Stonebreaker is a fictionalized account of the trials of Madison Washington. In October, 1841, he led a rebellion against the masters of the slave brig, Creole. Little is known about Madison Washington, except that he, along with the other slaves aboard that ship, seized it and sailed to Nassau in the British Bahamas. He was held on mutiny and murder charges, but he and all of the slaves were eventually freed by order of Queen Victoria. We know from other writings and official documents that Madison Washington was married, escaped from slavery and made his way to Canada via the Underground railroad. At some point, he returned to the south to rescue his wife. He allowed himself to be captured and returned to slavery in order to find her. On October 7, 1841, he was reunited with her aboard the Creole and together they made their way to freedom. The mutiny aboard the Creole almost led America and Great Britain to go to war over the incident.
We also know that Madison Washington was big man, about twenty-years old. He was articulate and seemingly well educated, based on his pronouncements during the mutiny. Court records reveal much of the jargon spoken that night.
The story injects historical realities about slavery in Virginia, Louisiana, and Mississippi; describing in detail the horrors of a slave cantonment near Natchez, Mississippi called "The Forks of The Road." There, over one-hundred-thousand slaves were sold throughout the south until finally obliterated during the Civil War.
As much as can be reconstructed about Madison and his bold break for freedom is present in this book. The intent of the author is to present another African American hero for young people to admire and emulate.
The names of all the slaves, their genders and ages are listed in the book. If one reads them in depth, imagining their physical attributes, their suffering and sorrows, it will bring tears to your eyes.