An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce: Wrecked on the Western Coast of Africa, in the Month of August, 1815

by James Riley

The incredible true story of an American ship's crew taken into slavery by the Muslim slave traders of North Western Africa after being wrecked on that continent's west coast, has riveted, fascinated, and horrified readers since its first publication two hundred years ago. Captain Riley's ship, the Commerce, was sailing from Gibraltar to the Cape Verde Islands when it was lost in fog and wrecked on the west Moroccan coast. There, the crew were seized by passing Berbers, who, after taking their food and pouring out their drinking water, carried off the white men deep into the Sahara desert. The book tells in shocking detail the events before and after their capture by marauding Sahrawi natives, and their mistreatment, which included beatings, heat exposure, and starvation (to the point where they were forced to drink their own urine just to stay alive). Eventually, the abused, underfed, and overworked captives were on the point of death when their masters sold them to yet another Arab slave trader. He had purchased the white men upon Riley's promise of cash ransom and a gun. Riley promised his new owner that he had a friend on the coast at the town of Mogador (nowadays known as Essaouira) in Morocco, who would pay the ransom-something that was completely untrue. Incredibly, an Englishman-and total stranger-came to Riley's aid in Mogador, and paid the ransom, allowing the survivors to escape captivity and return to America. Captain Riley's detailed and horrifying descriptions of his experiences at the hands of the slave-trading Muslims of North Africa, typified the treatment suffered by more than a million Europeans who were captured by the Barbary pirates. This valuable account bears witness to a part of history that is now largely suppressed or ignored.

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 1817

Reviews

[Dawn Doria · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Paula TwoBears · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Cullen Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Nancy Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[D.N. Purkerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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...

[Kyle Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.