The Seven-Years War
The word "privateer" conjures a romantic image in the minds of most Americans. Tales of battle and bounty pervade the folklore of privateering, which has become a cherished, if often overlooked part of our shared heritage. Legends were forged during the battle for American independence, and these men were understandably glorified as part of the formation of our national identity. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these men were common opportunists, if noteworthy naval warriors. The profit motive was the driving force behind almost all of their expeditions, and a successful privateer could easily become quite wealthy. In times of peace, these men would be common pirates, ...
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attacking the commercial livelihood of Great Britain's merchants.
It is ironic that the entire notion of privateering began in Great Britain. In 1649 a frigate named Constant-Warwick was constructed in England for a privateer in the employ of the Earl of Warwick.
Seeing how profitable this investment was, a great many of the English peerage commissioned their own privateers. saw the proliferation of privateering on both the English and French coasts as each attempted to disrupt their opponent's colonial trade. American investors quickly entered this battle, commissioning ships to prey upon cargo vessels coming to and from French colonial holdings in the Americas. Here began the American privateer heritage, and when the American Revolution began many of these same men viewed the opportunity to profit, and resumed their ventures. The American privateer vessel was a ship "armed and fitted out at private expense for the purpose of preying on the enemy's commerce to the profit of her ...
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cannon. However, these ships could not be outfitted with as many cannons as their owners desired. The term "pierced" refers to the rectangles that were cut in a ship's sides through which cannons were fired. Cannons were usually located on either the top deck, or the level just below it. This lower level was preferable because cannon operation required a good deal of space due to recoil, and lurching cannons were dangerous obstacles to crews working the sails on the main deck. However, these lower piercings were difficult to make after the ship was constructed and affected the structural integrity of the ship itself. It was much easier to piercing the sides of the ship on the main deck, ...
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The Seven-Years War. (2008, July 28). Retrieved March 26, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Seven-Years-War/87435
"The Seven-Years War." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 28 Jul. 2008. Web. 26 Mar. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Seven-Years-War/87435>
"The Seven-Years War." Essayworld.com. July 28, 2008. Accessed March 26, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Seven-Years-War/87435.
"The Seven-Years War." Essayworld.com. July 28, 2008. Accessed March 26, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Seven-Years-War/87435.
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