was captured and spent many years in captivity in England. This his account of his life at Ashby.