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32 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
or reaped more honor than Maryland. Here the war had been popular from
the first; and so soon as it was declared, Maryland privateers swarmed the
seas, attacking not only the commerce of the enemy, but her armed vessels.
Had the brave commanders of these adventurous cruisers been in the federal
service, their names would have been placed high in the roll of honor; but
as it is, the names of Barney, Boyle, Stafford, Murphy, Wilson, Wiscott, Pratt,
Southcomb, Veasy, Levely, Grant, Dawson, Moore, Richardson and a host of
others, have been almost or quite forgotten; and neither does the storied
marble commemorate, nor the historic page record, the gallant services that,
by crippling the enemy's navy, contributed so much to our success.
It is well-known to those Americans who lived through the War of 1812,
and to all students of the history of the time, that the privateers and
letters-of-marque were the great thorn in the side of our inveterate enemy;
that they harassed and annoyed their adversaries in every quarter of the globe,
and even at the entrance of their own ports in old England itself. They
fought and captured ships and vessels off the North Cape, in the British and
Irish Channels, on the coasts of Spain and Portugal, in the East and West
Indies, off the Capes of Good Hope and Horn, and in the Pacific Ocean. In
a word, they were harassing and annoying British trade and commerce where-
ever a ship could float; they took and destroyed millions of property, and
were, beyond all doubt, chief instruments in bringing about a permanent
peace.1
When the war was declared, we had not many sharp, fast-sailing clipper
vessels suited for privateers and letters-of-marque. There were, however, a
few in Baltimore and some other Atlantic ports, and these were brigs and
schooners which had been employed in a sort of forced running trade to
France and the West India Islands. These were forthwith dispatched to sea
in search of British merchantmen; for a Baltimore paper of July 4th, mentions
that " several small, swift privateers will sail from the United States in a few
days. Some have already been sent to sea, and many others of a larger class,
better fitted and better equipped, will soon follow." Mr. Niles, on Saturday,
July 11th, says: " From Baltimore there will, in a few days, be at sea twelve
or fifteen of the fastest sailing, and best found and appointed vessels in the
world, carrying from ten to sixteen guns each, and from eighty to one hundred
and twenty men."2 On the Sunday following, " seven privateers sailed from
Baltimore ; " and within four months after the declaration of war her wealthy
merchants had sent to sea forty-two armed vessels, carrying about three
hundred and thirty guns and from two thousand eight hundred to three
thousand men.
Among the most notable engagements by the privateers of Baltimore we
may mention the following: " On the 18th of July, the letter-of-marque
schooner Falcon, belonging to Baltimore, on her passage from Boston to
Bordeaux, with four guns and sixteen men, when on the coast of France, was
i Chronicles of Baltimore, p. 354. Coggeshall. 2 Register, ii., p. 319.
| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000057 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 32 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. or reaped more honor than Maryland. Here the war had been popular from the first; and so soon as it was declared, Maryland privateers swarmed the seas, attacking not only the commerce of the enemy, but her armed vessels. Had the brave commanders of these adventurous cruisers been in the federal service, their names would have been placed high in the roll of honor; but as it is, the names of Barney, Boyle, Stafford, Murphy, Wilson, Wiscott, Pratt, Southcomb, Veasy, Levely, Grant, Dawson, Moore, Richardson and a host of others, have been almost or quite forgotten; and neither does the storied marble commemorate, nor the historic page record, the gallant services that, by crippling the enemy's navy, contributed so much to our success. It is well-known to those Americans who lived through the War of 1812, and to all students of the history of the time, that the privateers and letters-of-marque were the great thorn in the side of our inveterate enemy; that they harassed and annoyed their adversaries in every quarter of the globe, and even at the entrance of their own ports in old England itself. They fought and captured ships and vessels off the North Cape, in the British and Irish Channels, on the coasts of Spain and Portugal, in the East and West Indies, off the Capes of Good Hope and Horn, and in the Pacific Ocean. In a word, they were harassing and annoying British trade and commerce where- ever a ship could float; they took and destroyed millions of property, and were, beyond all doubt, chief instruments in bringing about a permanent peace.1 When the war was declared, we had not many sharp, fast-sailing clipper vessels suited for privateers and letters-of-marque. There were, however, a few in Baltimore and some other Atlantic ports, and these were brigs and schooners which had been employed in a sort of forced running trade to France and the West India Islands. These were forthwith dispatched to sea in search of British merchantmen; for a Baltimore paper of July 4th, mentions that " several small, swift privateers will sail from the United States in a few days. Some have already been sent to sea, and many others of a larger class, better fitted and better equipped, will soon follow." Mr. Niles, on Saturday, July 11th, says: " From Baltimore there will, in a few days, be at sea twelve or fifteen of the fastest sailing, and best found and appointed vessels in the world, carrying from ten to sixteen guns each, and from eighty to one hundred and twenty men."2 On the Sunday following, " seven privateers sailed from Baltimore ; " and within four months after the declaration of war her wealthy merchants had sent to sea forty-two armed vessels, carrying about three hundred and thirty guns and from two thousand eight hundred to three thousand men. Among the most notable engagements by the privateers of Baltimore we may mention the following: " On the 18th of July, the letter-of-marque schooner Falcon, belonging to Baltimore, on her passage from Boston to Bordeaux, with four guns and sixteen men, when on the coast of France, was i Chronicles of Baltimore, p. 354. Coggeshall. 2 Register, ii., p. 319. |
