James Riley (Captain)
Encyclopedia
James Riley was the Captain of the United States
merchant ship Commerce
.
in August 1815, and wrote a book on their ordeal detailing his memoirs. The book was published in 1817 and was originally titled "Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce" by the "Late Master and Supercargo" James Riley, modernly republished as Sufferings in Africa, ISBN 1-59048-108-9. It struck the nineteenth century reader because it was a startling switch on the then not usual master-slave relationship, which was white owners and black slaves.
This true story describes how they came to be shipwrecked, and their travails in the Sahara Desert.
Lost in this unknown world, Captain Riley felt responsible for his crew and their safety. He told of the events leading to their capture by marauding Sahrawi natives who kept them as slaves. Horribly mistreated, they were beaten, sun-burnt, starved, and forced to drink their own and camel urine. A slave would be worked until close to death, and then either traded or killed.
Riley devoted himself back on shore to the politics of anti-slavery work, but eventually returned to a life at sea, where he died of sickness in his sixties. The lives of his crew were foreshortened, no doubt from complications caused by their hardships in the African desert. The last surviving crewman was the cabin boy, who lived to be eighty-two.
, Ohio
, which he named for William Willshire
, the man who redeemed him from slavery.
As president, Abraham Lincoln
listed "Sufferings in Africa", along with the Bible and "The Pilgrim's Progress", as the books that most influenced his political thinking.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant ship Commerce
Commerce (ship)
The Commerce was a Connecticut-based American merchant sailing ship that ran aground in 1815 at Cape Bojador, off the coast of what is now Western Sahara...
.
Sufferings in Africa
Riley led his crew through the Sahara Desert after they were shipwrecked off the coast of Western SaharaWestern Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
in August 1815, and wrote a book on their ordeal detailing his memoirs. The book was published in 1817 and was originally titled "Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce" by the "Late Master and Supercargo" James Riley, modernly republished as Sufferings in Africa, ISBN 1-59048-108-9. It struck the nineteenth century reader because it was a startling switch on the then not usual master-slave relationship, which was white owners and black slaves.
This true story describes how they came to be shipwrecked, and their travails in the Sahara Desert.
Lost in this unknown world, Captain Riley felt responsible for his crew and their safety. He told of the events leading to their capture by marauding Sahrawi natives who kept them as slaves. Horribly mistreated, they were beaten, sun-burnt, starved, and forced to drink their own and camel urine. A slave would be worked until close to death, and then either traded or killed.
Riley devoted himself back on shore to the politics of anti-slavery work, but eventually returned to a life at sea, where he died of sickness in his sixties. The lives of his crew were foreshortened, no doubt from complications caused by their hardships in the African desert. The last surviving crewman was the cabin boy, who lived to be eighty-two.
Influence
Riley was the founder of the midwestern village of WillshireWillshire, Ohio
Willshire is a village in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The population was 463 at the 2000 census. It is included within the Van Wert, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, which he named for William Willshire
William Willshire
William Willshire also known as William Wiltshire , was British Vice Consul to Mogadore , Morocco from 1814 until 1844, before being assigned to the Consularship of Adrianople in 1845, until his death in 1851....
, the man who redeemed him from slavery.
As president, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
listed "Sufferings in Africa", along with the Bible and "The Pilgrim's Progress", as the books that most influenced his political thinking.
See also
- History of Western SaharaHistory of Western SaharaThe history of Western Sahara can be traced back to the times of Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator in the 5th century BC. Though few historical records are left from that period, Western Sahara's modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups such as the Sanhaja group and the...
- CommerceCommerce (ship)The Commerce was a Connecticut-based American merchant sailing ship that ran aground in 1815 at Cape Bojador, off the coast of what is now Western Sahara...
- William WillshireWilliam WillshireWilliam Willshire also known as William Wiltshire , was British Vice Consul to Mogadore , Morocco from 1814 until 1844, before being assigned to the Consularship of Adrianople in 1845, until his death in 1851....
External links
- Life of Riley and later antislavery work in Ohio
- Slavery in North Africa - The Famous Story of Captain James Riley article by Robert C. Davis in The Public Domain Review, 2011.