Most Cutter Service men had fought the British during the Revo- 

 lution and they were sea-wise and battle- worthy. They played a grim 

 and effective game of hide-and-seek with smugglers. With Marines 

 aboard, they raided French shipping along the coast and in the West 

 Indies. During these hostilities, the Eagle seized 5 armed vessels and 

 helped capture 4 others, out of a total of 90 French vessels taken. 



After a decade of peace, the Revenue Cutters helped fight the British 

 in the War of 1812., taking a number of prizes. They also had stirring 

 set-tos with slavers and pirates, finally making these enterprises 

 unprofitable. 



During the Seminole War, Cutter crews often stormed ashore and 

 chased marauding bands of Seminoles all the way to the Everglades. 

 They helped the Navy in Civil War actions. 



However, not all the Cutter Service duties involved fighting. From 

 the very first. Cutter men had gone to the aid of ships in distress, in 

 the age-old tradition of the sea. 



In 1831 the Secretary of the Treasury made search and rescue a 

 formal part of Revenue Cutter duty with orders to the Gallatin to 

 cruise coastal waters in search of "persons in distress." Five years 

 later the Jachson was authorized to patrol off-shore waters to aid 

 distressed mariners. The following year, 1837, Congress gave the 

 President authority to detail public vessels to winter coastal patrol 

 for the same purpose. "Winter Cruising'" off the Atlantic coast be- 

 came standard practice, along with law enforcement work. 



To this was soon added authority to police the loading of explosives 

 and other dangerous cargo in U.S. ports, and enforcement of regula- 

 tions in anchorajre grounds and harbors. 



