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President Washington and Thomas Jefferson Signed Ship Passport During British Impressment Era; Ship "Sampson" Still Seized by the British, Leading to the Famous "Sampson" Incident
President Washington and Thomas Jefferson Signed Ship Passport During British Impressment Era; Ship "Sampson" Still Seized by the British, Leading to the Famous "Sampson" Incident
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Description:

Washington George

President Washington and Thomas Jefferson Signed Ship Passport During British Impressment Era; Ship Sampson Still Seized by the British, Leading to the Famous Sampson Incident

Important and unique large ship passport, 14" x 11.5". Dated "at the city of Philadelphia, the Fifteenth Day of March, 1793" and signed by BOTH President George Washington as "Go Washington", and by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson as "Th Jefferson". Washington's signature is free of restoration, with some infill area to the "Th" of Thomas Jefferson's signature. Extraordinary content. Overall toning. Light restoration including some infilling to the outer edges. The Founders National Archives briefly mentions this document as one of six ship passports signed by Washington during this period, with only four including this one having been identified. There, it is described as "on 15 Mar 1793 he (Washington) certified the “4th” passport, for “the Ship Sampson, fitted out from the port of Philadelphia, John Rossiter Master.  The fifth and sixth passports have not been identified". Presented matted with two lovely portraits of Washington and Jefferson, to a completed size of 19.5" x 23.5".

Signed by Washington and Jefferson in the midst of frequent impressment of American seamen, which caused serious tensions between Great Britain and the United States. Impressment caused problems with the British in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, and it was again a cause of conflict leading up to the War of 1812.

The passport is transcribed in part below:

"To all Emperors, Kings, sovereign Prince States and Regents, and to their respective Officers civil and military, -- and to all others whom it may concern:

 

I GEORGE WASHINGTON, President of the United States of America do make known, That John Rossiter Captain of the Ship called the Sampson of the Burthen of about Three Hundred and forty Tons, is a Citizen of the said United States, and that the said Ship which he commands, belongs to the Citizens of the said United States: and as I with that the said John Rossiter may prosper in his lawful Affairs, I do request of all the before mentioned and of each of them separately, where  the said John Rossiter shall arrive with his Vessel and Cargo, that will be pleased to receive him with Kindness, and treat him in a becoming Manner …."

However even with this passport for the safe passage of the men, ship, and cargo, the ship Sampson was still attacked, and seized TWICE within a year of the signing!

The first occurrence was merely four months after signing of the passport, on July 12, 1793. (So much for the safe passage passport signed by Washington to prevent such an issue…) The Sampson was trading in the Caribbean Sea when the merchant ship was seized by three British privateers. The British put a boarding party on the American ship and took several prisoners, leaving only the ship's carpenter, boatswain, and cook on board. The ship's captain was Joshua Barney, a famous United States Navy Officer who served in the American Revolutionary War (and later the War of 1812). Captain Barney was taken to one of the privateers while the British searched the ship, stealing valuable property in the process. A few iron chests were found on the Sampson, containing about $18,000. The British thought the chests were suspicious so they told Captain Barney that they would release him if he gave up the money. Barney refused to tolerate the robbery so he was sent back to the Sampson as a prisoner under guard by eleven armed sailors. They were then to follow the British into the port of New Providence. Later that day, Barney was capable of communicating with the remaining three men on the Sampson who told him that they had hidden weapons and would retake the ship upon orders. Barney was not yet ready, though after a week of listening to the insulting British privateersmen, the Americans decided to act. The events that unfolded became famously known as the Sampson incident. Captain Barney had concealed a blunderbuss and a broadside sword in his clothing and the three other Americans managed to hide a musket and a bayonet each in the berths. So at noon on July 20th the Americans executed their plan of mutiny. The day was rainy and squally which meant the prize crew was busy navigating while the three British officers were dining on the quarter deck near the main mast.

Barney picked up his sword, cocked the blunderbuss, and with the boatswain and the carpenter, he approached the officers. One of them immediately stood up and tried to wrestle the weapon out of Barney's had but the gun went off and struck the Englishman in his right arm. A second officer then went for Barney but he quickly forced him back with his sword and wounded the man in the head. The rest of the prize crew then went below for their weapons but before they reemerged on deck the boatswain and the carpenter had disarmed them. The Americans were now in control of the ship and the British vowed to do whatever Barney ordered. One by one the men were allowed on deck and their arms were surrendered and thrown over the side. Sampson's crew then set sail for Baltimore, Maryland where they arrived several days later. The situation on the ship was very tense. Barney refused to sleep except during the day, in an armchair, with his sword and pistols close by.

Only six months later, the ship Sampson was once again captured in early December 1793 by the British frigate Penelope while bound from Port-au-Prince to Baltimore with a cargo of coffee and sugar estimated variously from $55,000 to more than $300,000. Considering a charge of "associating and acting in concert with the enemy, and defending the enemy’s property, as well as divers other acts contrary to the laws of neutrality", the court at Kingston condemned the cargo in April 1794. The ship itself was then freed, but it was reported wrecked on its next voyage ( Baltimore Daily Intelligencer, 24 January 1794; Philadelphia Gazette and Universal Daily Advertiser, 7 January and 27 March 1794; The Mirrour [Concord, N.H.], 16 June; Baltimore Daily Intelligencer, 19 May; Mercury [Boston], 1 July; Mary Barney, ed., A Biographical Memoir of the Late Commodore Joshua Barney: from Autographical Notes and Journals in Possession of His Family, and Other Authentic Sources [Boston, 1832], 172-79).

During the wars with France (1793 to 1815), the Royal Navy aggressively reclaimed British deserters on board ships of other nations, both by halting and searching merchant ships, and, in many cases, by searching American port cities. Although this was illegal, Jefferson ignored it to remain on good terms with Britain as he was negotiating to obtain "the Floridas". This changed in 1805 when the British had been regularly seizing American merchantmen trading with the West Indies and condemning the ships and their cargoes as a prize and enforcing impressment on their crews. But as we know, this issue continued and remained one of serious contention leading to the War of 1812.

This item comes with an authentication certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses. 

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