Little George Ship RevoltIn June 1730, Captain George Scott of the ship Little George sailed from the Guinea Coast en route to Rhode Island, with a cargo of some 96 captured Africans. Several days into the voyage, several African men slipped out of their irons and attacked the white crew. Using weapons seized on the ship, the Africans killed three of the watchmen who were on deck. Scott and his crew tried to fight back, but were subdued and forced into the cabin where they were imprisoned by the Africans.
For several days the Africans controlled the ship and managed to sail it back to the Sierra Leone River, an estuary to the Atlantic Ocean. After making it to shore, the Africans left captain and crew and abandoned the ship.
Scott wrote of the incident:
“I, George Scott, master of the sloop the Little George, belonging to Rhode Island; Sailed from the Bonnana Islands on the Coast of Guinea, the first of June 1730, having on board ninety six enslaved Africans. On the 6th of said Month at half an hour past four of the Clock in the Morning, being about 100 Leagues distant from the Land, the Men got out of their Irons, and making way thro’ the bulkhead of the Deck, killed the Watch [man] consisting of John Harris Doctor, Jonathan Ebens Cooper, and Thomas Ham Sailor; who were, thought, all asleep. I being then in my Cabin and hearing Noise upon Deck (they throwing the Watch overboard) took my Pistol directly, and fired up the Scuttle which was abaft, which made all the enslaved Africans that were loose run forwards except one or two Men (who seemed to laugh at the Cowardice of the rest, and defiance of us, being but 4 Men and a Boy) who laid the Scuttle, and kept us down confin’d in the Cabin, and passing by Companion to view us.. . .”
