"Set forth in a warlike Manner and by Force of Arms, to attack, seize, and take the Ships and other Vessels belonging to the inhabitants of Great Britain, or any of them, with their Tackle, Apparel, Furniture, and Ladings, on the High Seas, or between high-water and low-water Marks." Such were the instructions of the Continental Congress to the bonded privateers that bolstered the strength of the fledgling American Navy during the War of Independence. Lacking a maritime force comparable in size, strength or discipline to the Royal Navy, the American colonies were dependent on the skill and...