The American Revolution Would Have Been Lost Without a Ragtag Fleet of Thousands of Privateers

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

History, Society & Culture

4.2 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Privateers were a cross between an enlisted sailor and an outright pirate. But they were crucial in winning the Revolutionary War. As John Lehman, former secretary of the navy under President Ronald Reagan, observed, “From the beginning of the American Revolution until the end of the War of 1812, America’s real naval advantage lay in its privateers. It has been said that the battles of the American Revolution were fought on land, and independence was won at sea. For this we have the enormous success of American privateers to thank even more than the Continental Navy.”
Yet even in the face of plenty of readily available evidence, the official canon of naval history in both Britain and the United States virtually ignores privateers.

Privateers were owners of privately owned vessels granted permission by the new government to seize British merchantmen and men of war – filled in the gaps. Nearly 2,000 of these private ships set sail over the course of the war, with tens of thousands of Americans capturing more than 1,800 British ships. A truly ragtag fleet ranging from twenty-five-foot-long whaleboats to full-rigged ships more than 100 ft long, privateersmen were not just pirates after a good loot – as too often assumed – but were, instead, crucial instruments in the war. They diverted critical British resources to protecting their shipping, played a key role in bringing France in as an ally, replenished much-needed supplies back home, and bolstered morale.

Today’s guest is Eric Jay Dolin, author of “Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution.” The story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told many times – yet often missing from maritime histories of the period is the ragtag fleet of private vessels that were, in fact, critical to American victory.

Privateering provided a source of strength that helped the rebels persevere. Although privateering was not the single, decisive factor in beating the
British—there was no one cause—it was extremely important nonetheless.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Scott here with another episode of the History Unplugged podcast.
0:07.2	Privateers were a cross between enlisted sailors and outright pirates.
0:11.3	They were crucial in winning the Revolutionary War.
0:13.8	As John Lerman, former Secretary of the Navy, under President Ronald Reagan, observed,
0:17.9	from the beginning of the American Revolution until the end of the War of 1812, America's real naval advantage lay in its privateers.
0:24.7	It has been said that the battles of the American Revolution were fought on land and independence
0:28.6	was won at sea. For this, we have the enormous success of American privateers to thank
0:32.5	even more than the Continental Navy. But even in the face of plenty of readily available
0:36.7	evidence, the official canon of naval history in both Britain and the United States virtually ignores
0:40.7	privateers. These men owned vessels and were granted permission by the new government
0:45.9	to seize British merchantmen and men of war to fill in the gaps of the almost non-existent
0:50.4	United States Navy. Nearly 2,000 of these private ships set sail over the course of the war,
0:54.9	with tens of thousands of Americans capturing more than 1,800 British ships, a truly rag-tagged
0:59.5	fleet ranging from 25-foot-long whaleboats to full-rigged ships more than 100 feet long.
1:04.3	The masters of this fleet diverted critical British resources to protecting their shipping,
1:08.4	playing a key role in bringing France in as an ally, and replenish much-needed supplies back home and bolster morale. In today's rebroadcast episode, I'm speaking to Eric J. Dolan, author of Rebels at Sea, privateering in the American Revolution. The story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told many times, but it's often missing from maritime histories of the period that were crucial to American victory.
1:29.8	Hope you enjoyed this discussion.
1:33.7	And one more thing before we get started with this episode, a quick break for a word from our sponsors.
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2:12.2	The privateers that you write about during the American Revolution fascinate me because they are essentially
2:18.2	private contractors that work on commission. In this case, the commission is a captured British ship
2:22.8	and its holdings. But in the 18th century, a privateering vessel can go toe to toe with the British
	...

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