Civil War History - Secession and PoliticsWas it Slavery, or was it States Rights? Perhaps it was the election of Lincoln? What were the real reasons for Southern Secession and what were the political issues in this time of war? Find your answers here in the Secession and Politics Disussion.
“The Times published a list of slave vessels in June last, which had sailed from the port of New-York. Those vessels can, with few exceptions, all be accounted for.”
VESSELS LEAVING NEW-YORK.
Name-Class-Master 1. Orion Bark Morgan 2. E. Morrison Bark Platt 3. Belle Bark Storm 4. Falmouth Brig Goudy 5. Wildfire Bark Stanhope 6. E. Lincoln Bark Palmer 7. Iowa Bark Johnson 8. W.G. Lewis Bark Faulkner 9. Sultana Bark Bourne 10. W.B. Kibbey Schr. Burns 11. Emily Bark Lindsey 12. Wandering Wave Bark Crayon 13. Hanover Schr. Eyres 14. W. Kelly Brig. Heagan 15. White Cloud Bark Hatch 16. Thomas Achorn Brig. Parker 17. Falmouth Brig. Llenas 18. Atlantic Ship Potter 19. J. Boynton Brig. Hinckley 20. Montauk Ship Quayle 21. Storm King Brig. Lockhart 22. Josephine Schr. Harker 23. Cora Bark Latham 24. Buckeye Bark Booth 25. Mixt_ 2d Bark Petard 26. D. Webster Brig. Bruisson 27. T. Deming Bark Brightman 28. Mariquita Schr. Barrett
New York Times, 17 January 1861
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
What is a "slave vessel"???? Do all ships leaving New York Harbor belong to NY???
What were these vessels' destinations???
From the Snipper we have a list of ships and .....????
Questions, questions and yet, so few answers (as usual)
Do all ships leaving New York Harbor belong to NY???
No.
But they obviously have some connections with New York.
I should have included at the end of the thread title- "..and New England"
The total number of slave ships operating from NY and NE was probably in the range of 50.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpnD
What were these vessels' destinations???
Cuber.
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
Anyone out there want to look up the history of the schooner Hanover(#13)?
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
“The Times published a list of slave vessels in June last, which had sailed from the port of New-York. Those vessels can, with few exceptions, all be accounted for.”
VESSELS LEAVING NEW-YORK.
Name-Class-Master
Wildfire, Storm King, Williams, Erie, Echo, Cora, and Binita 1. Orion Bark Morgan CAPTURED as a Slaver 2. E. Morrison Bark Platt 3. Belle Bark Storm 4. Falmouth Brig Goudy 5. Wildfire Bark Stanhope CAPTURED as a Slaver 6. E. Lincoln Bark Palmer 7. Iowa Bark Johnson 8. W.G. Lewis Bark Faulkner 9. Sultana Bark Bourne 10. W.B. Kibbey Schr. Burns 11. Emily Bark Lindsey 12. Wandering Wave Bark Crayon 13. Hanover Schr. Eyres 14. W. Kelly Brig. Heagan 15. White Cloud Bark Hatch 16. Thomas Achorn Brig. Parker 17. Falmouth Brig. Llenas 18. Atlantic Ship Potter 19. J. Boynton Brig. Hinckley 20. Montauk Ship Quayle 21. Storm King Brig. Lockhart CAPTURED as a Slaver 22. Josephine Schr. Harker 23. Cora Bark Latham 24. Buckeye Bark Booth 25. Mixt_ 2d Bark Petard 26. D. Webster Brig. Bruisson 27. T. Deming Bark Brightman 28. Mariquita Schr. Barrett
New York Times, 17 January 1861
The last seven ships the US captured as slavers were the Wildfire, Storm King, Williams, Erie, Echo, Cora, and Binita. You'll note that two of them are listed above, and that the Orion was also captured in the Congo River as a slaver. In 1860, the US effort had been stepped up due to the increasingly powerful anti-slavery movement in the North and the voting power of the Republicans after the 1858 elections.
Not too surprising that ships would sail from New York -- the busiest ports in the US -- but Baltimore was the third biggest US port and the Baltimore Clipper was a favored type of ship for the slave trade. How many ships do you have out of Baltimore for slave trading?
Who owned these slave ships, and where are they from? What is their home port?
Tim
__________________ "Let us, then, consider all attempts to weaken this Union, by maintaining that each state is separately and individually independent, as a species of political heresy, which can never benefit us, but may bring on us the most serious distresses."
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina, 1740-1824, Revolutionary War soldier, one of the authors of the US Constitution in 1787, speaking at the South Carolina Ratifying Convention in 1788.
The last seven ships the US captured as slavers were the Wildfire, Storm King, Williams, Erie, Echo, Cora, and Binita. You'll note that two of them are listed above, and that the Orion was also captured in the Congo River as a slaver. In 1860, the US effort had been stepped up due to the increasingly powerful anti-slavery movement in the North and the voting power of the Republicans after the 1858 elections.
Sounds very magnanimous and all...but Incorrect.
The reason for the increase in captures was the increase of ships involved in the slave trade.
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
The reason for the increase in captures was the increase of ships involved in the slave trade.
Nope. I am sure you know that is false.
No one denies there was criminal activity in trading slaves. No one denies that many of the ships involved sailed from Northern ports. Heck, even after the war started some Confederate privateers sailed from Northern states (MD, DE, even one from Connecticut.) Unscrupulous men are willing to do anything for a profit many times, and a criminal activity like the Atlantic Slave Trade was no different than what we see today in drug-smuggling. As my Dad used to tell me, money attracts crooks.
But after the Republicans gained seats in the 1858 election, they did pressure the Buchanan administration on doing more to stop the Atlantic Slave Trade. More funds were voted; a new commander was assigned with instructions to crack down. All of a sudden, US efforts were effective. The following ships were captured in 1859-60: Bark Orion, Captain Morgan (800 slaves), from New York. Bark Laura (Mexican flag), from New Orleans. Brig Lillie Mills, unknown, from Havana- Schooner Stephen H. Townsend, unknown, from New Orleans. Brig Tavernier, Captain Johnson (520 slaves), from Cardenas. Brig J. Harris, Captain Steele (550 Slaves), from New York. Brig Putnam, Captain Townsend (318 slaves), from New Orleans. Bark Wildfire, Captain Stanhope (507 slaves), from New York. Bark William, Captain Simms (513 slaves), from Mobile and Havana. Bark Wm. G. Lewis (Bogota), Captain Faulkner (411 slaves), from New York. Yacht Wanderer, landed her slaves on the U. S. coast.
Here's an example of how profitable the slave trade was, and why it attracted low-lifes from all parts of the country, North and South:
"The ship Venus, mentioned above, was an American clipper, said to he the sharpest ever built at Baltimore. She left that place, July, 1838; went to Mozambique, and took a cargo, all the while under United States colors; landed 860 negroes near Havana, under Portuguese colors; and was afterward sold, and her name changed to "Duquesa di Braganza." Her original cost was estimated at $30,000. Her entire expenses, including first cost, up to the time of her landing the 850 negroes, could not have exceeded $100,000-Her ??? negroes actually, it is said, brought $340 per head, or nearly $300,000; of which nearly two-thirds was net profit. "
Tim
__________________ "Let us, then, consider all attempts to weaken this Union, by maintaining that each state is separately and individually independent, as a species of political heresy, which can never benefit us, but may bring on us the most serious distresses."
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina, 1740-1824, Revolutionary War soldier, one of the authors of the US Constitution in 1787, speaking at the South Carolina Ratifying Convention in 1788.
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So it was not surprising that, in 1859, Secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey sent instructions to William Inman, the new commander of the African Squadron, that protection of American commerce be given top priority, with the chasing of slavers of lesser importance. Inman construed Toucey's instructions as permission to ignore the search for slavers, and he proceeded on a leisurely cruise aboard the USS Constellation to Madeira, off North Africa. A few months later he received an urgent message from Toucey, probably at the instigation of President James Buchanan, directing him to "renew his exertions," a code term for "get cracking!" Indeed, the African Squadron had now been expanded to include six sailing sloops of war plus, at last, the powerful steam sloop-of-war San Jacinto and two small, fast, lightly armed steamers, the Sumpter and Mystic, which had originally been chartered by the navy for service off Paraguay. Toucey also ordered that the squadron's supply base be moved to St. Paul de Loando (Loango), which was close to the center of slaving activity at the Congo River.
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Looks like I was wrong about replacing the commander. The Buchanan Administration told him to leave slavery alone, then reversed itself when they sniffed the air and saw which way the electoral wind was blowing.
Added later: Nope, they did replace the commander in June of 1859.
Note also that the African Squadron had never been more than six ships before this (1820-1859) and was usually four ships. From 1857-1858 it was three ships. Not too surprising they were not capturing anything.
Then in March of 1859 (Gee, right after the strong Republican showing in November of 1858 Elections), the Buchanan administration suddenly turns around. A new appropriation is pushed through Congress for the African Squadron: the last two combined totalled $20,000 -- this one is $75,000. Suddenly the African Squadron is bumped to eight ships, and gets a new support base in the heart of the slave-trade area, with orders to crack down.
Shortly afterwards (September), four steamers are assigned to a new squadron, patrolling out of Florida to intercept slavers as they near Cuba. The US had never maintained such a squadron before.
Then in November 1859, the Harriet Lane is assigned to patrol the US coast to intercept slavers -- something never done before.
So from early 1859 to late 1859, the USN goes from 3 ships on slave patrol to thirteen, and builds a new forward base for them off Africa. New get-tough instructions and a new commander are sent to Africa. All of a sudden, the USN starts capturing slavers and shutting down the trade in co-operation with the Royal Navy. Yet you say none of this is due to increased US effort, just increased slave trade activity. Balderdash.
Tim
__________________ "Let us, then, consider all attempts to weaken this Union, by maintaining that each state is separately and individually independent, as a species of political heresy, which can never benefit us, but may bring on us the most serious distresses."
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina, 1740-1824, Revolutionary War soldier, one of the authors of the US Constitution in 1787, speaking at the South Carolina Ratifying Convention in 1788.
In the book, The Wanderer, (owned by South Carolinians) the author also mentions profitability. Seems a slave could be purchased in Africa for the equivalent of US $50 (specie or goods). A US trader would pay about $500 for each and sell for about $1000 each.
The Wanderer, originally built for racing, could be refitted (in NY) for a load of only 485 Africans. (If I'm recalling correctly, it reached the Carolina coast with 415.)
It was very interesting to note the names of US and state officials actually trying to interdict the slaver and prosecute its owners/operators. The name, Toombs, comes up now and then.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
So from early 1859 to late 1859, the USN goes from 3 ships on slave patrol to thirteen, and builds a new forward base for them off Africa.
Jog my memory, please. Congress forbade US importation in 1808 or thereabouts. When did it make the slave trade to other ports illegal?
England did its own thing in imposing its anti-slavery policy on other countries. When did the US officially join in the effort. I emphasize "officially" as it is obvious that there was little actual enforcement forthcoming from the southern-dominated federal government.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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