Washington’s Navy, Privateering & ’Rebels at Sea’

Review by Bill Doughty––

George Washington wasn’t just “father of our country.” He was also father of our Navy, according to “Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution” by Eric Jay Dolin (W.W. Norton, 2022).

Washington first dismissed the idea of deploying a seagoing force, especially to face the great Royal Navy. But during a stalemate on land and after listening to advice from his officers, he saw a need for American vessels to capture munitions and other supplies from British ships. So Washington armed and commissioned the schooner Hannah and soon followed up with orders for two more vessels. His ships were not privately operated since sailors were paid from his army’s funds.

While there was a question whether he had authority from Congress, nevertheless Washington moved forward, according to Dolin. “On September 7 (1775), the Hannah set sail. Washington had launched his own navy.” His minuscule naval force joined hundreds of “privateers” operating outside of government control along the Atlantic Coast and beyond.

Early in “Rebels at Sea,” Dolin tells the story of the Machias Affair in Maine/Massachusetts, in which colonists clashed with British autocracy over trade, authoritarian rule, and even voting rights!

The Machias Affair, called by James Fenimore Cooper the “Lexington of the Sea,” was “a clarion signal that Massachusetts men and, more broadly, Americans were ready and able to fight at sea.”

“Privateers were armed vessels owned and outfitted by private individuals who had government permission to capture enemy ships in times of war. That permission came in the form of a letter of marque, a formal legal document issued by the government that gave the bearer the right to seize vessels belonging to belligerent nations and to claim those vessels and their cargoes, or prizes, as spoils of war. The proceeds from the auction of these prizes were in turn split between the men who crewed the privateers and the owners of the ship. Typically, governments used privateers to amplify their power on the seas, most notably when their navies were not large enough to effectively wage war. More specifically, by attacking the enemy’s maritime commerce and, when possible, its naval forces, privateers could inflict significant economic and military pain at no expense to the government that commissioned them. Privateers were like a cost-free navy. One late nineteenth-century historian dubbed them ‘the militia of the sea.’”

There’s no question the maritime militia and other sea fighters made a difference.

“By early 1776, the upstart Americans had made considerable progress in taking the fight to sea. Between state navies, Washington’s navy, privateers from the individual colonies, and the nascent Continental navy, the colonies were demonstrating their maritime creativity and potency. But one major feature of their maritime strategy was conspicuous in its absence: privateers commissioned by Congress.”

And as Britain cracked down further on the Colonies, it only made the Americans’ resolve stronger.

The British Parliament drove the Colonies to codifying privateering when Britain passed the Prohibitory Act in February 1776. Also known as the Act of Independency, Parliament’s act cut off trade, permitted British ships to seize colonial vessels, and allowed American sailors to be impressed –– kidnapped, conscripted, and forced into serving in the Royal Navy.

Within weeks, Congress was ready to order authorization and letters of marque to privateers. It did so April 3, 1776. Privateering, therefore, pushed the Colonies more in the direction of independency. “It was another tear in the gossamer fabric holding the colonies and Britain together,” Dolin writes.

“Congress had no alternative but to provide for the defense and security by authorizing the colonies to fit out privateers to cruise against the enemy,” Dolin writes. He provides a number of surprising anecdotes about people, unknown and well-known, who were involved in privateering.

We learn about black patriot James Forten, whose great-grandfather was brought to the Colonies as a slave and whose grandfather obtained freedom. Forten was one of only a few black families in Philadelphia, where some historians argue the U.S. Navy was born. (A drive to the Philadelphia airport today and a glance toward the East shows the evidence of Philadelphia as a big Navy port.)

Forten served aboard the 450-ton Pennsylvania privateer Royal Louis captained by Stephen Decatur Sr., father of Steven Decatur Jr., hero in the first Barbary War at the turn of the century and later in the War of 1812. Forten went on to become a successful business leader in Philadelphia as the city’s leading sailmaker, according to Dolin.

This book is packed with photos, vignettes, and colorful characters. Thomas Paine, author of the earthshaking “Common Sense,” had a near-death brush with privateering. For a short time Paine was a crew member of the Terrible, a British privateer captained by William Death. Great names.

Check out these names of the privateer ships mentioned in this book: Rattlesnake, Hibernia, Tyrannicide, Black Sloven, Active, Thorn, Revenge, Enterprize, Eaglet, Impromptu, and Grand Turk; sweet names like Betsey, Nancy, Diana, Patty, and Sally, and inspiring names like General Washington, Marquis de Lafayettes, Liberty, Union, Hope, Yankee Hero, Retaliation, and Independence.

Hundreds of privateers and their captains and crews risked a great deal to fight for liberty. “When the United States was only a tenuous idea, they stepped forward and risked their lives to help make it a reality,” Dolin says.

Portrait of John Barry by Gilbert Stuart, circa 1801. (White House, NHHC)

“For many young men, joining a privateer represented an opportunity for adventure and fortune and also, perhaps, a chance to escape stultifying manual labor.” Privateering proved a training ground for the new United States Navy. Consider the names of some crew members, backers, and captains of privateers: John Barry, Thomas Truxton, Silas Talbot, Henry Knox, David Porter (father of Commodore David Porter, of the War of 1812, and grandfather of Adm. David Dixon Porter, hero of the Civil War.)

In 1781, the Privateer Pilgrim captured the Duke of Gloucester with an impressive science library aboard. The great mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch then gained access to the resources to write “The New American Practical Navigator” (1802), known to sailors as “the Bowditch,” a landmark work explaining accurate nautical and navigational information for mariners.

Some powerful leaders backed the concept of privateers. They included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin (for a time), and, notoriously Benedict Arnold, who helped the British spearhead “the deadliest raid of all,” targeting American patriots at New London.

Some privateers became intertwined with the slave trade. Dolin calls it the “greatest blemish” of privateering.

HMS Jersey, used as a prison ship during the Revolutionary War. Painting by R.B. Skerrett from drawing by one of the prisoners held in captivity there. (NHHC)

Americans captured by the British for privateering usually found themselves in fetid and septic prison ships. Dolin calls the use of the floating prisons, especially the Jersey, “one of the most horrific and shameful chapters in the history of the Revolution.” Dolin's account of the foul and disgusting depravity in the prison ships rivals that of many historians’ descriptions of POW camps. Jersey, nicknamed “Hell Afloat,” held up to 1,200 prisoners, many of whom were mariners who'd served aboard privateers.

Eric Jay Dolin

Privateering, Dolin says, was not the same as piracy since it was federally endorsed. Nevertheless, opposition to the practice grew. “Part of the reason privateering was scorned was that many believed the practice undermined the republican ideals of the Revolution, which called for the sacrifice of private interests in the pursuit of liberty.”

Benjamin Franklin, who supported privateering early on, did an about-face after he saw rampant greed and lawlessness. Another strong opponent was William Whipple Jr., a “fervent patriot devote to the republican ideals of the Revolution, signer of the Declaration, and hero of the Battle of Saratoga.”

Whipple called privateering “the most baneful to society of any that ever a civilized people were engaged in.” Dolin writes about Whipple: “His main concern was that privateers were draining the Continental Navy of men, because so many chose privateering over naval service for financial reasons.”

Navy hero John Paul Jones agreed.

There was much less effectiveness in individual states’ navies or privateers compared with he power of a United naval force. Resources, including sailors, needed to be directed to the Continental Navy, according to Jones, Whipple, and others; the fledgling American navy struggled to survive, some frigates never making it to sea.

Dolin writes: “The American Revolution was the Navy’s first hour, but not its finest.”

“The Continental navy’s record in battle is not an enviable one. Twenty-eight vessels were captured or destroyed, and many others were out at sea, sold, returned to France, or burned to keep them from being taken but he enemy (as in the Penobscot Expedition). Only seven of the original thirteen frigates authorized by Congress actually made it to sea, and one of those survived long enough to witness the victory at Yorktown in 1781, a year in which the entire naval fleet was comprised of only nine vessels, with a total of 164 cannons. The Navy’s only truly large ship, the 74-gun America, took six years to build, and by the time it was ready to sail, in November 1782, the war was essentially over. Instead of fighting for the American cause, America was given to the French as gift. At war’s end just a few navy ships were left. These were sold, and the navy disbanded.”

Carving of Franklin at U.S. Naval Academy, circa early 1900s. (NHHC)

The (non-Navy) privateers, as the “militia of the sea,” were similar to the colonial concept of a non-Army armed citizenry: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…” per the Second Amendment. Whipple, Jones, and Franklin saw privateering as more harmful that good. Franklin called it an “abomination.”

Eventually, the new nation would evolve to see the need for unity in the maritime domain. This was especially true as platforms, armaments, logistics, strategies, training, and capabilities modernized.

But in the War of 1812 the Navy was still “puny,” in Dolin’s words. “Just a handful of frigates, sloops, and gunboats.”

So President Jefferson returned to privateering.

“Despite Jefferson’s dream of a privately waged war on the seas,” Dolin writes, “the U.S. Navy, small though it was, had some notable and heroic engagements that burnished its reputation, contributed much to America’s success, and won the respect of the British.”

Privateers proved successful again in those days of wooden boats, but their days were numbered.

Model of privateer Rattlesnake.Scale: 3/16”=1’, built by Raymond W. Stone of the Washington Ship Model Society. (NHHC)

A generation later, the concept of privateering became part of a seditious conspiracy as the Confederacy embraced the strategy. The Confederates’ attempts at privateering were ill-fated, however, as the United States Navy and Union itself in Washington, D.C., grew stronger. Washington's navy became Washington's Navy.

Individual states’ navies were not as strong as the centralized U.S. Navy. Dolin closes his book with this bottom line: “America now has the most powerful navy in the world.”

This review barely scrapes the surface of a book that puts the reader on blood-stained wooden decks, running with the wind, cutlass in hand. Accessible history. Highly recommended.

“Rebels at Sea” dedication: “To librarians everywhere who, through hard work and dedication, support writers, researchers, learners, and book lovers alike. This writer couldn’t have done it without you.”

Adm. James Stavridis (ret.) offers wholehearted endorsement: “Yet another maritime masterpiece by one of the top historians of the oceans! Rebels at Sea is a brilliant exposition of a little-understood and under-appreciated part of the American Revolution underway. Like his earlier works, it is full of fresh thinking and sharply observed anecdotes that both inform and delight. Eric Jay Dolin's books deserve a prominent place on every sailor's bookshelf.” Stavridis is author of "The Sailor's Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea," reviewed earlier this year on Navy Reads.

Kobe Bryant: Self-Reflection, Work Ethic, Reading

By Bill Doughty

Kobe Bryant at Arlington, 2012.

Star of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, NBA rookie Kobe Bryant was interviewed by anchor Tim Russert on Meet the Press in 1998. In the interview, the future #24 Lakers superstar spoke about what it takes to be a better individual in today's society: self-reflection, a strong work ethic and reading.

"I was fortunate to have a family ... a strong family background, wonderful mom and dad, two older sisters," Bryant acknowledged.

Russert asked him what advice he had for other young black men, many who did not have fathers living at home.

"In some cases they don't have somebody to love, to latch onto," Kobe said. "So I think they have to be strong individuals, dig deep inside themselves, look inside themselves, and not look for other venues, other negative paths to walk down, because there are so many of these in today's society."

He added, "So I tell them to dig deep inside, be patient, be strong, hit the books and work hard and continue to dream."

Kobe encouraged young people to follow their dreams and stand up to people who block those dreams. "If you have a goal, if you have something you want to accomplish, they put limits on you; they tell us what we can and cannot do. So I tell them to have faith in themselves."

Kobe Bryant of Team USA meets service members at a Hoops for Troops event in 2012.

Kobe Bryant became an NBA icon with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played on the U.S. national team at the Olympics. And he participated in Hoops for Troops, honoring the military and military families.

In 2012 Kobe, along with the United States Olympic men's basketball team, visited Arlington National Cemetery.

As part of the dream team led by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Kobe acknowledged the importance of good coaching, respect, commitment, and devotion to his country. In his autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2018), Kobe writes:

"Our nation means so much to Coach Krzyzewski. He really hammered home the significance of getting to represent our country. Everything he did – from having generals come to speak with us, having soldiers be a part of our preparation process, having us take tours of national monuments – was aimed at increasing our admiration and love for America. You could sense that in the way he had us playing, in the intensity we showed."

"The Mamba Mentality" offers advice and strategies, tactics and priceless insights and memories for young basketball players. Kobe writes, "What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths."

Years ago, when asked what his son was like as a child, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant said Kobe was studious and hardworking. “He was a good kid — he even cleaned his room,” Joe Bryant said, reminiscent of Navy Adm. William H. McRaven's advice in "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... and Maybe Change the World." 

Joe Bryant has a strong connection with Japan. He even gave his son a Japanese name.

Kobe's dad coached the Tokyo Apache and other teams. He visited military bases, including Yokosuka naval base several times in the 2000s and practiced with Sailors of USS Kitty Hawk as well as speaking to young athletes and military families. 

Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant and coach of the Tokyo Apache basketball team, signs autographs and talks to fans after the game Feb. 7, 2007 at Yokota Air Base's Samurai Fitness Center. Bryant also played during the last half of the game. Tokyo Apache, a Japanese professional basketball team, took on the Yokota Warriors varsity team here and walked away with the win, 96 - 74. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark Allen)

According to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Joe Bryant "has a message for everyone: 'To have a dream, to have a fantasy and to have a goal.'" 

His words are echoed by his son in Kobe's interview with Tim Russert. So are his words about hitting the books:

“Once you have that, all it takes is a work ethic,” Joe Bryant said. “If you don’t have homework, then you read ahead in your textbook. You do the next page in your workbook. In school, as in life, you have to do the extra work to get better in anything.”

Our thoughts, memories and condolences are with the Bryant family and the families of all those lost in the tragic helicopter crash Sunday that killed Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.

Kobe Bryant and Jerry Colangelo place a wreath on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va., Jul. 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, left, and Kobe Bryant talk at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, July 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

For the love of books...

Just a quick post and a shout-out to the Navy Exchange for promoting the Navy Reading Program and offering substantial discounts -- 35 to 40 percent off publishers' list prices.

Here's their press release.

Note that books are also available on line through the Navy Uniform Web Store; NEX says no charge for regular shipping. Naturally, this service is for authorized patrons only.

We'll be posting our next book review soon.

Aloha,

Bill

Welcome Aboard! / Review: Implementing Diversity

Books are still alive and well...

This blog of book reviews and discussion is for those who care about reading and who love the Navy. It is inspired by the Chief of Naval Operations’ Navy Professional Reading Program, launched by Admiral Mike Mullen and continued by Admiral Gary Roughead. It is dedicated to the sailors, civilians and families who serve in, for and with the U.S. Navy. Books selected for review/discussion are from the Reading Program.

Your comments are welcome!

Speaking of which...

In the hopes of promoting diverse views in this blog, I’ve chosen an influential book about diversity for this first posting.

Book Review: “Implementing Diversity” by Marilyn Loden

How to Identify, Value and Implement Diversity – For Everyone

Review by Bill Doughty

One of the first things Marilyn Loden does in her ground-breaking book is identify diverse types of people in an organization. Not by color or gender. Not by age, ethnicity, orientation or religion. Instead, she breaks people into distinct groups: “innovator,” “change agent,” “pragmatist,” “skeptic” and “traditionalist.

Which are you?

Key to implementing diversity, Loden shows, is to understand how you and others in your organization deal with change as one of these types.

“Innovators” and “change agents,” as you’d probably guess, are the sparkplugs and accelerants to change in an organization, but they are in the minority, she says.

“Pragmatists” and “skeptics” can be resistant to change, and “traditionalists” may try to put the brakes on innovation and change. Loden shows that pushback by some groups may be due to misunderstanding…and fear.

“Within every organization people respond to new ideas in distinct and predictable ways, based on differences in individual tolerance of perceived risk,” says Loden.

So, before implementing diversity she says that organizations need to understand the value of the concept.

Loden notes that valuing diversity means respecting and including all people in a flexible, supportive environment.

She says it’s not top-down and reactive but, rather, opportunity-driven and proactive. It’s not a quick-fix but, rather, a comprehensive systematic approach. And, it’s not “one size fits all.” Instead, it’s customized to individuals.

Which is why implementing diversity takes into account the various personality types that exist in any organization and why diversity cannot be implemented most effectively through typical “EEO” or “affirmative action” channels.

According to Loden, implementing diversity comes about through long-term cultural change that is inclusive, not exclusive, with leadership showing how diversity benefits everyone.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (former CNO) Admiral Mike Mullen says, “Having the cultural skills, having the diverse backgrounds in order to literally achieve our mission is really critical. That is why diversity is a strategic imperative…I believe from my heart that diversity strengthens the very fabric of who we are.”

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead recorded a podcast on diversity on Feb. 27, 2009.

"In the military and in the Navy, it's important that we are a diverse organization because we have to represent what I call the face of America. As our population changes and the percentages of majority-minority changes... we we have to reflect that same demographic in our Navy,” Roughead said. “We're stronger because of the different perspectives and ideas that people bring to bear."

Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, called diversity a key leadership issue in one of his Rat-Pac Report podcasts.

“Diversity is critical to the future of our Navy. Frankly, it’s critical to our readiness now,” said Willard.

“When we talk about a diverse workforce, we’re talking about a total workforce so it includes those of us in uniform, those of us that are in reserve status, our civilians and our contractors – every race, every ethnicity, and recognition that gender in our Navy is valued and promoted. We must all be able to see ourselves reflected both up/down and across the Navy.”

Such endorsement from top leadership in an organization is critical, according to Loden, who shows that diversity is an inalienable concept with special meaning for all humans.

“Regardless of what core identities we each have, we all want to be happy, respected, and loved. In the workplace, we want to be recognized for who we are and appreciated for what we do. We want to feel comfortable with those with whom we work. We want to believe that our ideas and opinions are valued and that they influence important decisions that affect us and our work. These are basic desires that we all share, the common ground we stand on...”

Loden’s book includes tools such as assessment and implementation checklists. She gives good, pertinent case studies of implementation successes as well as failures.

Common sense alert: As diversity is implemented, don’t ridicule or purposely shut out anyone, including white male employees, who have traditionally been in the majority of the workforce, she advises.

“When people believe they are ignored or excluded from full participation they put less energy and less of themselves into making the process work.” That statement applies to all groups.

A good strategy, says Loden, is making a business case for diversity – showing the economic benefits of valuing diversity.

For the military, that case is made by senior leaders, military and civilian bosses, chiefs, LPOs and individual deckplate Sailors who tie diversity to readiness and credible leadership.

Valuing and implementing diversity, according to Loden, is good for business.

“The benefits to organizations and individuals are closely aligned,” says Loden.

“Because a welcoming and rewarding work environment produces superior human performance, it is in the employer’s best interests,” she writes.

Once organizations are on the road to implementing diversity, Loden maps out how to accelerate change in the last five chapters of the book: “Laying the Groundwork for Change,” “Reaching the Segments,” “The Diversity Curriculum,” “Best Practices Across Organizations,” and “Towards Full Adoption.”

“Implementing Diversity” is an easy read and important for anyone who is confused about what diversity is – and isn't. It’s most important as a how-to guide for implementing the concept and doing it right … for everyone.

Chances are, your command or nearby library has a copy of this book. Need some suggestions for your reading list? Visit the Navy Professional Reading Program’s web site at www.navyreading.navy.mil