sign in sign up
<<
Home , Chasseur (1812 clipper), Clipper, Comet (1810 schooner), John Bull (locomotive), Pride of Baltimore, Thomas Boyle

Editor: Adam J. Youssi

Volume 44 Summer 2014 Number 4

Too fleet for any John Bull had.1

Baltimore’s and the

By: Julia Deros

Pride of II in the (Photograph published with permission courtesy , Inc.)

PAGE 2 History Trails

Baltimore has always been known for its ties to ports.5 Between 1812 and 1815, Congress issued the water. Its location on the Chesapeake Bay more than 500 letters of marque with 122 of those makes it the most inland deep water port on the east going to the privateers of Baltimore alone.6 coast, which, at times, placed it among the most At the time, Baltimore had long been one of the important trading hubs in the nation. Meanwhile, most important trading ports in the fledgling but anyone from the city will tell you Baltimore’s growing nation, with many merchant vessels seafood, especially its famous crabs smothered in available to convert for wartime. Moreover, many Old Bay seasoning, is among the best. Yet, often of the merchant vessels were already suited for the found sitting in the harbor is another symbol of the warfare for which the nation needed to prepare. city’s complex history with its bay waters - the The key vessels were the Baltimore Clippers, a Pride of Baltimore II. type of that had been regularly employed Launched in 1988 as a memorial to the first by the port for trading and smuggling before the Pride of Baltimore which sank off in war began. The were 100 feet long with low 1986, and as a goodwill for the port sides, raked masts, taller foremasts and sharp, city, Pride of Baltimore II is a modern replica of the bowed hulls to allow for high speed and lower Baltimore Clippers that once brought the city great water resistance. The speed of the clippers made it fame for their speed in the early nineteenth difficult for the larger, bulkier ships of the British century.2 More than a commemoration of the city’s fleet to chase them, and made them perfect for long history in maritime trade, however, the Pride running blockades the British set up around the of Baltimore II is also a reminder of Baltimore’s Chesapeake Bay.7 The clippers’ ability to dodge the lesser known endeavors in the War of 1812. British time and time again became not only a On June 18, 1812, the U.S. Congress source of pride for Baltimore, but also for the officially declared war on the British. Until that nation. Newspapers around the U.S. can be found point, the British pushed the U.S. towards war by mocking “John Bull,” a representation of England violating the rights of neutral countries and used in the political comics and satires at the time, hindering U.S. trade in an attempt to defeat for his slow ships.8 “Too fleet for any frigate John during the . The British would Bull had.”9 commonly take command of U.S. ships, impressing Baltimore’s privateers were eager to pursue their crew and citizens into the .3 After enemy ships, and quickly came to the forefront of diplomacy failed to stop those infractions, the U.S. privateers during the war. One of the first nation turned to war. But there was a major problem privateers to receive a from with that decision: the U.S. was incredibly Congress was the , under the command of unprepared to go to war. Baltimore resident . The Comet When the U.S. declared war, their regular navy began patrolling only 11 days after war was consisted of only 16 . Meanwhile, the Royal declared, and over a period of five months it Navy consisted of 98 ships located around North, captured 20 British ships, of which seven were sold South and alone, with 555 more in U.S ports, four ransomed and the rest vessels spread around the world in various destroyed.10 In sum, the Comet and other Baltimore locations.4 The naval challenge accompanying war privateers managed to sink or seize 500 British with Britain could not be overcome by the regular ships for a value of $16 million - one-third of all the navy alone, so what was Congress to do? They funds acquired from the prizes taken over the course commissioned privateers. of the war.11 Privateers were privately owned merchant ships The Pride of Baltimore II’s name derives from that were legally permitted to seize enemy ships and another captained by Boyle after his time cargo in times of warfare. They could do so only if spent aboard the Comet. Boyle was in command of issued a letter of marque, authorizing the fitting of the when it earned the nickname “Pride of the with weapons and bestowing authority to Baltimore” in recognition of his bold moves against capture and take enemy ships back to friendly the British.12

Baltimore’s Privateers and the War of 1812 PAGE 3

In 1814, while in command of the Chasseur, Boyle sailed to the United Kingdom and sent a proclamation to the British, declaring, “I do therefore, by virtue of the power and authority in me vested (possessing sufficient force) declare all the ports…and the seacoast of the United Kingdom Captain of Great Britain and Ireland, in a state of strict and Thomas Boyle rigorous blockade.”13 (1776-1825). (Photograph of Boyle was essentially mocking the British by painting by the declaring his single clipper was able to blockade Hughes Company. their entire country. Over the course of three Artist Unknown, months, Boyle and the Chasseur captured 18 prizes MdHS, MC3225.) off the coast of Britain and Ireland, and burned several Scottish vessels before returning to U.S. waters. The importance of the privateers was not lost on On February 26, 1815, the Chasseur made the British. With a merchant marine consisting of another bold move when it engaged the HMS St. 20,637 ships, the British could not afford to let the Lawrence in an exchange of broadsides off the coast privateers inflict heavy losses and drive up of Cuba. The St. Lawrence had actually once been insurance costs.15 So, after the burning of the Atlas, an American privateer ship originally Washington, D.C. on August 24th, 1814, the British built in only to be captured by the turned their attention to Baltimore, or as they named British and converted for use in the Royal Navy. it, the “nest of pirates,” alluding to the privateers. The battle lasted for fifteen minutes before the Attacking Baltimore could decrease the threat of British ship struck its colors and surrendered. The privateers and deal another large blow to American Chasseur then returned to Baltimore with its prize morale after the destruction of the capital. The to discover that peace had already been negotiated British began their attempt with the Battle of North between the U.S. and Britain with the signing of the Point on September 12, 1814, and continued with Treaty of on December 24th, 1814.14 the siege of Fort McHenry on September 13th, only to ultimately fail and call off the siege.16 Baltimore’s victory served as a major morale boost for the war effort, and the port’s privateers remained free to do as they pleased. The success of the Baltimore privateers was a key element in the War of 1812. Not only did the privateers make up for the small size of the regular navy at the time, they also provided the federal government with a source of revenue to fund the war effort. All prizes taken from the enemy were treated as imports and were taxed accordingly. Privateers also reduced federal expenses given that they were privately owned, and the government did not have to pay to outfit ships with weapons because their owners were expected to do that.17

12 at Midnight; the Hibernia Attempting to run the Comet With the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 down. (Image published with permission courtesy Drew in full swing, it is important to remember not only Peslar.) the Battles of North Point and Baltimore, and the writing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” but also the privateers. Those fleet ships played an important

PAGE 4 History Trails role in the nation’s history. Their legacy can still be seen in the Pride of Baltimore II, often sitting 16 Ralph E. Eshelman and Burton K. Kummerow, In Full peacefully in Baltimore’s bearing the Glory Reflected: Discovering the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake (The Historical Society Press and the name of its predecessors, the Chasseur and the Maryland Historical Trust Press, 2012) p. 134-144. Pride of Baltimore. 17 Nicholas Ross, “The Provision of Naval Defense in the Early American Republic: a Comparison of the U.S. Navy and Sources Privateers, 1789-1815,” The Independent Review 16, no. 3 (2012):417-433. 1“Cruise of the Rossie,” Milwaukee Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI), March 22, 1891. About the Author 2 “Building Pride II,” Pride of Baltimore, accessed June 12, 2014, http://www.pride2.org/building-pride-ii/. Julia Deros is a sophomore at Gettysburg College studying 3 William M. Marine, the British Invasion of Maryland 1812- History and Environmental Science. She spent the summer of 1815(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.,Inc., 1977):11- 2014 volunteering and interning with the society in her free 20. time by performing research and writing on this and other 4Nicholas Ross, “The Provision of Naval Defense in the Early subjects. She may be reached via e-mail at American Republic: a Comparison of the U.S. Navy and [email protected]. Privateers, 1789-1815,” The Independent Review 16, no. 3 (2012):417-433. Submissions 5 Thomas V. Huntsberry and Joanne M. Huntsberry, Maryland Privateers War of 1812 (Baltimore: J. Mart, 1983). While History Trails' subject matter has traditionally 6Edgar S. Maclay, A History of American Privateers (New focused almost entirely on local concerns, we are interested in York: D. Appleton and Company, 1899), 506; Ralph E. expanding its scope into new areas. For example, where one Eshelman and Burton K. Kummerow, In Full Glory Reflected: article might focus on a single historic building, person, or Discovering the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake (The event in the county, others may develop and defend a historic Maryland Historical Society Press and the Maryland Historical argument, compare and contrast Baltimore County topics to Trust Press, 2012), p. 18. other locales, or tie seemingly confined local topics to larger 7 Jennifer Klima, “The Baltimore Clipper,” an essay published events. online courtesy the Maryland State Archives, accessed June 6, Articles abiding by the Manual of Style 2014 at Documentary-Note (or Humanities) system will be given http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/stagser/s1259/121/6771/html/ess priority. A convenient, and abbreviated, guide to Chicago style ay95.html. citations may be found in Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for 8 “Cruise of the Rossie,” Milwaukee Sentinel (Milwaukee, Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations WI), March 22, 1891. (University of Chicago Press, 2007). 9Ibid. Digital and/or hard copies of articles may be submitted to 10 “Arrival of the Comet,” Essex Register (Salem, MA), April the attention of the History Trails editor at the address below. 9, 1814. Digital copies and e-mails are preferred. 11 Thomas V. Huntsberry and Joanne M. Huntsberry, Maryland Privateers War of 1812 ( Baltimore: J. Mart, 1983). 12 “Original Pride of Baltimore,” Pride of Baltimore, accessed June 12, 2014, http://www.pride2.org/original-pride-of- baltimore/. 13 “Proclamation Issued by Thomas Boyle,” Maryland 9811 Van Buren Lane Historical Society, accessed June 12, 2014, Cockeysville, MD 21030 http://www.mdhs.org/digitalimage/proclamation-issued- (Phone) 410-666-1878 thomas-boyle. 14 (Web) www.hsobc.org Cindy Vallar, “Fells Point and the Baltimore Privateers,” (Email) [email protected] Pirates and Privateers: the History of Maritime Piracy, accessed June 12, 2014, http://www.cindyvallar.com/chasseur.html. Find us on social media: 15 Nicholas Ross, “The Provision of Naval Defense in the Early American Republic: a Comparison of the U.S. Navy and Privateers, 1789-1815,” The Independent Review 16, no. 3 (2012):417-433.