Jonathan Cowdery's Journal: A Blockade Narrative

1. Jonathan Cowdery's Journal: A Blockade Narrative Prepared by: Mariam Bedraoui

2. Outline • American Barbary Captivity Narratives • Different Versions • Re-imaging Captivity • Tripoli Blockade (1801-1805): A Historical Overview • Cowdery’ s Journal: A Blockade Narrative

3. A. American Barbary Captivity Narratives: 1- Different Versions • Americans started to be captured by North African corsairs as early as 1625 • Gee Joshua’s fragmented narrative is the earliest surviving Barbary captivity account • John Foss and James Cathcart’ s captivity narratives in Algeria • Tripoli prisoners: Jonathan Cowdery, Elijah Shaw and William Ray • Shipwrecked captives: Robert Adams and James Riley’ narratives • Female Captivity Narratives: Mary Velnet, Maria Martin and Elisa Bradly

4. A. American Barbary Captivity Narratives: 2-Re-imagined Captivity • Novels • Adventures of Alfonso • The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania (1787) • Humanity in Algiers(1801) • The Algerine captive (1797)

5. 2- Re-imagined Captivity • On Stage • Slaves in Algiers (1794) • The American Captive or Siege of Tripoli (1812) • Slaves in Barbary (1817) • Children’s Books • The Algerine • The Corsair Prince • The Boy Bedouins • The White Boy Slaves of the Sudan • Seven Boy Slaves

6. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview 1801 • Feb. 26: Tripoli declares war on the United States. • July 24: Commodore Richard Dale commands the first squadron to the Mediterranean and begins a blockade of Tripoli. • August 1: The American schooner Enterprise captures a Tripolitan cruiser. 1802 • April 27: Commodore Morris leaves Virginia in command of the second squadron dispatched to the Mediterranean • June 17: Tripolitan Corsairs capture the American merchant ship Franklin.

7. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview 1803 • June 2: Commodore Morris orders a raid on Tripoli harbor. • June 7: Morris conducts abortive negotiations with Tripoli. • September: Commodore Edward Preble, leading the third American Squadron, arrives off Tripoli. • October 31: The USS Philadelphia runs a ground in Tripoli harbor and is captured, along with its captain Bainbridge and his 307 crew.

8. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview • 1804 • February 16: Captain Stephen Decatur enters the Tripoli harbor abroad the ketch Intrepid and sets fire to the Philadelphia and escapes • September 4: The intrepid, which was converted to an explosion vessel, blows up prematurely in Tripoli harbor. • September 9: Commodore Samuel Barron, commanding the fourth squadron, arrives off Tripoli harbor.

9. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview • 1805 • February 23: William Eaton and Hamet Karmanli, meeting in Egypt, agree to lead an overland expedition against the port of Derna. • April 28: Arab and American force storms and captures Derna • June 4: United States and Tripoli conclude peace

10. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • An inside account of Tripoli blockade • The Bashaw’s reactions and decisions • The population movements from and to Tripoli • The international counsels’ initiatives • Tripoli’s continuing social life • The repercussions of war in the harbor • The American casualties found afloat on the shore

11. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • A narrative blockade of the captivity idea • He is an unconventional captive • He has leisure and seeks entertainment • He pays visits to the suffering crew but no details about their afflictions in the harbor • He keeps reporting the actions of the national fleet on the harbor • He never shows anxiety or fear • No religious connotations or psychological break-downs • A strong male captivity narrative

12. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • Blockading the local culture • Unbalanced relationship between Cowdery and the Bashaw • He sets cultural differences between him and the Bashaw • He reports on the rituals and festivities which do not appeal to him “the rejoicement was great, but neither elegance nor taste were discoverable”

13. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • William Ray’s narrative comes as a corrective to Cowdery’s account. • Cowdrey says: “After the signal of the Philadelphia was struck, and the officers and crew waiting the pleasure of their new masters, the Tripolitan Chiefs collected their favourites, and fell to cutting their own men who were stripping the Americans and plundering the ship.- They cut the hands of some, and it is believed many were killed”. Cowdery, American Captives in Tripoli, 1 • Ray says “It is true that there was a sort of mutiny and clashing of arms amongst themselves, but for my part I never saw any hands amputated, nor do I believe there were any lives lost; for myself and a hundred others were in the ship much longer than the Doctor and none of us ever saw or heard of this carnage among themselves.” Ray, Horrors of Slavery,18.

14. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • Ray gives a different narrative to that of Cowdery “Petty despotism is not confined alone to Barbary excreted and piratical shores; but that base and oppressive treatment may be experienced from officers of the American, as well as the British and other navies” • Ray, Horrors of Slavery,18.

15. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative • Back home , Cowdery’s account served to consolidate the victory narrative, which was highly contested. • This was done in the narrative by assuming a confident tone, providing exaggerated depictions of the local people and their culture and by overlooking the intense sufferings of the American prisoners.