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Accounts of the Wreck of the Commerce: Two Narratives of Shipwreck, Capture and Slavery by Arabs of American Seamen, 1815
An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig "Commerce"
by James Riley
A Journal, Comprising an Account of the Loss of the Brig "Commerce", of Hartford, (Con.) James Riley, Master
by Archibald Robbins
A great American naval adventure of the early nineteenth century
The year 1815 was a momentous one. On the muddy slopes of Waterloo in Belgium Napoleon, who had set Europe ablaze for two decades, was brought to ruin. Across the Atlantic the United States of America had concluded its war with Britain having ended the conflict with a famous victory at New Orleans. Meanwhile in the eastern Atlantic an American merchant vessel and its crew underwent a drama which, although it was not significant to the world at large, would mean catastrophe, slavery and death for some of them. The brig Commerce out of Connecticut was sailing between Gibraltar and the Cape Verde Islands on a trading voyage when she ran aground on Cape Bojador off the coast of the Western Sahara desert. The ship and crew were attacked by local tribesmen of the Sahrawi. One man was killed and the rest of the crew, after terrible ordeals, were captured by Bedouin tribesmen. They suffered constant brutality at the hands of their captors as they were force marched through the desolate landscape and suffered dehydration and starvation before their eventual liberation. This Leonaur edition contains two accounts by crew members including one by the ship's master, James Riley. Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States cited Riley's book as one as the most significant and inspirational books he read as a youth. Indeed, Riley's account was a phenomenal bestseller in America at the time of its first publication selling over 1,000,000 copies. The second account here is by Archibald Robbins and is included to give readers a perspective on the incident from by one of the ship's able seamen.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.
by James Riley
A Journal, Comprising an Account of the Loss of the Brig "Commerce", of Hartford, (Con.) James Riley, Master
by Archibald Robbins
A great American naval adventure of the early nineteenth century
The year 1815 was a momentous one. On the muddy slopes of Waterloo in Belgium Napoleon, who had set Europe ablaze for two decades, was brought to ruin. Across the Atlantic the United States of America had concluded its war with Britain having ended the conflict with a famous victory at New Orleans. Meanwhile in the eastern Atlantic an American merchant vessel and its crew underwent a drama which, although it was not significant to the world at large, would mean catastrophe, slavery and death for some of them. The brig Commerce out of Connecticut was sailing between Gibraltar and the Cape Verde Islands on a trading voyage when she ran aground on Cape Bojador off the coast of the Western Sahara desert. The ship and crew were attacked by local tribesmen of the Sahrawi. One man was killed and the rest of the crew, after terrible ordeals, were captured by Bedouin tribesmen. They suffered constant brutality at the hands of their captors as they were force marched through the desolate landscape and suffered dehydration and starvation before their eventual liberation. This Leonaur edition contains two accounts by crew members including one by the ship's master, James Riley. Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States cited Riley's book as one as the most significant and inspirational books he read as a youth. Indeed, Riley's account was a phenomenal bestseller in America at the time of its first publication selling over 1,000,000 copies. The second account here is by Archibald Robbins and is included to give readers a perspective on the incident from by one of the ship's able seamen.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.
568 pages, Hardcover
First published July 25, 1817
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 23, 2026
Amazing book. First hand account of a shipwreck and enslaved ship captain circa 1815. Quite harrowing and straight forward, not for the feint of heart. This book is a facsimile copy from an extant book in the New York Public Library.
June 29, 2020
Interesting, but not the exciting adventure I was looking for. I love stories from that era and stories about shipwrecks in exotic places but this was told in such a calm and matter of fact manor it read almost like a travel guide. I learned a lot about the weather and the desert.
March 27, 2022
Absolutely excellent book. Stands against any modern book for readability. It has the usual “ooooph" moments that make you cringe anytime you read historical nonfiction, so be ready for that. However, Captain Riley is a true American hero. After his rescue he spent the rest of his life as a crusading abolitionist. He deserves to be more well remembered than he is.
December 23, 2025
James Riley recalls the events therein with such day-to-day conversational detail that I wonder whether like distance running he practices some long dormant human art. Is it possible for strength of memory to be cultivated and achieved with the same popular incredulity as the marathon?
...
I like survival tales. They make working life so unbearably tolerable I cannot help but take on a grateful disposition.
If you are fond of survival tales without a whole lot of polish, this one is good. Ernest Shackleton's story takes the cake, but this story is good too.
P.S. Some part of me believes there is such a degree of usefulness as a propaganda piece therein that had I been instructed it was fictitious that way, I would have believed it. I imagine the farmer upbringing is an awfully relatable circumstance to early post-revolutionary Americans. And the piece was advised to be written by Congress. Very interesting!
...
I like survival tales. They make working life so unbearably tolerable I cannot help but take on a grateful disposition.
If you are fond of survival tales without a whole lot of polish, this one is good. Ernest Shackleton's story takes the cake, but this story is good too.
P.S. Some part of me believes there is such a degree of usefulness as a propaganda piece therein that had I been instructed it was fictitious that way, I would have believed it. I imagine the farmer upbringing is an awfully relatable circumstance to early post-revolutionary Americans. And the piece was advised to be written by Congress. Very interesting!
February 13, 2022
This is a fascinating book, first published in 1815, I believe. The copy I read was an1851 revised edition, borrowed from MSU Libraries. It is the adventures of the Captain James Riley and four crew members. They were captured by Arabs when their ship was wrecked on the coast of Africa. The sailors were made slaves and suffered all sorts of inhuman treatment. They took care of the camels and were rarely given enough food or water. The Captain was a 240 pound man who was 90 pounds when released. He and the crew were released when they arranged a ransom payment to their captures. After returning to the United States Captain Riley became active in the anti slavery movement.
According to Simon Winchester, author of Atlantic, they is possible the only know case to be described of white slavery in Africa.
I’ve recently learned that Abraham Lincoln listed this title as one of the six books that had influenced him. It caused him to think deeply about the logic of equality.
According to Simon Winchester, author of Atlantic, they is possible the only know case to be described of white slavery in Africa.
I’ve recently learned that Abraham Lincoln listed this title as one of the six books that had influenced him. It caused him to think deeply about the logic of equality.
March 2, 2020
An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce
I was drawn to this book by the fact it was one of President Abraham Lincoln's favorite books. He credited it with shaping his views about slavery. More than any book or movie I've experienced, this book compelled in me a deeper sense of the intimate feelings and lasting trauma that come from being owned as a slave. More than that it is a true account of an extraordinary adventure written by the Captain of the American Brig Commerce about his crew's misfortune.
This edition has a nice looking hardcover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
I was drawn to this book by the fact it was one of President Abraham Lincoln's favorite books. He credited it with shaping his views about slavery. More than any book or movie I've experienced, this book compelled in me a deeper sense of the intimate feelings and lasting trauma that come from being owned as a slave. More than that it is a true account of an extraordinary adventure written by the Captain of the American Brig Commerce about his crew's misfortune.
This edition has a nice looking hardcover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
February 25, 2014
I read this very detailed narrative (though in a different version), because it directly impacted American history. This narrative was read by Abraham Lincoln, and he stated that this true story drove his desire to abolish slavery. It is a great read when looking from this perspective, as we see an American crew that goes through terrible events and end up as slaves. They miraculously survive (at least some do) and go on to document the experience of slavery as experienced by someone who can relate to the western leadership of the times. Without this perspective on slavery, our history may not have progressed as it did.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews