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Virginia Chief Inspector of Vessels, Quarterly Reports, 1856-1861. Accession 36456, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
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On March 17, 1856, the General Assembly adopted a law entitled, "An act providing additional protection for the slave property of the citizens of this Commonwealth." This legislation established a new inspection system to prevent the escape of both slaves and criminals aboard commercial shipping vessels. All vessels outward bound for any northern port were subject to the inspection. The act, however, did not apply to vessels owned by the United States government, citizens of Virginia, or citizens of foreign countries.
Dr. Jesse J. Simkins was appointed as the first Chief Inspector and Edward S. Gayle and James L. Adams were appointed as river inspectors and assigned to the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers, respectively. Ultimately, twelve men served as inspectors until 1861. The pilots, however, acted as the primary investigators and two pilot boats were regularly assigned to intercept daily shipping and issue certificates to those vessels cleared for passage. Vessel inspections ceased in 1861, soon after Virginia seceded from the Union.
Only one incident resulted in a prosecuted case of assisting a slave to escape. On May 28, 1858, an inspector discovered a fugitive slave aboard the schooner Francis French. Free black crew member William H. Thompson confessed his involvement as the lone perpetrator and he received the maximum sentence of ten years in the penitentiary.
Chief Inspectors included Dr. Jesse J. Simkins (March 1856 - May 1858) and William H. Parker (May 1858 - 1861).
River Inspectors included Edward S. Gayle (March 1856 - June 1856); James L. Adams (April 1856 - August 1859); John F. D. Robinson (June 1856 - July 1857); Capt. Robert B. Fitchett (July 1857 - September 1858); John M. Ford (June 1858 - Januanry 1860); John Day Gressitt (September 1858 - 1861); George G. Wise (June 1859 - September 1860); Devereux B. Traverse (August 1859 - 1861); John S. Braxton (September 1859 - January 1860); and James Fossett (Feb. 1861).
This collection consists of detailed quarterly reports by the Chief Inspector of Vessels to Governors Henry Wise and John Letcher from October 1856 to March 1861. These reports typically include the date of inspection, vessel's name, homeport, previous port of call, destination, cargo, vessel owner, captain and number of crew. Reports generally cover the areas of Hampton Roads, the Potomac River (Alexandria), the Rappahannock River and the York River. Cargo often includes coal, corn, cotton, flour, merchanise, oysters, potatoes, shingles, timber, and wheat. These reports provide a unique register of more than thirteen thousand vessels plying the waterways of the Commonwealth. Quarterly reports for the period October to December 1857 did not survive.
This collection also includes quarterly reports to the Chief Inspector of Vessels from river inspectors, 1856 Mar-Dec, for Hampton Roads, Potomac River and Rappahannock River. These reports include date of inspection, vessel name, destination, cargo, home port, captain name and a list of crew member names.
Arranged chronologically.