Awards

• Winner of John Lyman Book Award 2016 (United States)

Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Faye M. Kert (Book Review Editor, Canadian Nautical Research Society)
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.431kg
ISBN:  

9781421417479

ISBN 10:   1421417472
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   25 November 2015
Recommended Age:   From 17
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

"Acknowledgments Introduction. ""A Ruinous and Unnecessary War"" 1. In Flagrante Bello An Unwelcome War Managing Private Armed Warfare Annoying the Enemy Underwriting the Cost of War Stratagems of War Keeping the Prize Strict and Rigorous Blockade Long-range Privateering The ""Mud-Clipper"" Trade Compulsory Convoy Win, Lose, or Draw? 2. ""True, Publick and Notorious"" The Origins of Privateering The Rise of Prize Law International Law and Neutral Rights Colonial Vice-Admiralty Courts The Marquis de Somerueles A Southern Prize Court The Admiralty Court Process 3. No Prey, No Pay The Cost of War Commercial Warfare Economic Options Atlantic Canada's Privateers American Privateers Eyes on the Prize Privateering out of New York The Balance Sheet 4. The Misfortunes of War Taking the Risk The Perils of Privateering Drink, Discipline, and Duty Combat, Capture, and Recapture Prisoners of War Death and Destruction Conclusion 5. The Prizewinners Liverpool Packet Yankee Comet America Saucy Jack True Blooded Yankee Surprise Fox Retaliation Sir John Sherbrooke General Armstrong Conclusion. The Final Tally Appendix. Prize Makers and Prizes Notes Essay on Sources Index"

Reviews

Kert has accomplished a great deal in a short space. Her notes, tables, and charts are jewels in themselves...[her] book points the way forward, providing a wealth of information that will guide future scholars navigating privateer waters. H-Net Reviews ...a fine study... Journal of America's Military Past A prodigious body of empirical research is distilled into a concise and pointed account that will appeal to scholars, military professionals, and educated laymen alike. Canadian Military History

Author Information

Faye M. Kert is an independent historian who earned her PhD from the University of Leiden. She is the author of Trimming Yankee Sails: Pirates and Privateers of New Brunswick and Prize and Prejudice: Privateering and Naval Prize in Atlantic Canada in the War of 1812.

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