The first book to tell the tale of the War of 1812 from the
privateers' perspective.
Winner of the John Lyman Book Award of the North American Society for
Oceanic History
During the War of 1812, most clashes on the high seas involved privately
owned merchant ships, not official naval vessels. Licensed by their home
governments and considered key weapons of maritime warfare, these ships
were authorized to attack and seize enemy traders. Once the prizes were
legally condemned by a prize court, the privateers could sell off ships
and cargo and pocket the proceeds. Because only a handful of
ship-to-ship engagements occurred between the Royal Navy and the United
States Navy, it was really the privateers who fought--and won--the war
at sea.
In Privateering, Faye M. Kert introduces readers to U.S. and Atlantic
Canadian privateers who sailed those skirmishing ships, describing both
the rare captains who made money and the more common ones who lost it.
Some privateers survived numerous engagements and returned to their
pre-war lives; others perished under violent circumstances. Kert
demonstrates how the romantic image of pirates and privateers came to
obscure the dangerous and bloody reality of private armed warfare.
Building on two decades of research, Privateering places the story of
private armed warfare within the overall context of the War of 1812.
Kert highlights the economic, strategic, social, and political impact of
privateering on both sides and explains why its toll on normal shipping
helped convince the British that the war had grown too costly.
Fascinating, unfamiliar, and full of surprises, this book will appeal to
historians and general readers alike.
