‘This Disgraceful & Barbarous Species of Warfare: Maine’s Privateers, 1812-1815’

Privateering played a significant role in how the War of 1812 played out in coastal Maine. Based on his recent book Making Maine: Statehood and the War of 1812, Prof. Joshua Smith explores how and why Mainers engaged with privateering and why some took it up while others deplored the practice. Special emphasis will be placed on Freeport’s own privateer, the Dash.