Mary Carver Affair

Mary Carver Affair
	Côte d'Ivoire
Result	Ivorian victory Americans massacred and ship captured; Ivory Coast Expedition;

Belligerents

United States

BerebyCommanders and leaders

Eben Farwell †

Ben Crack-OStrength 1 schooner unknownCasualties and losses 5 killed
1 schooner captured unknown

The Mary Carver Affair^[1] occurred in April 1842 when the American merchant ship Mary Carver was attacked by Bereby warriors in canoes near the kraal of Little Bereby Ivory Coast. After the crew was massacred, the natives plundered the ship, provoking a response by warships of the United States Navy's African Slave Trade Patrol.^[2]

Affair

It was April 24 when the affair unfolded.

camwood from a Bereby trader named Young Crack-O. However, Captain Farwell discovered that his wood was not ready for shipment and demanded that Cracow give him a canoe as payment. The trader reluctantly agreed and when the shipment was ready for transportation, it was taken to the Mary Carver by canoe. The ship's mate did not suspect danger so he allowed some of the canoemen to board the schooner and help with stowing the cargo. But instead of helping load the camwood, the Africans attacked with concealed weapons. The mate and the ship's cook were killed and one seaman was thrown overboard and drowned. A second seaman climbed the rigging to escape the massacre and when he finally came down he was "butchered" by the Bereby. Captain Farwell did not know his ship was under attack until the natives came for him, he asked the Africans to allow him to say one last prayer but his request was denied.^[3]

Women were among the attackers, one of them hit Farwell in the face with and broke the bone above his right eye socket, making his eye bulge out. After that Farwell was tied up and thrown overboard; in the water he was able to free himself of the ropes and he made it to the surface only to be clubbed in the head again and killed. The Mary Carver was then plundered, some pieces of the vessel were taken along with her American flag which ended up in the home of

punitive expedition to the area under Commodore Matthew C. Perry, which destroyed Little Bereby.^[4]

References

^ "NYMAS Talk,June 8: "The Mary Carver Affair: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Africa Squadron, 1841 – 1845". Strategypage.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
^ Ellsworth, pg. 3
^ Hening, pg. 181-182
^ Hening, pg. 183-184

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Ellsworth, Harry A. (1974). One Hundred Eight Landings of United States Marines 1800-1934. Washington D.C.: US Marines History and Museums Division.
Hening, E. F. (1850). History of the African mission of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States: with memoirs of deceased missionaries, and notices of native customs. Stanford and Swords.

[1] "NYMAS Talk,June 8: "The Mary Carver Affair: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Africa Squadron, 1841 – 1845". Strategypage.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.

[2] Ellsworth, pg. 3

[3] Hening, pg. 181-182

[4] Hening, pg. 183-184

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1842
Shipwrecks	26 Jan: HMS Vindictive 25 Mar: HMS Skylark 1 Apr: USS Missouri 7 Apr: Brunswick 19 Apr: HMS Investigator May (unknown date): Zavala 28 Aug: Waterloo 12 Sep: Ingermanland 2 Oct: USS Concord October (unknown date): San Antonio 29 Nov: HMS Formidable 5 Dec: Water Witch Unknown date: Sir Andrew Hammond
Other incidents	24 Apr: Mary Carver
1841 1843

Affair

See also

References