BAHAMIANS

Madison Washington was an escaped Virginia slave, who returned from Canada in the 1830's to rescue his wife. She had been sold away, and he never found her. But, while in Virginia, he was reenslaved after capture. As he was aboard the "Creole" slaveship, bound for New Orleans slave markets, Washington and other male slaves took over the ship. These freedom fighters killed the captain and several others, but retained the first mate, alive, who was directed to steer directly for the Bahamas where slavery was recently abolished . The ship arrived safely. 118 slaves got off in the Bahamas. But 4 female slaves remained aboard with their sailor-lovers, and the ship sailed on to New Orleans, where it was reclaimed by its owners after a British-American diplomatic resolution. Madison Washington was never heard from again. Madison Washington's relatives may be among these Bahamian/Haitian outliers who have now been rescued from Hurricane Dorian's ravages. Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown have both written of this pre-Amistad, little known, hero! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/helicopter-pilot-discovers-villagers-stranded-debris-bahamas-n1054536?cid=eml_nbn_20190915&fbclid=IwAR3Kz_J7FWhI2Sc0YJbsgP8Yt0Yi9H1AEifsCLFhzTDWhdiJizSe1XxovZc