Ann Judson, part 7: Goodbye, America
The Caravan departs from Salem, February 19, 1812.
(5 minutes)
Missions in wartime
Politics often affects missionary efforts. Paul functioned under Nero, and Luther had Leo—who, while serving as pope, was fundamentally a politician. The first missionaries from America had their own hurdles. In 1811, England and America were on the verge of war.
Although churches in Massachusetts had set up a missionary society in 1810, it still wasn't ready to send anyone. In January 1811, Adoniram Judson crossed the Atlantic, hoping to receive support from the London Missionary Society. His time in London was fruitful, and he arrived home in August.
In September, he met with the Massachusetts society, but they were still reluctant to send him. Some felt that the expected war should run its course first. Judson told them that he was going to go—if they did not send him, the London society would. It's not clear how his comments were received, but his resolve turned the tide. He would go out as an American missionary backed by Americans.
Goodbye, America
With the promised support, preparations were made for departure. Ann and Harriet had the special comfort of companionship as the fall colors of New England decorated the surrounding landscape. They visited friends, began packing, and prayed for the trials and opportunities ahead. Anne Shirley (of Green Gables) said that “Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.”
If that is true of pleasure, perhaps the opposite is true of trials. Dreading them may be half the pain. The two young friends (Harriet was 18 and Ann 23) did not expect to ever return home. On February 18, 1812, the missionaries stepped on board the Caravan, and that afternoon Ann put her feelings on paper—
“Had so long anticipated the trying scene of parting, that I found it more tolerable than I had feared. Still my heart bleeds. O America, my native land, must I leave thee?”
A cold day to sail away
Imagine getting onto a wooden ship in the middle of a Massachusetts February. We don’t know the temperature that day, but it’s not hard to picture some sense of the discomfort. Ann and Harriet had both been married for less than two weeks, and that fact alone must have brought emotions that rose and fell like the waves beneath them.
Honeymoon cruise like no other
This was going to be a honeymoon cruise like no other—one that would take four months to round Africa and cross the equator twice.
Ann spent the first four days in bed, seasick.
As far as sail-powered, round-the-world voyages go, theirs was a good one. (Another group had sailed from Philadelphia at the same time and arrived in India six weeks after them.) Good winds took them into warmer waters within a week, but conditions on board weren’t great. Space was limited, and their health suffered due to lack of exercise. Eventually, someone had the idea to “jump the rope,” and by doing this several times a day they began to feel better.
When they felt well, they filled the time with letter-writing, journaling, and studying. On Sundays, the men took turns leading a small church service in the cabin.
East of India: land at last
The ship and its passengers spent 20 rough, rainy days as they went around the southern tip of Africa. There were nights where the rocking boat and roaring winds kept Ann from sleep. She wrote of this time, “I never felt before, my entire dependence on God for preservation.” After 112 days at sea, they finally saw land. At first it was mountains on the horizon, but soon they could see trees on the eastern coast of India.
Once the ship had arrived in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, the crew waited a few days for a local pilot to guide them into the Hooghly River. They survived a frightening night where the anchor cable broke, and then they were guided safely past the shoals. After a short journey upriver, the crew lowered the Caravan's anchor into Calcutta's harbor. On June 18, they saw the friendly face of William Carey, who welcomed them on shore.
