Not all pirates pillaged on the high seas! Armed with whale boats and swivel guns, both Patriot and Loyalist privateers staged coastal raids on enemy merchant ships during the Revolutionary War. The Jersey Coast with its protective barrier islands and hidden inlets was a safe haven to privateers and shallow draft sailing vessels. Known for being the 'Crossroads of the American Revolution', New Jersey was also the 'Coastal Gauntlet of the American Revolution'. The story of New Jersey's Revolutionary War privateers is a dramatic vignette of American communities in turmoil and economic empowerment.
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2007 Patriot Pirate Exhibit
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New Jersey's privateer interests were a blend of local communities, continental Captains, businessmen and finance capital. The success of New Jersey privateers is credited to local fishermen and baymen experienced in navigating the treacherous shoal waters. Investors from NJ and Philadelphia financed the ventures and bonded the NJ Captains against piracy.
Toms River was a prominent Patriot privateer center during the Revolutionary War. Cranberry Inlet (open from 1750-1812) provided direct access to coastal shipping lanes and it was the first safe harbor south
It is considered the last skirmish of the Revolutionary War. It is definitely the last battle of the `civil' war that raged in New Jersey during the Revolution. After official hostilities waned, the frontier in the pinelands continued to serve as a safe haven for Loyalist `refugees'. The most notorious Loyalist,
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New Jersey Privateers operated in close proximity to NY which was the headquarters and main supply artery for the British. New Jersey was not only the 'Crossroads of the American Revolution', it was the 'Coastal Gauntlet of the American Revolution'. The story of New Jersey's privateers during the Revolutionary War is a dramatic vignette of American communities in turmoil.
On the evening of October 25, 1782 during a storm, a Belgium cutter was driven off course until it ran aground on the Barnegat Shoals. The next morning, Capt. Andrew Steelman of Cape May and the crew of his privateer boat the Alligator `found' the abandoned cutter with its cargo. Steelman claimed the ship and sent crew members into town to enlist all extra hands to help unload the ship. The skulking William Wilson of Waretown, instead of joining the crew, went to inform John Bacon, the notorious Tory bandit of the prize capture.
1780 battle account from Tom Brown's pension application.
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