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Along with the rules of restitution in the hand of the District Court clerk in August 1812?The Act of Congress authorizing privateers was less than 40 days old at the time of the capture of the many vessels accounted for in this remarkably detailed log, measuring 20 pages of dense text?Featured on the Inspired by History podcastThe Crowninshield family was historically prominent in shipbuilding and merchant shipping, political and military leadership, and the literary world. The family is one of those known as Boston Brahmins, a reference to old wealthy New England families that became influential in the development of American institutions and culture. George Crowninshield was a captain and merchant, and he had sons Benjamin, who was Secretary of the Navy between 1815 and 1818, during the administrations of Presidents James Madison and James Monroe; George Jr., who owned the first yacht to cross the Atlantic; and Jacob, who became a Congressman.On June 26, 1812, Congress declared war against the British and, in a related Act of Congress, created rules by which privately-owned ships called privateers were enlisted in capturing British vessels on the high seas, seizing their cargos, imprisoning or paroling the crew, and gaining profit from the sale of the captured ships' contents.During the war, the Crowninshields were prominent figures in privateering. Benjamin, his father George, and his brother George Jr. offered three vessels to the U.S. government for service as privateers. These were the ship John, the sloop Jefferson, and the ship America.In mid July, the brig John of Salem, captained by Benjamin Crowninshield, the future Secretary of Navy, received its privateers commission from President James Madison and Secretary of State James Monroe. The book "History of the American privateers, and letters-of-marque, during our war with England in the years 1812, '13 and '14" lists the John as one of the very first ships to bring into port captured vessels under the terms of the Privateers Act. It reads:"Among the great earliest privateer vessels was the Ship John, Captain Crowninshield. This handsome vessel was heavily armed and manned, carrying sixteen guns and a complement of one hundred and sixty men, which made her one of the most formidable privateers afloat at the beginning of the war. After a short cruise of about three weeks, in July, 1812, the John returned to port, having captured eleven vessels, of which three were destroyed and one was recaptured. Those that arrived in port were the brig Ceres; the schooner Union, from Jamaica for Quebec, with one hundred and forty-six puncheons of rum (the vessel and cargo being estimated to be worth thirty thousand dollars); the coppered brig Elizabeth, of three hundred tons, from Gibraltar for Quebec, in ballast, carrying four guns and twelve men; the ship Apollo, of four hundred tons and mounting eight 18-pounders; and a schooner from Jamaica with one hundred and sixty puncheons of rum. Three brigs, laden with lumber, were captured, but as they were inconvenient to handle they were released. Afterward the John captured the valuable brig Henry, from Liverpool for Halifax, laden with crates, salt, and coal; the ship Jane, of Port Glasgow; the brig Neptune, a new, light brig from Gibraltar bound for Halifax; the schooner Blonde, from Dominica for St. John's; and a schooner from Jamaica with one hundred and sixty puncheons of rum aboard. All of these prizes reached Salem excepting the new brig from Gibraltar, which was sent into Boston. The John shared the fate of the Buckskin, being captured by the enemy early in the war."This is the ship John?s unpublished log book for that very early trip, among the first authorized privateers bounties from the war, acquired from the Crowninshield descendants and never before offered for sale. It also contains the rules of restitution.Manuscript, evidently unpublished, 20 dense complete pages of entries, from August 4 to August 22, 1812, likely in.
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