Note: See also other time periods, such as the War of 1812. Some items listed here may cover time periods beyond the American Revolution - check sources.
The Oxford English Dictionary definition:
privateer, n.
1. a. An armed vessel owned and crewed by private individuals, and holding a government commission known as a letter of marque (see letter of marque n. at marque n.1 2) authorizing the capture of merchant shipping belonging to an enemy nation. Now historical.
b. The commander or a member of the crew of a privateer. Now historical.
- "privateer, n.". OED Online. September 2021. Oxford University Press. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/151605?rskey=os5nXq&result=1 (accessed November 16, 2021).
During the American Revolution, the Continental navy needed support against the British Navy and turned to privateers. It was an established practice with European countries that, during a war, contracted privateers could attack enemy vessels (including trade vessels). Privateers were issued letters of marque that granted them permission to seize enemy ships. Pirates lacked the legal letters of marque issued from a valid government. England did not recognize the Colonies as a legitimate government, and considered the privateers to be pirates. Letters of marque were issued by Continental government, and Connecticut issued their own as well. Journals of the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set contain information about who were issued letters of marque. There was a question during the U.S. Civil War if the ships supporting the Confederate army were privateers or pirates. Privateering was prohibited by the 1856 Treaty of Paris, but the U.S.A. did not sign the treaty.
Long Island Sound supported privateers, with the lower Connecticut River and New London Harbor prime locations. There were several shipyards, which built smaller and faster ships than the British naval ships. These locally built ships could escape up the Connecticut and Thames Rivers. New London had a large whaling fleet and the Thames River was deep enough to accommodate larger ships. Nathaniel Shaw, Jr., of New London, acting as Connecticut’s Naval Agent and Continental agent, issued the letters of marque for that area.
Some Connecticut people involved in privateering, or owning shares in privateer ships: Benedict Arnold; Nathaniel Shaw, Jr.; Captain Thomas Allon; William Packwood; Joseph Packwood; Samuel Smedley; Ashbel Riley; Capt. Gideon Olmsted.
Some ships were: General Putnam; John; Governor Trumbull; Ranger; Snake.
Sources are from items listed on this page.
These are resources that cross over more than one time period. See sections for specific wars/time periods.
Connecticut Pirates and Privateers : treasure and treachery in the Constitution State
LibGuide description: "The waters, inlets and islands of Connecticut once swarmed with fabled corsairs like Captain Kidd and Blackbeard who may have buried their booty in Constitution State soil. In colonial times and through the nineteenth century, over one hundred privateers used the Connecticut River and waterways as a home port, influencing the geopolitics of the time. During the Revolutionary War, the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold attempted to destroy the state's privateer fleet. In 1779, Captain Elisha Hinman cleverly devised a system that allowed the large privateer ship Governor Trumbull to avoid enemy attack by becoming super-buoyant and passing over dangerous shoals. Wick Griswold uncovers the swashbuckling stories of Connecticut's pirates and privateers, brimming with historical facts and local myths."
The Negro in the American Revolution by 
Who's Who in Davy Jones' Locker? : (A Biographical Directory of Pirates, Buccaneers and Privateers). 1st ed.
Piracy and Maritime Crime Historical and Modern Case Studies by
"This monograph is intended as a contribution to both scholarship and professional naval thinking; it is an academic and comparative examination of twelve selected case studies from maritime history used to illuminate a range of concepts and uses of piracy suppression. The twelve case studies provide the basis for the conclusions, an approach that provides a more thorough understanding of the uses and limitations of naval antipiracy operations in the context of new maritime technologies and within a wider range of modern national policy goals than might otherwise be achievable. Above all this collection provides a sound basis for comparative analysis of varying historical experiences that can stimulate new and original thinking about a basic but often overlooked naval duty."--Foreword
These are resources that cross over more than one time period. See sections for specific wars/time periods.
These are resources for this specific time period. For resources that cover more than one time period, see other sections on this page.
Patriot Pirates by
A revelation of America's War of Independence, a sweeping tale of maritime rebel-entrepreneurs bent on personal profit as well as national freedom. Privateers were legalized pirates empowered by the Continental Congress to raid and plunder, at their own considerable risk, as much enemy trade as they could successfully haul back to America's shores. Patton writes how privateering engaged all levels of Revolutionary life, from the dockyards to the assembly halls; how it gave rise to an often cutthroat network of agents who sold captured goods and sparked wild speculation in purchased shares in privateer ventures, enabling sailors to make more money in a month than they might otherwise earn in a year; and how they turned their seafaring talents to the slave trade. Vast fortunes made through privateering survive to this day, among them those of the Peabodys, Cabots, and Lowells of Massachusetts, and the Derbys and Browns of Rhode Island.--From publisher description.
Samuel Smedley: Connecticut Privateer by
LibGuides summary: "From the shores of Long Island Sound to the high seas of the West Indies, against British warships and letters of marque, Samuel Smedley left a stream of smoke and blood as he took prisoners and prizes alike. At twenty-three years old, Smedley, a Fairfield, Connecticut native, enlisted as a lieutenant of marines on the Connecticut ship Defence during the American Revolution. Less than a year later he was her captain, scouring the seas for British prey. Author Jackson Kuhl delves into the life and times of this Patriot, sea captain and privateer."
Two Revolutionary War Privateers
LibGuides description: "Two Connecticut naval merchants become privateers and make numerous voyages to the Caribbean to obtain wartime supplies."
Sailing under John Paul Jones : The Memoir of Continental Navy Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning, 1778-1783
"Connecticut privateer Nathaniel Fanning (1755-1805) was captured by the British during the Revolutionary War. Upon his release, he joined the Continental Navy and sailed as a midshipman under Admiral John Paul Jones during his most famous battles. Fanning later obtained his own command, sailing from French ports to prey upon British warships. This new edition of Fanning's memoir-first published in 1806-provides a vivid account of wartime peril and hardship at sea, and a first-hand character study of Jones as an apparent tyrant and narcissist. Vocabulary, spelling and narrative style have changed in the more than two centuries since Fanning's chronicle, and some details clash with historical and geographical data. The editor has updated and annotated the text for modern readers."-
Naval Officers of the American Revolution : a concise biographical dictionaryThese are resources for this specific time period. For resources that cover more than one time period, see other sections on this page.
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