African Slave Trade Patrol
African Slave Trade Patrol | |||||||
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Part of the suppression of the Slave Trade | |||||||
USS Perry confronting the slaver Martha off Ambiz in 1850. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | African slave traders | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Matthew C. Perry George W. Storer William Compton Bolton George H. Perkins Andrew Hull Foote Thomas Crabbe Daniel Dobbins |
Jozé Antonio de la Vega Francis Bowen |
African Slave Trade Patrol was part of the
Operations
Origin
The first American squadron was sent to Africa in 1819, but after the ships were rotated out there was no constant American naval presence off Africa until the 1840s. In the two decades between, very few slave ships were captured as there were not enough United States Navy ships to patrol over 3,000 miles of African coastline, as well as the vast American coasts and the ocean in between. Also, the slavers knew that if they hoisted a Spanish or Portuguese flag they could easily escape pursuit. Congress made it difficult for the navy to keep a small force in Africa until 1842 when the Webster–Ashburton Treaty with the United Kingdom was signed. Commodore Matthew C. Perry was sent to command the Africa Squadron again after serving as the commander in 1821 aboard USS Shark. His arrival marked the beginning of America's growing effectiveness in the suppression though the overall victories were insignificant compared to the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron in the same period. The British captured hundreds of slave ships and fought several naval battles; their success was largely due to the superior size of their navy and supply bases located in Africa itself. The combined efforts of both the British and the United States successfully freed thousands of slaves but the trade continued on and the operation was expanded to the West Indies, Brazil and the Indian Ocean. The Brazil Squadron, the West Indies Squadron, the East India Squadron and the later Home Squadron were all responsible for capturing at least a few slavers each.[3][2]
Revenue Cutter Service Patrols
On 1 January 1808, a law making the slave trade from Africa illegal went into effect. Revenue cutters were charged with enforcing this law. On 29 June 1820, the Dallas captured the 10-gun brig General Ramirez carrying 280 African slaves off of St. Augustine, Florida. On 25 March, the Alabama captured three slave ships. By 1865, revenue cutters had captured numerous slavers and freed nearly 500 slaves.
Capture of Spitfire
On 13 June 1844, the
Part of a series on |
Slavery |
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Capture of Ann D. Richardson and Independence
The brig
Capture of Martha
One of the Americans' more significant victories in the operation was the capture of the slave ship Martha. On June 6 of 1850, Perry, under Lieutenant Davis, discovered the large rigged ship Martha off Ambriz while she was standing in to shore. Soon after, as Perry came within gun range, Lieutenant Davis and his men witnessed some of Martha's crew throwing a desk over the side while raising the American flag. The slavers apparently did not realize that the brig was a United States Navy vessel until an officer and a few enlisted men were dispatched, at which time they lowered the American ensign and raised a Brazilian flag. When the officer reached Martha's deck, the captain denied having any papers, so a boat was sent after the desk, which was still floating, and all the necessary evidence was recovered. After that the slave trader admitted to Davis that he was a United States citizen and his ship was equipped for blackbirding. A hidden deck was found below with a large amount of farina and beans, over 400 wooden spoons, and metal devices used to restrain slaves. It was also learned that the captain of Martha was expecting a shipment of 1,800 Africans when Perry appeared. Martha was sent with a prize crew to New York City where she was condemned. The slaver captain paid 3,000 dollars to escape prison.[5]
Capture of Nightingale of Boston
The 1,066 ton
End of operations
United States Navy operations against the slave trade largely ceased in 1861 with the outbreak of the American Civil War. Navy vessels were recalled from all over the world and reassigned to the Union blockade of southern ports.
By the end of the Civil War, the African slave trade on the Atlantic had diminished further, though overland slave trading continued into the 1900s, primarily in North Africa and Central Africa. U.S. Navy officers who served in Africa between 1820 and 1861 received the "African Slave Patrol" campaign streamer.[2][3][7][8]
Vessels seized
Africa Squadron
Vessel | Captor | Date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Uncas | Porpoise | 1 March 1844 | Gallinas |
Spitfire | Truxtun | 24 March 1845 | Pongas R. |
Patuxent | Yorktown | 27 September 1845 | Cape Mount |
Pons | Yorktown | 30 September 1845 | Kabenda |
Merchant | Jamestown | 3 December 1845 | Sierra Leone |
Panther | Yorktown | 15 December 1845 | Kabenda |
Robert Wilson | Jamestown | 15 January 1846 | Porto Praya |
Malaga | Boxer | 13 April 1846 | Kabenda |
Casket | Marion | 2 August 1846 | Kabenda |
Chancellor | Dolphin | 10 April 1847 | Cape Palmas |
Excellent | John Adams | 23 April 1850 | Ambriz |
Martha | Perry | 6 June 1850 | Ambriz |
Chatsworth | Perry | 11 September 1850 | Ambriz |
Advance | Germantown | 3 November 1852 | Porto Praya |
R.P. Brown | Germantown | 23 January 1853 | Porto Praya |
H.N. Gambrill | Constitution | 3 November 1853 | Kongo |
Glamorgan | Perry | 10 March 1854 | Kongo |
W.G. Lewis | Dale | 6 November 1857 | Kongo |
Brothers | Marion | 8 September 1858 | Mayumba |
Julia Dean | Vincennes | 28 December 1858 | Cape Coast Castle |
Orion | Marion | 21 April 1859 | Kongo |
Ardennes | Marion | 27 April 1859 | Kongo |
Emily | Portsmouth | 21 September 1859 | Loango |
Delicia | Constellation | 21 September 1859 | Kabenda |
Virginian | Portsmouth | 6 February 1860 | Kongo |
Falmouth | Portsmouth | 6 May 1860 | Porto Praya |
Thomas Achorn | Mystic | 29 June 1860 | Kabenda |
Triton | Mystic | 16 July 1860 | Loango |
Erie | Mohican | 8 August 1860 | Kongo |
Storm King | San Jacinto | 8 August 1860 | Kongo |
Cora | Constellation | 26 September 1860 | Kongo |
Bonito | San Jacinto | 10 October 1860 | Kongo |
Express | Saratoga | 25 February 1861 | Possibly Loango |
Nightingale | Saratoga | 21 April 1861 | Kabenda |
Triton | Constellation | 20 May 1861 | Kongo |
Falmouth | Sumpter | 14 June 1862 | Kongo |
Brazil Squadron
Vessel | Captor | Date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Porpoise | Raritan | 23 January 1845 | Rio de Janeiro |
Albert | Bainbridge | June 1845 | Bahia |
Laurens | Onkahye | 23 January 1848 | Rio de Janeiro |
A.D. Richardson | Perry | 11 December 1848 | Rio de Janeiro |
Independence | Perry | 13 December 1848 | Rio de Janeiro |
Susan | Perry | 6 February 1849 | Rio de Janeiro |
Home Squadron
Vessel | Captor | Date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Putnam | Dolphin | 21 August 1858 | Cuba |
Cygnet | Mohawk | 18 November 1859 | Cuba |
Wildfire | Mohawk | 26 April 1860 | Cuba |
William | Wyandotte | 9 May 1860 | Cuba |
Bogota | Crusader | 23 May 1860 | Cuba |
W.R. Kibby | Crusader | 23 July 1860 | Cuba |
Joven Antonio | Crusader | 14 August 1860 | Cuba |
Toccoa | Mohawk | 20 December 1860 | Havana |
Mary J. Kimball | Mohawk | 21 December 1860 | Havana |
See also
- Bering Sea Anti-Poaching Operations
- West Africa Squadron – British squadron active against slave trade
- Zanzibar slave trade
- Indian Ocean slave trade
- Red Sea slave trade
References
- ^ "African Slave Trade Patrol | Battle Streamers". Naval History and Heritage Command. 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
- ^ a b c d Heritage Auctions, Inc, pg. 34–36.
- ^ a b c Dow, pg. 270–276.
- ^ Dow, pg. 272.
- ^ Dow, pg. 273–274.
- ^ Dow, pg. 274–276.
- ^ "History.Navy.mil". Archived from the original on 2001-11-18. Retrieved 2001-11-18.
- ^ "Current Award, Campaign, Service, and Expeditionary Streamer Entitlement, to the Battle Colors of the Marine Corps". Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ Canney, pg. 233–234.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Dow, George F. (2002). Slave Ships and Slaving. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-42111-2.
- Heritage Auctions, Inc. Historical Manuscripts and Autographs. Heritage Capital Corporation. ISBN 1-59967-465-3.
- Canney, D. L. (2006). Africa squadron. Potomac Books.