From Fishermen to Fighting Men

Christopher P. Magra

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511576621.015

11 - From Fishermen to Fighting Men

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 July 2009

Christopher P. Magra

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Christopher P. Magra: Affiliation:
California State University, Northridge

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The greatest encouragement is given to seamen, which ought to be made known throughout Europe. Their pay in our Navy is eight dollars per month, with the best chance for prize money that men ever had, and liberty of discharges after every cruise, if they choose it.

Parliament's Restraining Act made commercial fishing on the Atlantic Ocean illegal for colonial fishermen such as skipper Joshua Burnham and the crew of the schooner Polly. The maritime laborers from Ipswich, Massachusetts, did not sit idle, however. They were able to find alternate means of employment. They enlisted with the Continental Navy shortly after Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. The navy offered jobs, wages, and the promise of prize shares, which held out hope to poorer fishing families. Three of the Polly's crew joined Burnham on December 7, 1776, in agreeing to “ship ourselves” and “Follow all the regulations of the American Congress & be under such regulations as is Customary for Seamen & Mariners.” These men were not the first, nor were they the last, to make the transition from commercial fishing to military service.

In addition to fish, fishing vessels, and overseas commercial connections, American fishermen were mobilized for war. The British government's efforts to control colonists' use of the sea disaffected laborers formerly employed in the chief engine of maritime commerce in New England. Fishermen then flooded the decks of America's fighting vessels and filled the ranks of the Continental Army.

Type: Chapter
Information: The Fisherman's Cause
Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the American Revolution
, pp. 215 - 232

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511576621.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2009

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11 - From Fishermen to Fighting Men

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