James Jakob Williams (Greek:Τζέιμς Τζέικομπ Γουίλλιαμς; 1785/1800–1829) was an African-American runaway slave and soldier. He took part in the

Second Barbary War The Second Barbary War (1815) or the U.S.–Algerian War was fought between the United States and the North African Barbary Coast states of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. The war ended when the United States Senate ratified Commodore Stephen De ...

as a member of the US Navy and later alongside the Greek revolutionaries during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. Williams was severely injured fighting for the Greek cause and was discovered by American abolitionist and

philhellene Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek i ...

Jonathan Peckham Miller Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media *Jonathan (1970 film), ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer *Jonathan (2016 film), ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by ...

. Miller brought Williams to his home in Poros where he properly recovered and lived out the rest of his life as a free man in Greece.

Early life

Williams was born on a plantation in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a slave during his early life and managed to escape and hide on the American warship the '' USS Guerriere'' when it was part of the Delaware Flotilla during the War of 1812. The ship was actively participating in battles near Baltimore. Around 1815, the ''USS Guerriere'' was under the command of

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

and was part of the Mediterranean Squadron. Williams was discovered on the American warship and he eventually participated in several battles as a sharp-shooting marine taking part in the

in the

Battle off Cape Gata The Battle off Cape Gata, which took place June 17, 1815, off the south-east coast of Spain, was the first battle of the Second Barbary War. A squadron of vessels, under the command of Stephen Decatur, Jr., met and engaged the flagship of the A ...

and Battle of Cape Palos alongside Decatur. The war lasted two days from June 17 until June 19, 1815, and Williams lost one of his fingers during the campaign. Decatur allowed Williams to leave his ship and he found refuge aboard different European vessels by the late 1820s, he was a cook aboard Lord Thomas Cochrane's ship.

Greek War of Independence

Cochrane actively participated in the

and

Frank Abney Hastings Frank Abney Hastings ( el, Φραγκίσκος Άστιγξ) (14 February 1794 – 1 June 1828) was a British naval officer and Philhellene. Born to a noble British family, he served in the Royal Navy, seeing action at the Battle of Trafalgar ...

was under his command. Due to the lack of military personnel, Williams volunteered to assist in the Greek cause. He joined a small squadron consisting of a brig and two small gunboats led by the flagship '' Karteria'' commanded by Hastings. The ''Karteria'' was the first steamship involved in combat. Williams participated in the

Battle of Itea The Battle of Itea ( el, Ναυμαχία της Ιτέας) or ''Battle of Agali'' (Ναυμαχία της Αγκάλης) was a naval battle fought on 30 September 1827, in the Gulf of Corinth, during the Greek War of Independence. Under the ...

which took place in the Gulf of Corinth, formerly known as the Gulf of Lepanto, around September 1827; consequently, he was seriously injured by a cannon fire breaking his arms and legs in the process. He was eventually discovered in a hospital by American abolitionist and

and brought to his home in Poros to recover. Miller gave him a double suit around December 21, 1827, and wrote about the brave African-American in his journal. Williams lived out the rest of his life in Greece. His tombstone is at the cemetery of Agios Ioannis in

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

. Williams has been honored by countless Greek organizations including the Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism (EEF) and the

AHEPA The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA, usually referred to as the Order of AHEPA) is a fraternal organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. AHEPA was founded to fight for civil rights and against discrim ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, James Jakob 1829 deaths African-American United States Navy personnel 19th-century American slaves Fugitive American slaves American philhellenes in the Greek War of Independence American military personnel of the Second Barbary War Americans who served in foreign militaries 19th-century Greek Americans