Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "slavery"

Apocalypse 1692: Empire, Slavery, and the Great Port Royal Earthquake by Ben Hughes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Anyone with even the briefest knowledge of pirate history knows about Port Royal – the “wickedest city” in the world during the 17th century. Yet this is just a small part of its tempestuous history. Originally a Spanish possession, Jamaica fell to the English in 1655. In the early years, Port Royal became a haven for pirates and privateers, the only ones who could protect the island and its residents from the likes of Spain and France. As time passed, the sugar planters gained prominence and power sufficient to turn away the scoundrels and make Port Royal a place where respectable men and women settled, worked, and socialized. This prosperity, however, came at a price – the enslavement of thousands – and it is into this world that readers step when they enter Port Royal with the newly appointed governor, William O’Brien, the Earl of Inchiquin, in 1689.

When this short-tempered Irishman entered Port Royal, the pirates were long gone. Nor would he have suffered their presence for long; he had lost an eye while a captive of Algerine pirates, who finally exchanged him for a £70,000 ransom. The city was comprised of more than 2,000 structures, stone forts, and a number of streets, while on the outskirts of town were the sugar plantations. Port Royal’s population numbered 6,500, nearly 4,000 of which were white; the rest were mostly African slaves.

Although the opening chapters include a brief summary of Port Royal’s pirate history and her most famous buccaneer turned lieutenant-governor, Sir Henry Morgan, Apocalypse 1692 is predominantly a story of slavery, rebellion, and the cataclysmic events of earthquake, flood, and disease that began the slow demise of the wealthiest mercantile center in the New World. Hughes also includes information on the French invasion of the island in 1694 and the city’s decline to the small fishing village that it is today.

Using quotations from period documents and contemporary accounts, Hughes vividly and accurately recreates Port Royal and Jamaican life in the 17th century. He further enhances the experience with a chronology of events in early Jamaican history, illustrations, maps, and chapter notes, and includes a bibliography and index to assist readers in locating additional information or finding specific references within the text. Apocalypse 1692 is a worthy addition to any collection focusing on Jamaican history, slavery, and colonial life in the second half of the 1600s.




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The Black Ring: The Nicholas Fallon Sea Novels, #2 by William Westbrook

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Keeping accounts and working in the office are not Nicholas Fallon’s cup of tea and after weeks of such busy work, he’s more than ready to return to the sea. His partner, Ezra Somers, founded the Somers Salt Company of Bermuda; his daughter, Elinore, is the love of Nicholas’s life. When a message requests Nicholas’s presence on Antigua, both are wise enough to know that the sea is as vital to him as blood. With his schooner refitted, he collects his crew, including his childhood friend, Beauty, and his coxswain, Aja. Beauty lost her leg in an accident many years ago, but she is the bravest person Nicholas knows and a superb second in command. Aja has grown from the scared, mute boy left to die on a sinking slave ship, to a vital member of the crew with hopes of one day captaining his own vessel.

Upon their arrival at English Harbor in Antigua, Nicholas joins Rear Admiral Harry Davies aboard his flagship. Although Nicholas is not part of the Royal Navy, he has, in the past, assisted them and the two men are good friends. This time Davies asks Nicholas to ferry a senior intelligence agent to Cuba, where the man can quietly slip ashore to discover whether there is sufficient dissatisfaction with Spain to warrant British help in undermining Spanish control of the island. As a privateer, Nicholas can go where the Royal Navy cannot. On a more personal note, Davies requests that Nicholas seek out a woman whom Davies cares for in Matanzas.

Always on the lookout for opportunities to take advantage of his letter of marque, Nicholas’s curiosity is aroused when they sight strange sails. The ship far surpasses his schooner in armament and men, but she runs up both a Spanish flag and a white one before asking Nicholas to come aboard. Since England and Spain are at war, it could be a trap, yet he accepts the offer. He doesn’t buy the captain’s story, and his doubt is confirmed when a passenger slips him a note saying they are actually prisoners. Still, there is more to the situation than the Spanish captain admits, which triggers one of Nicholas’s out-of-the-box ideas that results in the capture of the enemy vessel.

Nicholas and his crew also cross paths with pirates led by a ruthless defrocked priest known as the “Holy One.” They intercept secret communications between France and Spain that necessitate a visit to Haiti to warn Touissant Louverture. Then there are the captured runaway slaves and Davies’ friend at Matanzas who ae in need of rescuing before they face a firing squad. Beauty sustains a wound from which she may not recover, and news of her condition results in a deadly encounter with the Holy One for Ezra and Elinore.

Interspersed throughout the book are italicized chapters that recount the tale of a captured African warrior who is sold into slavery. These tell the story of Young David, who eventually crosses paths with Nicholas and Aja. All are vividly drawn, such as the portrayal of the slaver’s battle with pirates that unfolds from David’s perspective while he and the other slaves are chained belowdecks. Several are gut-wrenching depictions of the Middle Passage and life as a slave on Cuba. Yet entwined within them is an everlasting hope to reclaim his freedom, no matter the cost.

The myriad subplots are intriguing and expertly intertwined with the main part of the story. From first page to last, Westbrook snares the reader and doesn’t let go in this enthralling second Nicholas Fallon novel that surpasses the first. Spiced with gifted ingenuity and daring escapades, this nautical adventure is not to be missed.




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What the Parrot Saw by Darlene Marshall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blackmailed by a brothel madam, Captain Matt St. Armand acquires a package that needs safekeeping. One might expect this to be boxed cargo of some type, but this package turns out to be a scribbler named Oliver Woodruff, who has a penchant for annoying Americans with his antislavery views. Matt agrees to take him to Nassau, but only if he does as he’s told and isn’t too annoying. After all, the Prodigal Son carries only two things – crew and cargo, and Oliver hasn’t a clue about sailing a schooner. That makes him just about worthless to Matt . . . but his manner of speech and style of dress spark a kernel of an idea that may alter Matt’s thinking.

Captain St. Armand’s scrutiny makes Oliver decidedly uncomfortable, but what choice does he have. If he doesn’t escape the island, he’s likely to be shot – a reality that nearly comes to fruition when he accompanies the notorious sea rover back to his ship. He’s not exactly certain what duties his assignment as “cabin boy” entail, but from St. Armand’s languid perusals, Oliver has no intention of being placed in a compromising situation. While his tongue tends to speak before his thoughts warn against doing so, Oliver isn’t stupid and it doesn’t take long for him to discover one of St. Armand’s secrets.

When St. Armand orders a merchant ship to heave to on the pretense of making a trade, Oliver is surprised when he’s ordered to accompany the boarding party. That’s when he learns another of St. Armand’s secrets – one that could get them all killed. Oliver’s interactions with the pirates, with their newly acquired cargo, and his intervention when one of the captured crew members tries to attack St. Armand, demonstrate that Oliver has the gumption needed for a special, but dangerous, mission. That he is an English gentleman whose family owns a successful cotton mill further convinces St. Armand that Oliver is just the man to help them in Florida. Having come to the Caribbean for one last adventure before assuming his duties at home, Oliver throws caution to the wind and accepts Matt’s proposal. Their weeks of training and planning bear unexpected fruit, but no amount of preparation equips him for the torture and betrayal he experiences when the mission goes awry.

The adage “Never judge a book by its cover” could well be used to describe this story based on the above description. This is a romance set in 1839, but it’s not what a reader will expect in spite of it being typical of the genre. Time and again Marshall interweaves humor, drama, and suggestive, sometimes explicit, overtones in a way that can leave you feeling decidedly uncomfortable or chuckling at the repartee. Marshall also defies tradition in opting to present Oliver as a beta male, although this move makes it difficult to connect with his character at first. Halfway through he becomes more personable, the mark of good character growth.

Overall this is a good story, but two weaknesses stand out. First, several scenes feel less developed than they should be to really connect with the reader. Second, recovering from the betrayal occurs too quickly. The jail scenes bring home the brutality of slavery, as well as the danger both the runaway slaves and those who help them to freedom endure. Marshall’s character description of Matt St. Armand as a captain and a slave is stellar, but weaker when Matt returns home to England.

What does the parrot see? You must read the book to find out. Be forewarned: Roscoe the parrot, who is the ship’s cat, is a scene-stealer in this fourth book in Marshall’s High Seas series.




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Admiral Albert Hastings Markham: A Victorian Tale of Triumph, Tragedy and Exploration by Frank Jastrzembski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


His career in the Royal Navy spanned five decades, nearly as long as his monarch, Queen Victoria, sat on the British throne. During his lifetime, he fought pirates and rebels, explored the Arctic and America’s Western frontier, studied flora and fauna wherever his journeys took him, and penned numerous accounts of his adventures and explorations. He entered the navy as a raw recruit and retired as an admiral. Yet, today, few know of him. (Not surprising given that the last biography of his life was published nearly a hundred years ago.) His name was Albert Hastings Markham.

Markham thrived on adventure, and those experiences showed him to be a man of courage and self-discipline. He possessed both moral fiber and a strong Christian ethic. He combined all of these to follow a career path that was initially chosen for him by his father, who felt that at least one of his sons should serve his country as so many of his ancestors had.

His bold undertakings began with his assignment to the China Station, where he participated in numerous engagements to suppress piracy and rebels during the Taiping Rebellion and the Second Opium War. He also spent time in Australian waters, aiding the navy’s attempts to stop blackbirders – men who kidnapped and sold Polynesians into slavery. In preparation for a potential voyage of exploration, Markham took a leave of absence to serve aboard a whaling ship. The experience and knowledge that he acquired made him one of the chosen few who once again took up Britain’s attempts to reach the North Pole in 1875, an activity that had abruptly stopped after the loss of the Franklin Expedition thirty years earlier. In fact, Markham reached the most northern latitude of any explorer – a record that stood for two decades – in spite of suffering from snow blindness and scurvy. He also journeyed to the American West to visit his family, who had moved there, and his inquisitiveness spurred him to visit with the Kiowa, Comanche, and Wichita tribes and to hunt buffalo.

During his career, he commanded the navy’s Training Squadron, where he impacted the lives of many young men, including Robert Falcon Scott, who would one day explore Antarctica. He did have critics and a few thought him a strict disciplinarian, but he also cared for those who served under him. The one incident that left a profound mark on him was the tragic loss of more than 300 men when the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, HMS Victoria, sank.

This book is comprised of eight chapters that follow Markham’s life and career. Each begins with a quotation, either from his own writings or from someone whose life he touched. Forty-one illustrations, contained in a center section, provide glimpses into his life and the world in which he lived, as well as artifacts pertaining to him. Also included is a collection of maps relevant to his numerous assignments around the word. Two appendices accompany the narrative: A Complete List of the Officers and Men of the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76, and Albert Hastings Markham’s Books and Articles. A bibliography and an index round out the narrative.

Jastrzembski loves history and specializes in writing about nineteenth-century heroes and wars that few readers know about. He breathes new life into Admiral Markham in an account that is both entertaining and informative. The inclusion of Markham’s own words further enhances the experience and provides a closer glimpse into this man. Anyone with an interest in naval history, especially that of the Victorian Era, will find this a rewarding and highly readable volume.




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Harbor of Spies: A Novel of Historic Havana by Robin Lloyd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


At the end of January 1863, the Laura Ann arrives at Havana, but is unable to enter the bay because night has fallen. Nor can she return to open waters because a Confederate gunboat is out there hunting merchant ships flying the Stars and Stripes of the United States. Acting captain Everett Townsend is debating what to do when he hears shouts coming from the shark-infested water. He rescues an injured man named Michael Abbot, who has just escaped from El Morro Castle.

Cuba is an enticing mystery to Everett because it is the homeland of his mother, but once she left the island, she refused to speak of it or her family. Helping the injured fugitive comes naturally to him since his family aids runaway slaves passing through Maryland. But Cuba is a far cry from the United States, and being a Good Samaritan sets in motion a series of falling dominos with dire consequences for Everett.

Abbot has been investigating the murder of an English diplomat that was swept under the rug, but there are those with power and influence who don’t want the matter reopened. They become aware of Everett’s assistance and, soon, he finds himself imprisoned and unable to contact anyone. The Spanish officials believe him to be a spy, an executable offense. Don Pedro Alvarado Cardona offers him a lifeline. The cost, however, is almost as disgraceful and distasteful as when Everett was booted out of the US Naval Academy. If he wishes to live, he must become a Confederate blockade runner. Havana is nominally a neutral seaport; in reality, it is a depot where Confederate ships can load British armament to smuggle into the South or unload cotton and other goods that would otherwise rot in blockaded Southern ports.

Everett reluctantly accepts Don Pedro’s offer, but vows to escape at the first opportunity. That chance doesn’t come. Instead, he is offered a chance to visit the plantations where he comes face-to-face with the realities of slavery and people who knew his mother. A foreign diplomat offers Everett a way to change the current path his life is on, but it requires him to gain the trust of Don Pedro, a suspicious and mysterious man who has many secrets.

Harbor of Spies takes place over a span of six months – a time that may seem short for the reader, but is an eternity for the characters. Lloyd has crafted an intricate web of interconnected subplots and enigmas that subtly ensnare those who venture into the past that was Old Havana, where societal disparities were rampant and no one trusted anyone. A real diplomatic murder serves as the catalyst and the depth of Lloyd’s historical research is evident throughout. He provides vivid portrayals of slavery, human trafficking, manipulations, crime, blockade running, corruption, espionage, jealousy, and romance. This is a story where everyone wears a mask and nothing is as it seems.




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Mutiny On The Rising Sun: A Tragic Tale of Slavery, Smuggling, and Chocolate by Jared Ross Hardesty

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Rising Sun peacefully navigated Caribbean waters in June 1743. “Murder! Murder!” The sudden cries rent the air as three mutineers carried out their bloody work. At least seven people died that night. Two survived because of the knowledge they possessed. And chained in the hold, bearing witness to the bloody deeds, were thirteen children and two young men, all enslaved and bound for the slave market in Barbados.

This is far more than a simple trade venture gone awry. As Hardesty recounts the events of that gruesome night – providing insight into what is known and can be hypothesized about the mutineers, the victims, and the witnesses – he reveals details of the smuggling cartel behind the voyage, the miseries of human trafficking, and an insatiable craving for wealth, power, and chocolate. How the mutineers were caught and what happened afterward brings the story to a conclusion.

Newark Jackson, a respected sea captain in Boston, had no idea this would be his final voyage aboard the schooner. Many knew that he owned a store that sold chocolate and that he owned slaves who turned the cacao beans into the popular commodity that people enjoyed; what was less known was that he also smuggled contraband into seaports.

Ferdinand da Costa, Joseph Pereira, and Thomas Lucas carried out the foul deeds. Ship’s mate William Blake and bosun John Shaw survived because of their training and experience, both of which aided them in thwarting the mutineers and bringing them to justice – a justice that was as brutal and horrific as the mutiny itself.

Two appendices cover circumstantial evidence, newspaper reports, and witness testimonies. Maps, advertisements, artwork, ship drawings, and photographs are also included. End notes and an index round out the book.

In his introduction, Hardesty describes this book as a “human history of smuggling.” (4) He deftly shows how and why illicit trade played a role in the lives of all those involved, either firsthand or peripherally. What happened aboard the Rising Sun allows him to show us what drove these colonists to participate in the buying and selling of contraband, and how smuggling could result in the consequences that occurred. The Mutiny of the Rising Sun is an eye-opening examination of capitalism, exploitation, and racism during colonial times that still has repercussions for us today.




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Kemosha of the Caribbean by Alex Wheatle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fifteen and a slave. One who is curious, always asking questions. Kemosha also has dreams. No matter what she witnesses or endures, she refuses to allow Captain Tate or any of the overseers on the plantation to take away her dreams. One day she will be free!

But Tate has different plans. He sells her to Quartermaster Antock Powell – a move that separates her from her little brother and her friends. Kemosha will be a welcome addition to the tavern that Powell owns. She can cook and she is chaste; with her dark skin his patrons will pay extra for a night with her. Frightened, Kemosha has no choice but to go with her new master, but she vows to one day return to free those she loves.

When her worst fears are realized, Kemosha defends herself and then runs. As a free Black man, Ravenhide understands what awaits her if she’s found. He hides her from her pursuers and, afterwards, trains her to fight with a sword. Once Kemosha can hold her own, he arranges a duel between her and Powell. If she wins, she will be free. Fulfilling one dream isn’t enough, though. Those left behind deserve their freedom too, but that requires money.

Ravenhide, a cooper, sometimes goes buccaneering with Captain Henry Morgan is planning a raid on Porto Bello. When word spreads of a new venture, Kemosha insists on joining Ravenhide at sea even though she’s never set foot beyond Port Royal. Much to everyone’s surprise, Morgan hires her as his cook. Going to sea, however, is fraught with peril, especially since both Powell and the customer she knifed will also be joining this venture. Kemosha soon realizes that dreams and reality differ, sometimes in frightening ways.

The story’s first-person narrative provides young adult readers with a startling, yet realistic portrayal of slavery, seventeenth-century piracy, and Port Royal (and Jamaica) as it was, rather than as Hollywood often portrays the pirate haven. The one drawback is the use of dialect, which only occurs in dialogue. It may give the feel of authenticity to the story, but it can distract readers and is sometimes difficult to decipher. Although some may object to Kemosha’s relationship with another girl, this is a but a fraction of the story as a whole.

While Kemosha may be a product of her times, her dreams, thoughts, and emotional reactions are ones to which modern readers will readily relate. She is a Black heroine who struggles to survive in a world that relegates her to the status of property, yet time and again she shows everyone that she is a person. Morgan’s 1688 raid on Portobello is considered one of the highlights of the Buccaneer Era and, while Kemosha doesn’t participate in the actual sacking, the aftermath that she witnesses is a raw and gut-wrenching portrayal that provides readers with a vivid glimpse into both the realities of her world and the emotions she experiences.




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The Forgotten Slave Trade: The White European Slaves of Islam by Simon Webb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mention “slavery” and most people immediately think white masters and black slaves. The former exploited the latter by uprooting Africans from their homelands, transporting them across the Atlantic, and selling them in Caribbean and American slave markets. These forced laborers were also abused and mistreated, considered property rather than human beings. What Webb brings to light is the fact that this concept of slavery – black versus white – is relatively modern. He concurs that this was a horrendous practice, but to suggest that only Africans suffered and endured forced servitude and horrendous indignities is misleading and is an example of “cultural erasure.” His goal is to correct this misinterpretation of history.

The book’s primary emphasis is on people of the British Isles, including Ireland, who found themselves victims of slavery. Webb also mentions other countries and people from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East throughout history, as well as Western nations’ attempts to bring an end to Barbary slavery. He does point out that slavery remains prevalent even today; according to a 2019 report by the United Nations, around 25,000,000 people are still enslaved.

This volume delves into the history of slavery, concubines and eunuchs, Mamluks and Janissaries, galley slaves, and Barbary corsairs and pirates (including the Salé Rovers). In addition, he discusses European nations’ tendency to pay tribute rather than engage in military action to stop this abhorrent practice and the upstart United States defied that tradition and helped to end Barbary slavery against Western countries – a forerunner of what Webb sees as the Americans’ tendency to serve as the “world’s policeman.” The book also contains a list of references, an index, and twenty black-and-white illustrations.

No one knows when the first slaves appeared in England, but it was considered a normal state of affairs even before Anglo-Saxon times. The Vikings came not only to plunder monasteries and towns, but they also sought slaves for themselves and for people in other regions of the world. Slave raids were particularly prevalent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Cornwall was visited on more than one occasion, losing sixty dragged from a church in 1625 and 240 adults and children two decades later. All were destined for the slave markets of North Africa; only a few ever made it back to their home villages. One Scots woman who did not was Helen Gloag; she became a gift to the sultan of Morocco and eventually was elevated to empress of the sultanate.

In tracing the history of slavery, Webb shows that it was a universal practice. The earliest documented mention dates back 4,000 years. Two early examples involve Joseph of the Bible, whose brothers sold him, and a boy named Patrick, who became an English slave and eventually a Christian missionary (better known today as Ireland’s Saint Patrick). Initially, slaves are victims of war, where winners enslave losers, but in time, religion plays a role in who can be a slave. Muslims can own slaves, but only if those slaves are not of the Islamic faith. This is a guiding principle behind the Barbary corsairs preying on ships and lands outside of their own. Any captive who converts to Islam is freed. For example, Samson Rowlie converts and becomes the Treasurer of Algiers, while Jan Janszoon becomes the Admiral of the Salé Rovers and conducts numerous raids, as far away as Iceland.

Several organizations helped arrange ransoms for the captives, enabling them to return home. Of the 109 residents of Baltimore, Ireland taken in 1630, only three women were ransomed. When King William III arranged the release of all enslaved English and Irish in 1689, one of the men who went home to Ireland was Richard Joyce, who had been sold to a goldsmith. He took with him a design for a ring that he later produced. Today, it is an early example of the Claddagh Ring.

As I read the introduction, I questioned whether I really wanted to review a book that some readers may see as controversial, or even tantamount to heresy. A librarian – which I was for two decades – is trained to provide resources that present topics from all sides of the coin and to allow readers to decide what is wrong or right for themselves. Webb’s research is spot on and his sources are qualitative.

Nor is this a dry treatise on the history of slavery. It’s highly readable and, at times, illuminating. In no way does he minimize or ignore what happened to Africans who became victims of the triangle trade. His primary goals are to show that slavery doesn’t encompass this one period and that Europeans were also victims. He succeeds in meeting these goals, while providing the framework for why and how this came about. His narrative incorporates numerous points and counterpoints that certainly lend themselves to generating discussion. The Forgotten Slave Trade is a worthy and well-researched resource for anyone seeking a more complete picture of the history of slavery. It’s equally important to remember that it is but one volume to be consulted when delving into this controversial subject.

(Review originally posted at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...)



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The Force of Fate by Seth Hunter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Anthony Merry is something of a diplomatic Jonah and he’s not pleased to be the British envoy to Washington City. When an imaginary slight from the president occurs, Merry is determined to get his vengeance. That seems entirely likely after his wife introduces him to Aaron Burr, who has a plan to secede the western territories from the infant United States and create a new country. This sounds like a plan that his superiors back in London can get behind, and so Merry immediately outlines how backing Burr is the way to go.

Captain Nathan Peake has his own problems. His fiancée – his word, not hers since she refuses to marry – is with child and he may or may not be the father. Plus, he must appear before a court of inquiry that is determined to discover why he was aboard the French ship responsible for killing Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar and whether Peake colluded with the enemy. Not to mention the fact that he does have ties to the Bonaparte family, as does his fiancée, which may or may not be known to the court. Then, there’s the fact that both his mother and his fiancée are in imminent danger of arrest on charges of espionage.

Fate intervenes when the death of William Pitt brings about a change of government and those in power believe Peake will be more useful elsewhere. As a result, he is promoted to commodore of a squadron, which reunites him with old friends. He is also charged with a diplomatic mission to Washington City where the current envoy will be led to believe one thing while President Jefferson is reassured of the opposite. Fate, of course, is always accompanied by consequences. This time around Peake reunites with his nemesis, Gilbert Imlay, and must abet an escape from the Tower of London. Everyone has their own agendas, even President Jefferson, and a French fleet lurks off the coast of the Carolinas. Its representatives collude with Americans opposed to the current negotiations between the United States and Great Britain to bring about an end to the slave trade.

The Force of Fate takes place during the middle of the first decade of the 19th century and culminates with the 1806 Battle of the Atlantic between the British and French navies. It’s a facet of the Napoleonic Wars that is rarely depicted, which makes for an interesting interlude, especially when tied in with Burr’s scheming and early attempts to suppress slavery. Those who have never read a Nathan Peake novel may find this one a bit challenging to comprehend all of the story’s nuances, but fans of the series will enjoy this ninth entry. As always, Hunter excels at his depiction of sea battles, keeping readers on the edges of their seats as Peake and his men fight not only the enemy but also Mother Nature.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...)



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