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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04604.19 |
| From Archive Folder | Letters of Isaac Mayo as commander of USS Grampus off Cuba re: piracy, slave ships, Lafayette |
| Title | Isaac Mayo to J.C. Hall regarding the "Phoenix" |
| Date | 9 June 1830 |
| Author | Mayo, Isaac (1791-1861) |
| Recipient | Hall, J.C. |
| Document Type | Military document; Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written by Lieutenant Commander Mayo as commander of the U.S.S. Grampus to Hall as captain of the merchant ship "Kremlin," based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Hall was threatened by the slave trade ship "Phoenix" and witnessed Mayo's seizure of the ship for piracy. Looked over Hall's affidavit and says he overlooked "two material points." Two points are: 1. the "Phoenix" ordered him to send a boat on board of her and after Hall refused and the "Phoenix" threatened to board the "Kremlin," which was an attempt to detain the ship without authority on the high seas. 2. the "Phoenix" crossing the "Kremlin's" bow with her guns was imposing "restraint upon you on the high way of nations." Wants Hall to confirm these points as they will play an important role in the trial. Says merchant ships have a duty to help "in sweeping such marauders from the Ocean, for most all Pirates have recently been committed by slavers, and I believe the latter has become a pretext for the former." |
| Subjects | Military History Navy Caribbean Slavery Slave Trade Merchants and Trade Commerce Pirates Global History and Civics Foreign Affairs Surrender African American History Military Law Maritime |
| People | Mayo, Isaac (1794-1861) Hall, J.C. (fl. 1830) |
| Place written | Off St. Iago de Cuba |
| Theme | Naval & Maritime; Slavery & Abolition; Merchants & Commerce; Foreign Affairs; African Americans |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | The U.S.S. Grampus was involved in the Amistad incident in 1840. The ship was ordered by President Martin Van Buren to New Haven, Connecticut's harbor in January 1840 to smuggle the captive Africans back to the Spanish in Cuba. The ship did anchor in the harbor, but the plan was never implemented. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |