Cutters versus 

 French privateers 



-TOR nearly eight years Hamilton's fleet 

 of cutters was the young Nation's only 

 navy. The regular Navy was not organized 

 until 1798. At the time, a diplomatic war 

 of nerves France was waging on the 

 United States had broken out into an 

 undeclared shooting war at sea. French 

 privateers, preying on American shipping, 

 seized more than 340 of our ships. 



During the ensuing hostilities. Congress 

 ordained in 1799 that "Revenue Cutters 

 shall, whenever the President of the 

 United States shall so direct, cooperate 

 with the Navy of the United States." On 

 August 4, 1949, Congress put it more 

 strongly: "The Coast Guard as established 

 January 28, 1915, shall be a military serv- 

 ice and a branch of the armed forces of 

 the United States at all times. The Coast 

 Guard shall be a service in the Treasury 

 Department, except when operating as a 

 service in the Navy." 



President John Adams, anticipating the 

 act of Congress, had placed the cutters 

 under the orders of Benjamin Stoddert, 

 first Secretary of Navy, in 1798. Among 

 their early assignments was patrolling be- 

 tween Nantucket and Cape Henry, and 

 escorting the new frigate Constitution on 

 her maiden cruise. In this period, too, 

 cutters performed the first convoy duty, 

 guarding American merchantmen from 

 the privateers. 



In 1799, Stoddert ordered four fleets of 

 20 ships to sea against the French raiders. 

 In this force were eight cutters. Of 20 

 French ships captured by the combined 

 fleets, 16 were taken by cutters. The 187- 

 ton cutter Eagle set something of a record 

 by capturing five French ships, recaptur- 

 ing seven American ships, and assisting 

 in the capture of 10 others. 



The bigger they came 



The Pickering, sister cutter of the Eagle, 

 fought a notable engagement with the 

 privateer L'Egypte Conquise on October 

 18, 1799. The Frenchman was fitted out 

 and doubly manned expressly to capture 

 the Pickering. Against her 14 nine- and 4 

 six-pounders and crew of 250, the cutter 

 had only 14 four-pounders and 70 men. 

 But after a 9-hour battle, the bigger ship 

 hauled down the Tri-Color and surren- 

 dered. Later, in 1800, the Pickering was 

 lost with all hands in a storm. 



About this time, cutters began to fly 

 what we know today as the Coast Guard 

 ensign and pennant. In authorizing these 

 banners in 1799, Congress ruled: "When- 

 ever any ship or vessel, liable to seizure or 

 examination, shall not bring to, on being 

 required to do so or on being chased by 

 any cutter or boat, which has displayed 

 the pendant and ensign prescribed for ves- 

 sels in the Revenue Service, the master 



