Rescue of the Crew and Passengers of the Sloop Georgianna 
From Their Captivity on Queen Charlotte's island 1851-2
Washington Standard
May 23, 1868

Governor Work's letter certainly contained sufficient to demand immediate action for the relief of the shipwrecked captives. Yet in one particular he was mistaken and though it was not known nor could such a state of affairs be anticipated, Dr. Kennedy was not in charge at Fort Simpson, but Captain McNeil was, and his conduct is graphically depicted in a statement of S. D. Howe. Esq., which furnishes the amplest justification of the prompt and only course left for Colonel Moses to pursue.

That statement, furnished after his return, shows the condition of the captives and is among the most interesting papers of this record. Here it is: "The sloop Georgianna came to anchor in Kom-she-wah Harbor on the coast of Queen Charlotte's island, on the 18th of November. About midnight it began to blow heavily from the southeast, the anchor gave way and the sloop went ashore. About daylight the party proceeded to land from the sloop, about one hundred Indians being already collected on the beach. 

They were well armed and after we had all reached the shore they became very insolent, and commenced to rob and plunder us. "Several of us then acted as though we intended to return to the vessel and dispute their possession of its wreck, but it soon became evident that if we did not abandon the wreck to them a conflict was certain. But few of the Georgianna party were armed as almost everything had been abandoned on coming ashore. Some had Knives, but such firearms as were in the party were useless from having been wet in the storm the previous night.

Make Bargain With Indians.

"After consultation among the party the hopelessness of renewed conflicts with the natives, should we be successful in punishing the crowd now assembled, induced us to consent to their taking the wreck. We however exacted the condition from the Indians that they would convey the party safely to Fort Simpson, we promising in return upon our safe arrival there that they should be paid for our ransom and for the passage thence. 

"After the storm subsided we crossed the bay to a camp about four miles from the wreck where we were to remain during captivity. After the elapse of 18 days and after much evasion, the Indians consented to send a canoe with one of our number and three of the crew to Simpson to negotiate for our release. I was selected for the mission and authorized to make all necessary terms and conditions with Captain McNeil, then in charge of the Hudson Bay Company's post. 

Fort Simpson. "Accompanied by Captain McEwin, late first mate of the sloop. Ben Gibbs. a sailor, Tamoree, the Kanaka cook, and a crew of seven Haida Indians, we set out for that post and safely reached it after a voyage of five days in dead of winter and without blankets. The arrival of such a party at such a time and in such a condition created quite an excitement among both whites and the natives. "We were at once furnished something to eat and a change of clothing and felt that our suffering companions were soon to be relieved, but in this we were sadly disappointed.

We remained at Simpson about four weeks. We importuned Captain McNeil at all fitting opportunities to send assistance to our unfortunate comrades, who invariably promised to send canoes for them but never made the slightest attempt at keeping his word. "When we were ultimately relieved by the arrival at Fort Simpson of the Damaris Cove, there was not one of the party who entertained the slightest belief that it ever was the intention of Captain McNeil to send for us without pay for his services or certainty thereof being secured. This was the more galling to us from the fact that Captain McNeil claims to have been born in Boston. He even required us, while waiting for him to dispatch relief to the captives, to stand guard at night as a return for the blankets and subsistence we received at the fort.

Objected to Order.

"When that kind gentleman, John Work, Jr., whom we shall always remember with gratitude, communicated to us this order of McNeil, that we must earn these blankets by standing guard, we told him we did not object to making ourselves useful in any manner while there, but did not like the compulsion of exacting service as a compensation for the necessities to preserve us from the winter's cold or starvation.

"With the exception of Captain McNeil, all the servants and employees of the company treated us with great kindness and attention and we gratefully acquit the companionship of any censure for McNeil's failure to display the feelings of a Christian or a gentleman; and further we have no doubt that had any other officer been in charge, the necessary steps would have been promptly taken to render assistance and terminate the captivity and suffering of our comrades." 

Colonel Moses having resolved to act upon the recommendation of Governor Work as the only efficient means to secure the relief so pressingly demanded, "chartered the American schooner Damaris Cove, mounted with four pieces of cannon," and requested, December 16th, Captain Hill's cooperation, suggesting the detail of an officer and as many men as could be spared. To which invitation Captain Hill responded December 18th: "As Queen Charlotte's Island is the territory of Great Britain, I do not feel at liberty to send there the soldiers of the United States, except on the most urgent necessity, which does not appear by your letter of the 16th instant, and in case their necessity is made apparent to me, the party of citizens together with the detachment must be under the command of the military officer who is sent and to whose prudence and judgment must be entrusted the negotiations with the Indians."

The correspondence continued between Colonel Moses and Captain Hill which resulted in Lieutenant Dement,; U. S. A., accompanying the expedition to whom a letter of credit was given by the collector to enable him to purchase blankets, etc., of the Hudson Bay Company's posts to ransom the captives. The Damaris Cove sailed on the 19th of December and effected  the release of fill the prisoners.

Treasury Refuses Aid.

On the 20th of March, 1852, Hon.! Thomas Corwin, secretary of the treasury, writes to Collector Moses a letter from which the following is extracted: "Sir: "I acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd December last with its accompanying documents, relative to the expense of fitting out on your own authority a military expedition for the rescue of the captain, crew and passengers of the sloop Georgianna, held prisoners by the Indians of Queen Charlotte's Island in the British territory where the said vessel had been wrecked; but the department does not, nor has it the power to recognize, an act by which you constituted yourself the representative of the government of the  United States in such an emergency and whatever may have been the motives which prompted the formation of such an unauthorized military expedition, it cannot be sanctioned by the payment of the expense referred in your letter.

"In all such case," armed movements belong to the powers and duties of the authorities of the Territory of Oregon, or to the officers of the army and navy stationed there and not to the officers of the revenue whose duties are of a more limited and defined character." At the first session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington an earnest memorial was addressed to the Congress of the United States praying that the expenses incurred in this expedition might be recognized. Captain Balch was then a member of the Council, Samuel D. Howe, one of the relieved sufferers, was a member of the House.

That memorial was heard and though justice was delayed Congress did upon the 4th of August, 1854, appropriate a $15,000 or so much thereof as might be necessary to enable the State Department to pay that debt. Need we add that this tardy act of justice was one of the first fruits realized by the erection of a separate Territory north of the Columbia river?