The Wanderer: The Last American Slave Ship

Republican Blues

2nd Lieutenant
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Location
on the Savannah Station..
Thought I would toss this in the Naval Forum as it has to do with the ship itself.

About halfway through the book, and it's an phenomenal read! I would really recommend it to anyone with an interest in ships of the era. The story of the conspiracy to reopen the African Slave Trade prior to the war is amazing, and the writing is very face paced, with alot of very good information. The brashness of Charles Lamar in daring then SecTreas Howell Cobb to catch him and stop them, as well as the attempts by the Federal authorities to act on suspicion that she was on a slaving voyage, as well as the actions once she had completed her voyage is nothing short of amazing, as well as the subterfuge of her Southern and Northern backers, suppliers and crew. I really do recommend this one. Its is Amazing!
 
It's a good read! It doesn't mention the prime backer of the voyage, though, and that was N B Forrest. According to Jack Hurst, in his bio of Forrest, the Memphis slave dealer had "an interest" in the ship and was the recipient of the bulk of the surviving cargo. How far an interest in the conspiracy he had is unknown and likely always will be, but as a businessman it was a mighty profitable windfall. He made an almost 250% profit on his investment, enough to remodel his market to accommodate more people. It collapsed, putting him out of the trade until legal matters could be resolved, and then the war made it all moot. Hurst is the only one I've seen mention Forrest's involvement. After the war, however, Forrest was a strong backer of importing 'apprentices' from Africa and China.
 
I really loved the part when she is off the Congo river, and shmoozing the officers of HMS Medusa and basically pulling the wool over thier eyes while the slaves are being purchased from the baracoon..talk about BRASH!!!
 
It's a good read! It doesn't mention the prime backer of the voyage, though, and that was N B Forrest. According to Jack Hurst, in his bio of Forrest, the Memphis slave dealer had "an interest" in the ship and was the recipient of the bulk of the surviving cargo. How far an interest in the conspiracy he had is unknown and likely always will be, but as a businessman it was a mighty profitable windfall. He made an almost 250% profit on his investment, enough to remodel his market to accommodate more people. It collapsed, putting him out of the trade until legal matters could be resolved, and then the war made it all moot. Hurst is the only one I've seen mention Forrest's involvement. After the war, however, Forrest was a strong backer of importing 'apprentices' from Africa and China.

I doubt very much that Nathan Bedford Forrest had "an interest" as a backer of the Wanderer on this slave-trading voyage.

The Wanderer was originally built as an ocean-going yacht, launched in 1857 just before the Panic of 1857 hit. Her owner, Colonel John Johnson of the New York Yacht Club, spared no expense in her construction: in addition to being luxurious, she was extremely fast, capable of 20 knots and averaging 7.5 knots on a nine-day trip from New York to New Orleans. Colonel Johnson was a native of Louisiana and owned a very large sugar plantation there.

In 1858, Johnson sold her to William C. Corrie of Charleston, SC. Corrie was acting as front-man for a group financed by Charles Lamar of Savannah, GA. Lamar was an outspoken advocate of re-opening the Aftrican Slave Trade and had made other attempts at slave voyages using ships he owned himself; these had been blocked by the Federal government despite Lamar's protests. As Corrie began outfitting the Wanderer for a long voyage, she was modified at Port Jefferson on Long Island -- this included installing a water tank with enough capacity for a two year voyage. The government tried to stop her, but could find no conclusive evidence she was a slaver. (The slave deck was not installed until she was in Africa, etc.) Lamar had long-time connections to the owner of the yard in NY that did the work there.

Eventually, the Wanderer landed 409 living slaves on an island off the GA coast. The Federal government moved to arrest and try those involved, but could not secure convictions from juries in Charleston and Savannah. The slaves were rapidly dispersed and sold at markets from FL to NC. They were a "hot item", so they were sold and re-sold, getting extra prices for their notoriety.

Eventually, six slaves said to be from The Wanderer were sold at Forrest's yard in Memphis. They might have been sold a few times before they got to him. If by "interest" Hurst means a desire to procure a hot commodity (i.e., slaves from the notorious Wanderer) and sell it for a big profit, I am sure he was right. If Hurst means that Forrest was somehow a financial investor in the voyage of the Wanderer, I think he is likely to be absolutely wrong. Does he provide any evidence of a connection between Forrest in Memphis and Lamar in Savannah to show how that could be?

Tim
 
Let me see if I can look it up. Might be awhile! I don't have Hurst's bio - never lend your CW books! - but I'll see if I can find something about it to confirm. According to him, the whole cargo went to Forrest's, not just six. (You don't mean another incident regarding six slaves? Those people were with a group of slaves parked at Forrest's jail by another trader who went off and got shot by the person he was supposed to sell the gang of slaves to - although he'd already sold them to Forrest. He died in Forrest's living room. That brought the sheriff, who discovered six of the slaves were actually free. Forrest kind of tap-danced his way out of that - dealers were supposed to be careful about checking the blacks in their custody were actually really slaves...)
 
Let me see if I can look it up. Might be awhile! I don't have Hurst's bio - never lend your CW books! - but I'll see if I can find something about it to confirm. According to him, the whole cargo went to Forrest's, not just six. (You don't mean another incident regarding six slaves? Those people were with a group of slaves parked at Forrest's jail by another trader who went off and got shot by the person he was supposed to sell the gang of slaves to - although he'd already sold them to Forrest. He died in Forrest's living room. That brought the sheriff, who discovered six of the slaves were actually free. Forrest kind of tap-danced his way out of that - dealers were supposed to be careful about checking the blacks in their custody were actually really slaves...)

From THE SLAVE SHIP WANDERER by Tom Henderson Wells
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PRESS
ATHENS, 1967
=====
The 409 Negroes brought by the Wanderer lived out their lives in a variety of ways: some died soon after the landing; others were long in regaining their strength, a galling expense to their owners; many never strayed far from where they were first settled. In 1908, 1930, and 1940, an anthropologist, a local historian, and a group of WPA writers interviewed ex-slaves in the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. Several Negroes claimed to have come to the United States in the Wanderer or to have heard Africans tell the story of their voyage. Tom Floyd lived on St. Simons Island
across the sound from Jekyll Island. His sister, Clementine (also called "Steamboat") had belonged to the Dubignon family and still lived on their place. A third had lived all his life on the Tillman plantation in Edgefield. Like many old people, they tended to remember things that never happened or which happened to some one else. The thing that set them apart from their fellows was the claim of landing on the lonely beach of Jekyll Island in November, 1858.

Until the Civil War, newspapers followed the destinies of Wanderer Negroes who were discovered in all the states of the lower South. Twenty were allegedly found on a Colorado River plantation in Texas. Bedford Forrest's slave-trading company in Memphis was supposed to have offered six for sale. A free Negro barber in Augusta, Georgia, was said to own one.
=====

Something like 38 were seized by Federal marshals, but later released (heck, Lamar bought the Wanderer back at a cheap price after she was taken). In general, the conspirators moved the slaves off the Wanderer as quickly as they could and then dispersed them for sale in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to avoid having them become evidence in their trials/prosecutions.

Tim
 

Hmm. An 1869 newspaper interview about a pre-Civil War event; I generally regard those as requiring further support <g>

It would not surprise me to find Forrest had attitudes like these post-war. They were common enough. Mississippi tried to import 10,000 Chinese coolies in the late 1850s (about the time of the Wanderer incident, but were blocked by the Federals) and there is still a population of Chinese descent in Mississippi from coolies brought in after the Civil War (either from Cuba or from China).

However, I very much doubt the Wanderer part. I can't see a connection from Forrest in Memphis in 1858 to Lamar and his cronies in Savannah-Charleston-New York. Without that, I'd guess it is just Forrest spinning for politics in 1869 (right as he is backing away from the KKK after Grant's election (in fact, the interview is only a few days after Grant entered office).

Tim
 
Lamar's family - and another of the lesser known conspirators - were planters in Mississippi, well known to Forrest. Lamar's cousin, in fact, was a senator from Mississippi. That would supply at least one connection to Forrest in Memphis - the Delta was a huge market for slaves. Forrest, pre-war, was much more politically minded than most biographers note. He had toyed with the idea of being a congressman or senator, possibly even governor - but he had not dabbled enough to be considered a politician of any sort. The outfitting of the Wanderer was something a 'silent partner' like Forrest could swing, and from a business standpoint, he was highly motivated to restore the African trade. The profit on such slaves was obscene and there was a high demand for African-born slaves. (No trouble, they! No family to run to, nowhere to go!)

I agree there needs to be more evidence than Mr Hurst provides - he's the only one who has mentioned it - but there is an intriguing connection. I've wondered how much Forrest was into the ideology behind the scheme, or if it was strictly a business deal. Forrest's pre-war political ideas were Democrat party, pro-slavery of course, and pro-states rights. It's murky, like a good deal about Forrest.

After the war, and particularly at the time he spoke to the newsman, definitely Forrest wished to present himself as progressive and divested of the klan cooties. He attended some meetings of various groups trying to establish Chinese and African labor to replace the South's depleted supply and he also complained, more or less accurately, that many able-bodied white men would not do certain kinds of work! The blacks also wanted wages comparable to white wages, but the Chinese would work for whatever they got. That was another reason for his promotion of Chinese coolies.
 
Lamar's family - and another of the lesser known conspirators - were planters in Mississippi, well known to Forrest. Lamar's cousin, in fact, was a senator from Mississippi. That would supply at least one connection to Forrest in Memphis - the Delta was a huge market for slaves. Forrest, pre-war, was much more politically minded than most biographers note. He had toyed with the idea of being a congressman or senator, possibly even governor - but he had not dabbled enough to be considered a politician of any sort. The outfitting of the Wanderer was something a 'silent partner' like Forrest could swing, and from a business standpoint, he was highly motivated to restore the African trade. The profit on such slaves was obscene and there was a high demand for African-born slaves. (No trouble, they! No family to run to, nowhere to go!)

I agree there needs to be more evidence than Mr Hurst provides - he's the only one who has mentioned it - but there is an intriguing connection. I've wondered how much Forrest was into the ideology behind the scheme, or if it was strictly a business deal. Forrest's pre-war political ideas were Democrat party, pro-slavery of course, and pro-states rights. It's murky, like a good deal about Forrest.

After the war, and particularly at the time he spoke to the newsman, definitely Forrest wished to present himself as progressive and divested of the klan cooties. He attended some meetings of various groups trying to establish Chinese and African labor to replace the South's depleted supply and he also complained, more or less accurately, that many able-bodied white men would not do certain kinds of work! The blacks also wanted wages comparable to white wages, but the Chinese would work for whatever they got. That was another reason for his promotion of Chinese coolies.
Lamar's family - and another of the lesser known conspirators - were planters in Mississippi, well known to Forrest. Lamar's cousin, in fact, was a senator from Mississippi. That would supply at least one connection to Forrest in Memphis - the Delta was a huge market for slaves. Forrest, pre-war, was much more politically minded than most biographers note. He had toyed with the idea of being a congressman or senator, possibly even governor - but he had not dabbled enough to be considered a politician of any sort. The outfitting of the Wanderer was something a 'silent partner' like Forrest could swing, and from a business standpoint, he was highly motivated to restore the African trade. The profit on such slaves was obscene and there was a high demand for African-born slaves. (No trouble, they! No family to run to, nowhere to go!)

I agree there needs to be more evidence than Mr Hurst provides - he's the only one who has mentioned it - but there is an intriguing connection. I've wondered how much Forrest was into the ideology behind the scheme, or if it was strictly a business deal. Forrest's pre-war political ideas were Democrat party, pro-slavery of course, and pro-states rights. It's murky, like a good deal about Forrest.

After the war, and particularly at the time he spoke to the newsman, definitely Forrest wished to present himself as progressive and divested of the klan cooties. He attended some meetings of various groups trying to establish Chinese and African labor to replace the South's depleted supply and he also complained, more or less accurately, that many able-bodied white men would not do certain kinds of work! The blacks also wanted wages comparable to white wages, but the Chinese would work for whatever they got. That was another reason for his promotion of Chinese coolies.

Charles Lamar, as well as his father Gazaway Lamar were from Savannah, Ga. Gazaway Lamar had huge investments along the riverside, including warehouses and a steam cotton press, and paid for the Central of Georgia tracks to be laid down town. He also was one of the key investors in the SS Pulaski, which broke up after her boiler exploded when the Assistant Engineer turned the wrong cock, and drained the boilers, and then tried to refill the hot boiler. Charles came very close to dying in the sinking of the Pulaski. (His cousin by the way, was Mirabeau B. Lamar, 2nd President of the Republic of Texas
 
Charles Lamar, as well as his father Gazaway Lamar were from Savannah, Ga. Gazaway Lamar had huge investments along the riverside, including warehouses and a steam cotton press, and paid for the Central of Georgia tracks to be laid down town. He also was one of the key investors in the SS Pulaski, which broke up after her boiler exploded when the Assistant Engineer turned the wrong cock, and drained the boilers, and then tried to refill the hot boiler. Charles came very close to dying in the sinking of the Pulaski. (His cousin by the way, was Mirabeau B. Lamar, 2nd President of the Republic of Texas

Yes! It's not too hard to find a connection to Forrest and these folks. Just the depth of his connection to the escapade. They had more than one plantation, too. Basically, it was to challenge the issue of federal vs states rights on the matter of the African trade. Forrest, for one, believed it was up to the state of Mississippi (or whatever) to limit, forbid or allow this trade, not the federal government. The Constitution, as he read it, left very little up to the federal government and most up to the individual states. (That, of course, got sort of settled later on...!) So, when push came to shove on down the line, Forrest was a rebel, no doubt.
 
Yes! It's not too hard to find a connection to Forrest and these folks. Just the depth of his connection to the escapade. They had more than one plantation, too. Basically, it was to challenge the issue of federal vs states rights on the matter of the African trade. Forrest, for one, believed it was up to the state of Mississippi (or whatever) to limit, forbid or allow this trade, not the federal government. The Constitution, as he read it, left very little up to the federal government and most up to the individual states. (That, of course, got sort of settled later on...!) So, when push came to shove on down the line, Forrest was a rebel, no doubt.

Forrest placed his loyalties with Tennessee, though, not with Mississippi (where he had much plantation land). When Mississippi seceded, Forrest stayed very quiet. He was notably quiet in the vote for secession in Tennessee as well -- although he, like many, went with his state when it seceded.

I can't say I see any real need for Charles Lamar in GA to reach out to Forrest in Memphis (or any evidence they knew one another even casually, for that matter). Charles Lamar had large cotton plantations on the GA coast, owned ships and other businesses -- including a gold mine where he partnered with the shipyard owner in Port Jefferson that refitted the Wanderer. Charles Lamar's contacts went to men like Spratt of the Charleston Mercury, another avid advocate of re-opening the Atlantic Slave Trade. He had no need to involve a stranger.

Tim
 
Forrest may have had most of his investments in Mississippi, but he was a Tennessean. The buttons on his uniform are the state seal of Tennessee! At any rate, Forrest had extensive connections throughout the South and his brothers dealt a good deal with Georgia and South Carolina. Most of Forrest's stock came from South Carolina and Virginia. I don't think it's a stretch to suppose there were connections there but you're right in considering there should be more firm evidence. That, I'm not too sure can really be determined at this distance in time but there may be something out there yet. Forrest's brother Bill is thought to have scooped up some of the Wanderer's cargo and shipped it by train from Georgia to Memphis - I'll see what I can find to firm that up. You know, there is more proof to connect Forrest to the Wanderer than there is to connect him to the Ku Klux Klan! :wink:
 
At any rate, Forrest had extensive connections throughout the South and his brothers dealt a good deal with Georgia and South Carolina. Most of Forrest's stock came from South Carolina and Virginia. I don't think it's a stretch to suppose there were connections there but you're right in considering there should be more firm evidence. That, I'm not too sure can really be determined at this distance in time but there may be something out there yet. Forrest's brother Bill is thought to have scooped up some of the Wanderer's cargo and shipped it by train from Georgia to Memphis

This is not the side of the interstate slave trade I know much about--I know more about the eastern market, from Virginia-Maryland-DC down--so I'm genuinely asking rather than giving an opinion.

In general, wouldn't the African slave trade undercut the business of those who were working the interstate slave trade with stock from Virginia and the upper south? There were plenty of excess slaves up there to buy cheaper, export down and sell higher, but I thought the point of bringing in slaves from Africa was to glut the market with even cheaper slaves for the benefit of deep south buyers, so they wouldn't need the upper south market.

Upper south traders had contacts in the deep south because they were selling their wares north-to-south, but to switch to importing slaves from Africa would be a complete change in business plan, requiring importation into the deep south and sale there, rather than purchases in the upper south for sale to the lower south--a change that maybe Forrest was planning to do, if he thought there was more profit.

But other than the novelty factor--which certainly would be a factor with the first few importations--would there be any long-term market for shipping African slaves up, from Georgia to Memphis? I would have pictured Tennessee more like Virginia, with too many slaves and too little work for them, compared to the states that had an endless need for field labor.

The chart below, from here: http://www.measuringworth.com/slavery.php#text6 shows the comparative value of slaves in 1850 by region, with a Louisiana male age 18-30 arbitrarily set to 100. That price gap between the "new south" (deep southwest) and "old south" (upper and older-settled areas along the coast) was what made the interstate slave trade possible, and it's especially wide for what were sold as "prime field hands"--no surprise.

Expired Image Removed
 
Interestingly, one of the factors making the Wanderer the (possibly) last slave ship to deliver its cargo was Lt. John Newland Maffitt, U.S. Navy (and later C.S. Navy). Under his command, the USS Crusader captured a number of slavers (2 or 3) in 1859-60, the first of which had its name obscured but was believed to be the Bogota.
 
This is a subject I'd like to look into further as well. By the time the war opened the prime field hand you mention in your chart was worth as high as $3000 - a huge jump in price from just a short few years earlier because of the state of politics. There was a lot of speculation in slaves that drove the price up astronomically. As you mention, importation of cheaper Africans - they could be purchased in Africa for as little as a bolt of cloth - also had a profit drive. If a dealer invested $40 in an African he could resell for $1500 - when the prices were sky-high - well, that's motivation! Like Forrest said, one experienced slave would carry the others until they learned.
 
From what I just read, the slaves from Wanderer were purchased for $50, sold along the Satilla River for $500, and some that reached Montgomery under the ownership of Trader Thack Brodnax were expected to achieve prices of $1000. That is one heck of a profit margin.
 
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