Virginius Affair

The "Virginius" Affair (sometimes called the "Virginius" Incident) was a diplomatic dispute that occurred in the 1870s between the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain, then proprietor of Cuba, during the Ten Years' War.

The "Virginius" was a blockade-runner used in the American Civil War. Originally built as the "Virgin" by Aitken & Mansel of Glasgow in 1864, she became a prize of the United States federal government when captured on April 12, 1865. She was sold in 1870 to an American, John F. Patterson, who immediately registered her in the New York Custom House. It later appeared that Patterson was merely acting for a number of Cuban insurgents who falsely flew the American flag and were using the "Virginius" to deliver contraband to the insurrectionist Cubans.

On October 31, 1873 then commanded by Joseph Fry, a former officer of both the Federal and Confederate navies, and having a crew of 52 (chiefly Americans and Englishmen) and 103 passengers (mostly Cubans), she was captured off Morant Bay, Jamaica, by the Spanish vessel "Tornado", and was taken to Santiago de Cuba. There, after a summary court-martial, 53 of the crew and passengers, including Fry and some Americans and Englishmen, were executed on November 4, 7 and 8 as pirates. The intervention of HMS "Niobe" and her captain, Sir Lambton Lorraine, prevented further deaths.

Relations between Spain and the United States became strained, and war seemed imminent; but on December 8 the Spanish government agreed to surrender the "Virginius" to the U.S. on December 16, to deliver the survivors of the crew and passengers to an American warship at Santiago, and to salute the American flag at Santiago on December 25 if it should not be proved before that date that the "Virginius" was not entitled to sail under American colors.

The "Virginius" foundered off Cape Hatteras as she was being towed to the United States, by the "Ossipee". The Attorney General of the United States decided before December 25 that the Virginius was the property of General Quesada and other Cubans, and had had no right to carry the American flag.

Under an agreement of the February 27, 1875, the Spanish government paid to the United States an indemnity of $80,000 for the execution of the Americans, and an indemnity was also paid to the British government.

References

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* [http://www.cubagenweb.org/mil/grande/virginius.htm Account of the Virginius Incident] at Cuban Genealogy Center Web site
* [http://www.spanamwar.com/virginius.htm Virginius Incident] at Spanish-American War Centennial Web site
* [http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_097900_virginius.htm Virginius] at Ships of the World Web site