Slave Ship Creole
The journal article, ‘The Revolt On The Slave Ship Creole: Popular resistance to slavery in post-emancipation Nassau’ was written by Edward Eden. Dr. Edward Eden is a professor of English at Hanover College, Indiana, U.S.A. This article was taken from the ‘Journal of the Bahamas Historical Society, October 2000,’ pages 13 through 20.’ As penned by the author the main purpose of this article is to familiarize its Bahamian readers with the revolt on the slave ship Creole in an effort to solicit sources of information that may have been missed or lost to get a better understanding “about cooperation among American and Bahamian blacks in resistance to slavery.”
On October 27, 1841 the slave ship Creole was said to have set sail from Hampton Roads, Virginia. Its final destination would have been New Orleans if it were not for the events that took place on November 7, 1841. Captain Robert Ensor was named as the ship’s commanding officer. His crew consisted of four officers, eight sailors, and three slave overseers (William Merritt, John Hewell). Ensor’s wife, child and niece were also said to have been on board the ship. All sailors were white except for a man named William Devereux. He was the ship’s steward and a free black man. The cargo on board the Creole was very valuable. It consisted of $50,000 worth of manufactured tobacco, which was ready for sale upon arrival in New Orleans. Even more valuable were the one hundred and fifty slaves bound for a somewhat similar fate, the slave market in New Orleans.
The slaves on the Creole were said to have come from Virginian plantations where their lives were said to be fairly stable until their owners were indebted to others or died. They then became a means to an end and were sold to one of two slave dealers. Robert Lumpkin owned approximately 90 slaves and Thomas McCargo owned approximately 39 slaves on board the New Orleans bound slave ship the Creole.
Slaves at that time networked with each other and
On October 27, 1841 the slave ship Creole was said to have set sail from Hampton Roads, Virginia. Its final destination would have been New Orleans if it were not for the events that took place on November 7, 1841. Captain Robert Ensor was named as the ship’s commanding officer. His crew consisted of four officers, eight sailors, and three slave overseers (William Merritt, John Hewell). Ensor’s wife, child and niece were also said to have been on board the ship. All sailors were white except for a man named William Devereux. He was the ship’s steward and a free black man. The cargo on board the Creole was very valuable. It consisted of $50,000 worth of manufactured tobacco, which was ready for sale upon arrival in New Orleans. Even more valuable were the one hundred and fifty slaves bound for a somewhat similar fate, the slave market in New Orleans.
The slaves on the Creole were said to have come from Virginian plantations where their lives were said to be fairly stable until their owners were indebted to others or died. They then became a means to an end and were sold to one of two slave dealers. Robert Lumpkin owned approximately 90 slaves and Thomas McCargo owned approximately 39 slaves on board the New Orleans bound slave ship the Creole.
Slaves at that time networked with each other and