Baltimore, Maryland, led the nation in construction and success of what became known as "Baltimore clippers." These exceptionally fast and maneuverable schooners ranged from 120 feet to 200 feet and were generally heavily armed and crewed. W hat set them apart from navy vessels was that they were owned and manned by civilians whose motive was primarily profit. Many of the more successful privateers (also called "private armed ships") operated in British waters or in the West Indies, the only places where British merchant ships sailed unescorted. A number of privateers wo uld be remembered in history for their exploits, but perhaps the most famo us was True-Blooded Yankee, a schooner fated out by an American in France. In one 37-day cruise, this ship took twenty-seven prizes, occupied an island off the coast of Ireland for six days, and burned seven vessels inside a Scottish harbor! Her Baltimore sisters were doing well also, but closer to home. Prize settlements for successful privateers ranged from $40,000 to over $230,000 (not adj usted for 21 "-century val ues). Of course, not all were successfulsome privateers or letter-of-marque traders (vessels whose primary mission was the
transport of h igh-value cargo to and from Europe) made only a single voyage, being captured or sunk early on. In one notorious event, the British warships-their boats, actually, as there was no wind at the timecaptured fo ur letter-of-marque traders at the mouth of the Rappahan nock River in one fell swoop! Regardless of individual success or failure, the overall result of American privateering was highly advantageous for the United States. English warships were distracted from their primary duty-fighting the Americans-and assigned to escort merchant ships gathered into convoys. The very act of convoying disrupted shipping schedules and raised havoc with the receipt of war materiel by the Royal Army in Canada, especially as nearly everything they required had to be shipped from England. Royal Navy ships escorting convoys, of course, could not be sim ul taneously blockadi ng American ports, and thus provided opportunities for the privateers to slip through the gaps. Even so, the Royal Navy had assigned ten ships of the line, th irty-eight friga tes, and fifty-two smaller ships to pattol American waters, and by November of 1813, the British blockade extended from Spanish Florida to the coast
of southern New England. Northern New England was spared for a while as a reward for the people's opposition to the war and to allow the steady Bow of provisions to Canada and the West Indies. Additionally, the British actually occupied what is now Castine, Maine. By the end of 1813, the British forces in Europe had defeated Napoleon, freeing up those forces and ships for the American theater. They arrived in the western Atlantic and Canada late in the year, putting the English on the offensive as 1814 began. ~ William H. White is a maritime historian and author who specializes in the history ofthe US Navy during the Age ofSail. He serves as chair ofthe NMHS Committee for the Commemoration & Bicentennial ofthe War of1812 and the Star Spangled Banner, and he is the author ofthe upcoming NMHS book, " . •. our flag was still there," The Sea History Press Guide to the War of 181 2-Its History and Bicentennial Commemorations, available in December 2011. Mr. White serves on the Board of Trustees for NMHS, the USS Constitution Museum, and the Lynx Educational Foundation . For more about the author and his other books, visit: www.seafiction.net.
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SEA HISTORY 136, AUTUMN 2011
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