Capt. George Washington Face was a Virginia Pilot.
As a young boy, he watched his father participate in the first day of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a pair of field glasses, while perched in a tree on Sewell's Point in what was then Norfolk County. His shoes were stolen while he was up in the tree, which created a major problem as shoes were a dear commodity during the War Between the States.
Face was the subject of international newspaper coverage when he was abducted by a foreign shipmaster. The pilot would twice cross the Atlantic before finally returning to his Virginia home more than a month later.
In February 1888, the British steamer ''North Erin'' left West Point, Virginia with a load of cotton destined for Liverpool. But ''North Erin's'' master, Captain John Owens, declined to sign for the more than $14,000 in cargo and instead set out for England with Pilot Face essentially his prisoner. ''North Erin'' refused to allow a U.S. Marshal aboard as she passed the Virginia Capes, throwing off a ladder that he was ascending on his third attempt, resulting in him falling into a tug that had pulled alongside. The United States Department of State was informed and an international incident was incited. Newspapers across America decried this "Contempt of Uncle Sam, a "Bold Work of Thieves," and a Captain who, "Defies the Virginia Authorities and Escapes."
The English shipowners were apparently surprised and displeased by Captain Owens' antics. Soon after arriving at Liverpool (with Face still in his custody), Owens called on the U.S. consul there and apologized. The shipping company denied that Owens knew at the time of the incident that the Marshal was a United States Official – even though Face reportedly communicated that fact to the Captain as events were unfolding.
By the time Face arrived back in Norfolk in March, the owners of ''North Erin'' had submitted to the authority of the United States courts on the matter and other than stating that he was well treated during his extended voyage, Face had nothing to say about his experience.
The month after Face returned to Virginia, ''North Erin'' ran aground off Gallipoli, Turkey, which she did again in November near Rotterdam.
Capt. Face was a founding member of the FROGS club, a social club organized in Hampton, Virginia on March 3, 1904.
The highly ornate bible stand at St. John's Church in Hampton is inscribed as a gift from Capt. Face.
As a young boy, he watched his father participate in the first day of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a pair of field glasses, while perched in a tree on Sewell's Point in what was then Norfolk County. His shoes were stolen while he was up in the tree, which created a major problem as shoes were a dear commodity during the War Between the States.
Face was the subject of international newspaper coverage when he was abducted by a foreign shipmaster. The pilot would twice cross the Atlantic before finally returning to his Virginia home more than a month later.
In February 1888, the British steamer ''North Erin'' left West Point, Virginia with a load of cotton destined for Liverpool. But ''North Erin's'' master, Captain John Owens, declined to sign for the more than $14,000 in cargo and instead set out for England with Pilot Face essentially his prisoner. ''North Erin'' refused to allow a U.S. Marshal aboard as she passed the Virginia Capes, throwing off a ladder that he was ascending on his third attempt, resulting in him falling into a tug that had pulled alongside. The United States Department of State was informed and an international incident was incited. Newspapers across America decried this "Contempt of Uncle Sam, a "Bold Work of Thieves," and a Captain who, "Defies the Virginia Authorities and Escapes."
The English shipowners were apparently surprised and displeased by Captain Owens' antics. Soon after arriving at Liverpool (with Face still in his custody), Owens called on the U.S. consul there and apologized. The shipping company denied that Owens knew at the time of the incident that the Marshal was a United States Official – even though Face reportedly communicated that fact to the Captain as events were unfolding.
By the time Face arrived back in Norfolk in March, the owners of ''North Erin'' had submitted to the authority of the United States courts on the matter and other than stating that he was well treated during his extended voyage, Face had nothing to say about his experience.
The month after Face returned to Virginia, ''North Erin'' ran aground off Gallipoli, Turkey, which she did again in November near Rotterdam.
Capt. Face was a founding member of the FROGS club, a social club organized in Hampton, Virginia on March 3, 1904.
The highly ornate bible stand at St. John's Church in Hampton is inscribed as a gift from Capt. Face.
Capt. George Washington Face was a Virginia Pilot.
As a young boy, he watched his father participate in the first day of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a pair of field glasses, while perched in a tree on Sewell's Point in what was then Norfolk County. His shoes were stolen while he was up in the tree, which created a major problem as shoes were a dear commodity during the War Between the States.
Face was the subject of international newspaper coverage when he was abducted by a foreign shipmaster. The pilot would twice cross the Atlantic before finally returning to his Virginia home more than a month later.
In February 1888, the British steamer ''North Erin'' left West Point, Virginia with a load of cotton destined for Liverpool. But ''North Erin's'' master, Captain John Owens, declined to sign for the more than $14,000 in cargo and instead set out for England with Pilot Face essentially his prisoner. ''North Erin'' refused to allow a U.S. Marshal aboard as she passed the Virginia Capes, throwing off a ladder that he was ascending on his third attempt, resulting in him falling into a tug that had pulled alongside. The United States Department of State was informed and an international incident was incited. Newspapers across America decried this "Contempt of Uncle Sam, a "Bold Work of Thieves," and a Captain who, "Defies the Virginia Authorities and Escapes."
The English shipowners were apparently surprised and displeased by Captain Owens' antics. Soon after arriving at Liverpool (with Face still in his custody), Owens called on the U.S. consul there and apologized. The shipping company denied that Owens knew at the time of the incident that the Marshal was a United States Official – even though Face reportedly communicated that fact to the Captain as events were unfolding.
By the time Face arrived back in Norfolk in March, the owners of ''North Erin'' had submitted to the authority of the United States courts on the matter and other than stating that he was well treated during his extended voyage, Face had nothing to say about his experience.
The month after Face returned to Virginia, ''North Erin'' ran aground off Gallipoli, Turkey, which she did again in November near Rotterdam.
Capt. Face was a founding member of the FROGS club, a social club organized in Hampton, Virginia on March 3, 1904.
The highly ornate bible stand at St. John's Church in Hampton is inscribed as a gift from Capt. Face.
As a young boy, he watched his father participate in the first day of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a pair of field glasses, while perched in a tree on Sewell's Point in what was then Norfolk County. His shoes were stolen while he was up in the tree, which created a major problem as shoes were a dear commodity during the War Between the States.
Face was the subject of international newspaper coverage when he was abducted by a foreign shipmaster. The pilot would twice cross the Atlantic before finally returning to his Virginia home more than a month later.
In February 1888, the British steamer ''North Erin'' left West Point, Virginia with a load of cotton destined for Liverpool. But ''North Erin's'' master, Captain John Owens, declined to sign for the more than $14,000 in cargo and instead set out for England with Pilot Face essentially his prisoner. ''North Erin'' refused to allow a U.S. Marshal aboard as she passed the Virginia Capes, throwing off a ladder that he was ascending on his third attempt, resulting in him falling into a tug that had pulled alongside. The United States Department of State was informed and an international incident was incited. Newspapers across America decried this "Contempt of Uncle Sam, a "Bold Work of Thieves," and a Captain who, "Defies the Virginia Authorities and Escapes."
The English shipowners were apparently surprised and displeased by Captain Owens' antics. Soon after arriving at Liverpool (with Face still in his custody), Owens called on the U.S. consul there and apologized. The shipping company denied that Owens knew at the time of the incident that the Marshal was a United States Official – even though Face reportedly communicated that fact to the Captain as events were unfolding.
By the time Face arrived back in Norfolk in March, the owners of ''North Erin'' had submitted to the authority of the United States courts on the matter and other than stating that he was well treated during his extended voyage, Face had nothing to say about his experience.
The month after Face returned to Virginia, ''North Erin'' ran aground off Gallipoli, Turkey, which she did again in November near Rotterdam.
Capt. Face was a founding member of the FROGS club, a social club organized in Hampton, Virginia on March 3, 1904.
The highly ornate bible stand at St. John's Church in Hampton is inscribed as a gift from Capt. Face.
