The Creole Mutiny: A Tale of Revolt Aboard a Slave Ship

On the night of November 7,1841, the Creole was transporting slaves from Richmond, Virginia, to the auction block at New Orleans. A band of slaves led by Marion Washington seized the crew and its captain. Over the next several days they forced the Creole to sail into Nassua harbor, where the British authorities offered freedom to the slaves aboard, touching off a diplomatic squabble and continuing legal ramifications.