Overcoming Impressment
Radio Moment
Overcoming Impressment Moment
“Great Britain, being engaged in war, claims a right to the services of all her natural-born subjects… This duty of allegiance is not only universal, or applicable of every subject, but I indefeasible, and cannot be put off”. - W. Cowles
To the natural-born subjects of “sea-faring” character, this duty to the state stipulated impressment into service of the Royal Navy. Service in the Royal Navy was for the majority a harsh life with few rights. One seaman, Jonathon Corncob, recounts refusing an order to climb up the riggings of a sail during a gale after seeing two other men fall to their deaths following the same order. After receiving a dozen lashes, a more seasoned sailor then advised Corncob that his “lenient” punishment was “a little sample” of naval discipline that was comparatively “a tickling” . Given this, it is neither little surprise that many likened the Royal Navy to a floating Hell nor that recruitment involved coercion.
Although the British Empire venerated liberty in word, impressment demonstrated that it exalted coercion in deed. During the Napoleonic Wars, 3000 men worked as members of press gangs. Armed with sly tongues and clubs, press gangs duped subjects or lead them away in shackles to years in forced military service. Press gangs targeted those with least social power such as the poor, criminals, and private seamen demanding higher wages. One man asserted that if he had known that he was destined to be impressed, he “would have instantly committed the horrid crime of self-murder”.
This state repression did not go unchallenged. Many Maritimers, particularly Nova Scotian’s, found work as Privateers as an alternative to the Royal Navy. As state sanctioned pirates, privateers worked in a relatively relaxed hierarchy, gained higher wages, and were legally, though not always in practice, exempt from impressments. Nevertheless, impressment at sea remained so feared by privateers that some British Privateers reportedly jumped from their ships to take their chances in the sea or as a Spanish prisoner rather than be rescued by the British Navy.
While formal petitions to curb the practice came from the privileged upper class of Nova Scotia, it was the direct action of those most affected by impressments that lead to its downfall. Thousands of persons evading press gangs, carrying false American identity papers or deserting made this system of forced military service unworkable on the ground. It is estimated that 27 300 persons deserted suggesting that the Royal Navy lost as many men as it gained. In fact, by some calculations, because of this resistance, the Navy lost more personnel than it impressed .
Further Recources
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Image from taken from Early Canadiana On-line 1 Author unspecified. The right and practice of Impressment as concerning Great Britain and America Considered. London. Printer for J. Murray, 50, Albemerable-street. By W. Cowles, Northumberland-Court, Strand. 1814. P. 3, 5 2 Jonathon Corncob. Adventures of Corncob, loyal American refugee, Written by himself. London, 1787. P. 155 3 Kert, Margaret Faye. Research in Maritime History No. 1: Prize and Prejudice:Privateering and Naval Prize in Atlantic Canada in the War of 1812. 1997. P. 120 4 Conlin, Dan. A private war in the Caribean: Nova Scotia Privateering 193-1805. Thesis St. Mary’s U. 1996. P. 108. 5 Kert, Margaret Faye. P. 121.
Radio Script
Setting: Night time in a martime city, set inside a house, family realxing after dinner,
(Wind blowing, Loud noise and yelling muffled from outside footsteps of a person walking towards a house, they open and close the door and the noise stops.)
Father: Daniel are you here !?
Daniel: Yes Father.
Father: Get your coat and boots, we have to go. It's the pressgangs. Margaret, can you find the American identity papers ?
Margaret: Here they are!
Father: Ok Daniel lets Go!
(they open the door and go outside, wind sounds footsteps)
Pressgang: Hey... there are some men!
(running footsteps)
Pressgang: Where you lads headed ?
Father: My boy and I are headed back to our quarters, our ship leaves back to the United States in the morning.
Pressgang: Americans eh, lets see your papers!
(paper russling)
Pressgang: Seems to be in order, move along !
Narrator: During the Napoleonic Wars, 3000 men worked as members of press gangs. Armed with sly tongues and clubs, press gangs duped subjects or lead them away in shackles to years of forced military service. Press gangs targeted those with the least social power such as the poor, criminals, and private seamen demanding higher wages. Those most affected by impressment took direct action by forging American identity papers or deserting military service. Those acts of resistance ultimately made the system of impressment unworkable on the ground.
Overcoming Impressment: A Part of our Heritage at heritage moments.ca