Letters of Marque
James Madison and James Monroe. “Letter of Marque” Document Signed as President and as Secretary of State, from the War of 1812; November 30, 1812.
KD 6987 $4,500.
A document signed by one President (Madison) and one President-to-be (Monroe).
“I have Commissioned... the private armed Schooner called the Rossie...mounting five carriage guns and navigated by Thirty five men... to subdue, seize and take any armed or unarmed British vessel, public or private, which shall be found within the jurisdictional limits of the United States or elsewhere on the high seas, or within the waters of the British dominions... to bring within some port of the United States...”.
Historical Background:
On May 11, 1812 the British Prime Minister was shot and killed by an assassin, and the new Prime Minister sought to cool tensions with the United States by rescinding the order of impressment for British ships to seize presumed British defectors from American ships.
As of June 1, the news from Britain had not yet reached American shores, and President James Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war against Britain. Wrote Madison:
“British cruisers have been in the continued practice of violating the American flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying off persons sailing under it, not in the exercise of a belligerent right founded on the law of nations against an enemy, but of a municipal prerogative over British subjects….
The practice, hence, is so far from affecting British subjects alone that, under the pretext of searching for these, thousands of American citizens, under the safeguard of public law and of their national flag, have been torn from their country and from everything dear to them; have been dragged on board ships of war of a foreign nation and exposed, under the severities of their discipline, to be exiled to the most distant and deadly climes…”
On June 18, war was declared. On June 26, an act of Congress permitted President Madison to issue “letters of marque” to commission private ships to search and seize British ships and their contents in “reprisal” for the actions by British ships.
Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the right “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.” Article I Section 8 also grants Congress the right “To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations.”
The use of private vessels as ships of war proved necessary for the United States both during the Revolution and again during the War of 1812 due to the weakness of the navy. Although these armed private merchant vessels often subordinated warfare in favor of trade, they managed to attack and seize over 1000 British ships between 1812 and 1815.
Additional information about President Madison’s use of Letters of Marque in the War of 1812 is found at the James Madison Center’s website at:
The Letter of Marque discussed therein is from a much later point at the end of the war, whereas our Letter of Marque was issued only 5 months after Congress granted President Madison this authority.
Additional Information: www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b2/barney-ii.htm
Rossie received bootie under its prior Captain.
It was one of the four most successful privateer schooners.
Captain J. D. Danels, who this privateers commission is for, would later become a hero of the Columbian navy .
"The first privateer to sail from Baltimore in 1812 was the Rossie, commanded by Joshua Barney, who would make two successful cruises before joining the US Navy to command the Chesapeake Flotilla." "Barney's Rossie and Boyle's Comet and Chasseur were all built in Fells Point by shipwright Thomas Kemp."
"When war came, Barney departed the Chesapeake Bay on 15 July 1812 in the 12-gun schooner Rossie and captured 18 ships--including His Majesty's packet ship Princess Amelia--before returning on 21 November 1812."
"One of the most successful privateers was Joshua Barney of Maryland. On a single voyage in the schooner Rossie, Barney captured four ships, eight brigs, three schooners and three sloops valued at $1.5 million."
"Thomas Kemp developed a reputation for building high quality boats known for their durability and speed. No other Baltimore shipwright of the period matched his genius. He built the four most successful privateers of the War of 1812: Rossie, Rolla, Comet, and Chasseur."
"With the end of the War of 1812, the Baltimore privateer captains found returning to regular merchant service rather unrewarding, Their services soon found a demand with the Spanish colonies in Mexico, Central America, and South America that were seeking independence from Spain. About three dozen Baltimore captains eventually sailed for the colonies through 1821. The most famous of these were Captain John Daniel Danels, well known for commanding a few Baltimore ships and a hero of the Columbian navy in 1818."
k06987 James Madison and James Monroe Signed War of 1812
Privateers Commission
