poop deck and fire repeatedly on the mutinous crew. The privateer vessel would commandeer the majority of the English ship's provisions, with the logic that the captured vessel was headed for the nearest port and would not need them. By this method the privateers found sustenance. Many a privateer voyage was cut short because provisions were running low and either no capture had been made, or a capture had insufficient food and water. It was not uncommon for a privateer to capture multiple British ships on one voyage, (the record being twenty-eight!), and so the surplus of men was necessary to man captured vessels. The mutiny of prisoners was a very real and common danger. Many privateers who took too many prisoners or under-staffed a capture were the victims of viscous mutinies. The case of the sloop Eagle sailing out of Connecticut illustrates this. A six gun ship, the Eagle had captured seven British vessels on one trip. Her complement was reduced to fifteen, and she had taken many prisoners aboard. When an opportunity presented itself the British seamen turned on their captors, overpowered them, and killed all but two boys. A rule of thumb in the privateering profession was to never capture more ships than the number of cannons you had on your own ship. If a privateer had six guns, then he should capture no more than six ships on a single voyage. In fact, that accomplishment was considered the pinnacle of success for a privateer voyage. These captured vessels were the primary reason upward mobility was so possible. A captain might return to port with a total of three captured ships on one voyage. He began his adventures as an employee of the investors who furnished him with his original ship and crew. When divvying the spoils, it was not uncommon for a privateer captain to request one of the captured ships for the bulk of his compensation. He could take this ship, hire the best men from his previous crew,...
