Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution

"Entertaining and enlightening. . . . [Patton] has dug deep into Revolutionary War-era records and writes with verve."-The Washington Post Book World"The British had always accused us of being pirates and thieves. Robert Patton's fascinating account of privateering during the American Revolution nicely proves their point."-Winston Groom"Wonderfully told." -The Hartford Courant"Intriguing. . . . Lively and instructive. . . . Patriot Pirates is not 'revisionist' or 'alternative' history. What it offers is neglected history, the study of a crucial theater of the Revolution that has been overlooked, perhaps because it lacks the mythic cutouts we like to champion on the Fourth of July."-The Washington Times"Having, as an Englishman, been brought up on Hornblower and Nelson, I was fascinated to read Robert Patton's Patriot Pirates and to discover what I never knew about the American Hornblowers-the privateers of the Revolutionary War and their extraordinary adventures. For all those who love history and the sea, this is soul-stirring stuff, as good as reading a Patrick O'Brian novel, except that every word is true."-Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant and Ike"A fascinating account that would make an exciting television series. . . . [Patton] has done great work to bring this story to life."-Proceedings Magazine (U.S. Naval Institute)"Patton gives an absorbing exhumation of an undersung subject that will be of particular interest to Revolution buffs."-Publishers Weekly"In this deeply considered book, based on overlooked primary sources, Robert H. Patton illuminates the raucous, illicit origins of our American democracy. The privateers of the Revolution operated in a twilit world of idealism and greed, launching the new nation on the double edge that would thereafter define it. Many familiar names-the Browns of Providence, the Cabots and Derbys of Salem, the Binghams and Franklins of Philadelphia-appear here in unfamiliar, less admirable ways. With neither rancor nor illusions, Patriot Pirates reminds us again of the mystery and unpredictability of true history."-Stephen Fox, author of Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama"A fascinating case study in free enterprise. . . . Patton's book is an eye-opener"-The Georgetown Record (Massachusetts)"A well-written examination of an obscure aspect of American military history."-Booklist"Illuminating. . . . A pleasing mixture of high-seas adventure and shrewd analysis."-Kirkus Reviews