“Sovereign Lords” and “Dependent Administrators”: Artigan Privateers, Atlantic Borderwaters, and State Building in the Early Nineteenth Century
2016; Oxford University Press; Volume: 103; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/jahist/jaw180
ISSN1945-2314
Autores Tópico(s)American Constitutional Law and Politics
ResumoOn June 12, 1818, Capt. John Danels of Baltimore and his crew left Buenos Aires aboard the Irresistible. Danels wielded an illegal letter of marque from José Gervasio Artigas, the revolutionary leader of the Banda Oriental (modern-day Uruguay). In 1816 Portugal had invaded the Banda Oriental, which lies just south of the Brazilian border. As an eminent caudillo, Artigas led an army to stave off Portuguese encroachments and protect the province's autonomy. To assist him, he recruited Americans such as Danels as privateers. On July 10, 1818, the Irresistible approached Portuguese captain José Antônio Moreira's ship, the Maria de Lisboa, as it sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo in the Banda Oriental. Without warning, the Irresistible fired on the Maria, causing “great destruction” and wounding three men. The privateers boarded the ship and looted money, cables, canvas, and other supplies. After completing their plunder, they sailed away, leaving most of the Portuguese crew to their luck on the damaged vessel. The Americans took with them, however, three African slaves belonging to Moreira along with four French passengers and an Italian.1
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