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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00722.21 |
| From Archive Folder | William McBlair collection |
| Title | Thomas P. Pelot to William McBlair reporting the events that led to the British capture of the slave trading ship "Clara B. Williams" |
| Date | 11 November 1857 |
| Author | Pelot, Thomas P. (d. 1864) |
| Recipient | McBlair, William |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Military document |
| Content Description | Reporting the events that led to the British capture of the slave trading ship "Clara B. Williams," which had been falsely flying the American flag. The crew is being sent to Sierra Leone to be tried. Written on board the U.S.S. "Dale," on the Congo River. This incident was another example of a slaver flying American colors to avoid being seized by the British Navy. Once HMS "Alecto" officers had boarded the vessel, however, they quickly realized the ship was a slaver and began towing it to the 'Dale."The master threw his false ship's papers and colors overboard and was thus able to escape American arrest. (Note: The captain of the "Alecto" had been alerted to the "Clara B. Williams" by a dispatch from Joseph Crawford , the British consul at Havana, to Lord Clarendon. See GLC05832.01 for excerpts from Crawford's disptach.) Thomas P. Pelot, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was a lieutenant aboard the USS "Dale." At the outset of the Civil War, Pelot joined the Confederate Navy. He was killed in 1864 while leading an expedition against the USS "Waterwitch." |
| Subjects | Africa African American History African Squadron Slavery Slave Trade Navy Maritime Law Military Law Global History and Civics Military History |
| People | Pelot, Thomas Postell (1837-1864) McBlair, William (d. 1863) |
| Theme | African Americans; Slavery & Abolition; Naval & Maritime; Law; Foreign Affairs |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Thomas P. Pelot was an officer in the United States Navy, later served in the Confederate Navy. William McBlair was a United States naval officer in command of the ship "Dale," responsible for catching illegal slave trading ships off the coast of Africa. Later served in the Confederate Navy. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Related documents | Extract of a despatch from Mr. Crawford to Lord Clarendon |