Horrors of the Internal Slave Trade
In the latter part of January 1852, the Ohio River Valley experienced a severe cold spell. As a result, the Ohio River froze solid which suspended river traffic between Louisville and Pittsburg.
The steamer Hermann became trapped in the icy waters of the Ohio at Guyandotte, Virginia. On board where 80 to 90 slaves who had been bought up at Charleston, Virginia and were destined for the southern slave markets. The steamer belonged to the Kanawha Salt Company and was piloted by Captain Snelling C. Farley (1806-1888).
It is very likely that these slaves had formerly worked in the Kanawha Salines, which relied heavily on enslaved labor. As a result, between 1810 to 1820, the number of slaves in Kanawha County tripled, from 352 to 1073. The slave population was 1,717 in 1830 and reached its highest census-recorded number at 3,140 slaves in 1850. Nearly half of them were locally owned while the rest were leased in Kentucky or Eastern Virginia.
During the early 1850s, other brine fields were discovered and developed which led to stiff competition from pork packers in Chicago and caused Cincinnati's meat packing industry to fade in importance. This impacted directly on Kanawha Valley salt producers who lost the geographic advantage they once held. Kanawha salt shipments dropped drastically from over three million bushels in 1850 to less than half that figure just five years later.
Kanawha salt producers acted quickly to cut their losses and sold off many of their slaves. The number of slaves in the valley plunged correspondingly from 3,140 in 1850 to 2,184 in 1851, a decline of 30 percent. It was a calculated business decision. Slaves were simply regarded as a commodity, not human beings. However, it had a devastating impact on the enslaved population in Kanawha as families were ripped apart and individuals were torn from their loved ones and community ties to face an uncertain - and frightening - future "down river."
Company records of salt producers Ruffner-Donnally and Co. indicate that the Hermann took on freight at the Kanawha Salines on January 1, 1852. There is no mention whether the cargo was salt, slaves or both.
As the slaves were led on board the Hermann, they were chained together, two and two, with a long chain in between. The Portsmouth, Ohio correspondent who reported the incident to the Ancient Metropolis newspaper in Chillicothe, Ohio, likened it to "the manner in which horses are fastened for droving." Several hundred of their relatives and friends bade them a last farewell at the shore of the Kanawha River when the boat left Charleston.
As the Hermann emerged from the Kanawha River and was steaming down the Ohio River, the weather suddenly turned drastically colder. Her voyage ended, at least temporarily, at Guyandotte, when the boat became lodged in the ice. Navigation on the Ohio River had stopped entirely. When the temperatures plunged even further during the night of January 19, the intense cold became unbearable. It was noted that the "groans from the slaves ... were pitiful." A gentleman from Guyandotte reported that "on that cold Monday night several of them had their ears and toes frozen."
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported that temperatures in town had fallen to 12 degrees below zero on January 19. In the surrounding countryside, the thermometer dropped to 17 degrees below zero. In Vinton County, Ohio, the temperatures plunged to - 27 degrees. Citizens in Marietta, Ohio stated that it was the coldest weather they had ever known.
The mate of the Hermann, a Mr. Newton, threatened to raise a company to liberate them unless they were placed into more comfortable quarters. Finally, the long chain was loosened which allowed them to gather around the stove.
Their ordeal lasted for several days more. By January 23, there was no change in the weather or the condition of the Ohio River. The temperatures consistently staid below freezing, with a high temperature of 28 degrees on January 21. River traffic remained suspended. Finally, on February 3, 1852, the Hermann arrived at Cincinnati.
The slave owner approached Albert Thomas of Newport, Kentucky, Captain of the new steamer Moses Greenwood, and negotiated a deal to transport the slaves to New Orleans. Although the name of the slave owner has not been established with certainty, it may be noted that previously mentioned salt producers Ruffner-Donnally and Co. had an office at 48 Walnut Street in Cincinnati, near the steamboat landing.
The same address was shared by Frederick F. Brooks, acting agent of the steamer Hermann in Cincinnati.
The Moses Greenwood was built in Cincinnati and was registered two days earlier, so this trip appears to have been the steamer's maiden voyage. It was a sidewheel, wooden hull packet, with one deck and no masts, with a capacity of 268 tons.
The Moses Greenwood arrived at Louisville on February 4, 1852. After being loaded with additional cargo, the steamer departed Louisville on February 5, 1852, for New Orleans. On February 9, the Moses Greenwood passed Memphis, Tennessee and arrived at New Orleans on February 13, 1852.
The Daily Delta published an inventory of the cargo the Moses Greenwood was carrying but omitted the 80-90 slaves onboard who would soon be sold to the highest bidders at one of the slave markets in New Orleans.
Researched, transcribed and written by Marlitta H. Perkins, November/December 2024. Copyright © 2024, All Rights Reserved.
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