Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson

Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson
by Peter C. Mancall

Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson
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Book Summary Information

Author: Peter C. Mancall
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-09
ISBN: 046500511X
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Basic Books

Book Reviews of Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson

Book Review: A gripping account of Hudson's fourth and final voyage
Summary: 5 Stars

With 20009 the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's landmark third voyage, it is understandable there is interest in his accomplishments. If Americans recall Hudson at all, it is for this particular voyage for the Dutch that led to the discovery and exploration of Chesapeake Bay and the river in modern-day New York that bears his name. Typically though Hudson is somewhat lost in the array of explorers who mapped the Americas. While his name lives on, few Americans are familiar with his ill-fated fourth and final voyage of 1610 and 1611; "Fatal Journey" seeks to redress this. Canadians in particular are well acquainted with Hudson's fourth voyage as it gave the name to present day Hudson Bay, the site of Hudson's demise.

From today's perspective it is hard to grasp the dangers Hudson and his crew faced. The Americas were uncharted unmapped wilderness, fraught with the potential for disaster, and Hudson was sailing with no back up, no support network, no Plan B if things took a turn for the worse. And turn for the worse things did. Rather than returning to England as winter draws near, Hudson opts to hunker down so he can resume exploration in the spring. But Hudson has no idea what Canada's winter's are like. His ship becomes trapped in the ice. In the remote wilderness, far from anyone who could help Hudson and his crew begin to run low on provisions. Eventually his crew becomes so desperate to eat they try and chase down polar bears for food. When spring comes Hudson announces his intention to resume exploring rather than return to England the crew mutinies. The Elizabethan social code of conduct begins to break down as the crew questions the leadership of Hudson, their senior officer and leader. Mancall explores the psychology of the crew and what lead them to mutiny and the somewhat delusional beliefs they held about how they could explain what had happened once they returned to England. Some felt the investors would be glad the ship and most of her crew returned. Others felt justified in removing Hudson and felt if they had a chance to explain their side the courts would take pity on them. Others wanted to spin various explanations to desperately avoid the hangman's noose. As you read how the surviving crew came to a decision on how to explain their actions you come to realize that even in the vast wilderness of North America it was hard to cover up your own misdeeds. In the end the crew dispatches Hudson, Hudson's son John, and seven other crew members into a small boat to fend for themselves.

Mancall doesn't spend much time pondering the fate of Hudson and his fellow castaways; they likely survived a month at most before perishing. Instead "Fatal Journey" seeks to add flesh and blood to the Age of Exploration rather than having it remain a series of names, dates and places we learned by rote in school. Explorers didn't always succeed and there was a true cost to be paid, as in Hudson's case, when things went horribly wrong. Mancall admits early on there are few primary source documents to use regarding Hudson's fourth voyage other than a journal written by crewman Abacuk Pricket some years after the fact. Such later recollections are notoriously unreliable and it doesn't help that Pricket's journal portrays his own actions in the most favorable light. But as Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney would point out in both "Captive Histories" and "Captors and Captives" you can glean valuable insights from unreliable materials once you strip away biases and a lack of objectivity. "Fatal Journey" is less about creating a hagiography of Henry Hudson than it is about his crew members, who contributed much as much to the exploration as Hudson. Certainly it was Hudson's vision and determination, but he couldn't have gone it alone and every crew member played an important role. Ultimately "Fatal Journey" seeks to shed light on the unsung heroes and participants in the Age of Exploration, that vast multitude of nameless souls who contributed equally. It was they who ultimately led to the success of the explorers, or, as in the case of Hudson, to their demise.

Summary of Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson

The English explorer Henry Hudson devoted his life to the search for a water route through America, becoming the first European to navigate the Hudson River in the process. In Fatal Journey, acclaimed historian and biographer Peter C. Mancall narrates Hudson?s final expedition.

In the winter of 1610, after navigating dangerous fields of icebergs near the northern tip of Labrador, Hudson?s small ship became trapped in winter ice. Provisions grew scarce and tensions mounted amongst the crew. Within months, the men mutinied, forcing Hudson, his teenage son, and seven other men into a skiff, which they left floating in the Hudson Bay.

A story of exploration, desperation, and icebound tragedy, Fatal Journey vividly chronicles the undoing of the great explorer, not by an angry ocean, but at the hands of his own men.

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