- United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armedmaritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of theUnited States Department of the Treasury . In 1915 the Service merged with theUnited States Life-Saving Service to form theUnited States Coast Guard .The need for the Revenue Service
Immediately after the
American Revolutionary War the brand-new United States of America was struggling to stay financially afloat. National income was desperately needed and a great deal of this income came from importtariff s. Because of rampantsmuggling , the need was immediate for strong enforcement of tariff laws, and onAugust 4 ,1790 theUnited States Congress , urged on by Secretary of the TreasuryAlexander Hamilton , created the Revenue-Marine, later renamed Revenue Cutter Service in 1862. It would be the responsibility of the new Revenue-Marine to enforce the tariff and all other maritime laws. In 1832, Secretary of the TreasuryLouis McLane ordered in writing for revenue cutters to conduct winter cruises to assist mariners in need, and Congress made the practice an official part of regulations in 1837. This was the beginning of the lifesaving mission that the later U.S. Coast Guard would be best known for worldwide.Early service
Ten cutters were initially ordered. Between 1790 and 1798, the Revenue-Marine was the only armed maritime service for the United States. Cutter captains were answerable to and received their sailing orders directly from the Customs Collector of the port to which they were assigned. All crew pay, requests for supplies, arrangements for repairs to the cutter, and mission-specific tasking came directly from the port's
Customs House . Standing orders for individual cutters were stated in general terms, allowing captains to exercise their discretion and judgement to the fullest. Captains also had far reaching authority " — to seize vessels and goods in the cases in which they are liable to seizure for breaches of the Revenue laws..." and to send inspection parties aboard vessels already in port, to ensure that cargo intended for export also did not violate Revenue laws. It was specifically directed in Alexander Hamilton's first letter of instruction that captains "...will always keep in mind that their countrymen are freemen, and, as such, are impatient of everything that bears the least mark of a domineering spirit... They will endeavor to overcome difficulties, if any are experienced, by a cool and temperate perseverance in their duty – by address and moderation, rather than by vehemence or violence."During the
Quasi-War with France in 1798–1801, theU.S. Navy was formed and the Revenue-Marine fought alongside the Navy, capturing or assisting in the capture of 20 French ships. Ten of these were captured by the USRC "Pickering".After 1794, the Revenue-Marine began intercepting slave ships illegally importing
slaves into the United States. Many slave ships were seized and hundreds of would-be slaves were freed. The best-known incident of slaver interdiction is the case of the schooner "Amistad ", encountered off the coast of Long Island by the USRC "Washington". Although none of the original crew was aboard when the schooner was boarded, the vessel was escorted into New Haven, where the trial made famous by the film "Amistad" was held.Revenue Cutters were assigned to enforce the very unpopular
Embargo Act of 1807, which outlawed nearly all European trade, import and export, through American ports. The Act was enforced until it was repealed in 1810.The War of 1812
In wartime, the Revenue-Marine was placed under the command of the United States Navy, and the cutters themselves often placed into military service. In the
War of 1812 against Britain, a Revenue Cutter made the first American capture of an enemy ship.Fact|date=February 2007 Revenue Cutter "Jefferson" was the first to capture a British merchantman, the brig Patriot, in June 1812.Fact|date=February 2007The small Revenue Cutter "Surveyor" with a crew of 16 and an armament of merely six 12 pound (5 kg)
carronade s was anchored in the York River on the night ofJune 12 ,1813 , when a 90-man boarding party from the British frigate HMS "Narcissus" attacked her. The Revenue Service seamen under the command of Captain William S. Travis were taken by surprise and the carronades could not be used. After a fierce fight which left five Americans wounded and three British dead, the "Surveyor" was captured. Later, Captain Crerie of the "Narcissus" returned Captain Travis' sword to him, an unusual gesture of respect for his "gallant defense" of the "Surveyor".On
October 11 ,1814 , the Revenue Cutter "Eagle" encountered the much larger Britishbrigantine "Dispatch" which was guarding the "Suzan", a captured American merchant ship. The "Eagle" was badly outgunned by the "Dispatch" and Captain Frederick Lee beached the "Eagle" onLong Island to avoid being sunk. Not yet defeated, the Revenue Cutter seamen dragged thegun s from the "Eagle" and set them up on a 160-foot bluff and continued firing at the "Dispatch." When the Americans ran out of cannonballs, they did not surrender, and instead retrieved the cannonballs fired at them by the "Dispatch" and shot them back at the British. Even after being forced to use the ship'slogbook forwadding , the crew of the "Eagle" fought on until finally overwhelmed and captured by the British.The Mexican-American War
Revenue-Marine cutters again served under command of the U.S. Navy in the
Mexican-American War of 1846–1848. The cutters were crucial for shallow-wateramphibious assault s.The Civil War
On
April 11 ,1861 , the Revenue Cutter "Harriet Lane" fired the first shots of the maritime conflict in theAmerican Civil War of 1861-1865. The cutter fired a shot across the bow of the Confederate steamship "Nashville" as it tried to enter Charleston Harbor during thebombard ment ofFort Sumter .Revenue Cutters assisted Navy operations throughout the war. The USRC "Harriet Lane" joined a Federal naval squadron to capture Forts Clark and Hatteras, which served as bases for Confederate blockade runners. USRC "E.A. Stevens", a prototype 110-foot semi-submersible ironclad gunboat, participated in the unsuccessful sortie up the James River to
Drewry's Bluff in company with the USS "Monitor", USS "Galena" and two other gunboats, to attack the Confederate capital at Richmond. After carrying President Lincoln from Washington onMay 9 ,1862 , the USRC "Miami" assisted navy transports in landing Federal troops atOcean View, VA .President Lincoln ordered the Secretary of the Treasury on
June 14 ,1863 , "You will co-operate by the revenue cutters under your direction with the navy in arresting rebel depredations on American commerce and transportation and in capturing rebels engaged therein."When President
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated onApril 15 ,1865 , Revenue Cutters were ordered to search all ships for any assassins that might be trying to escape.The Spanish-American War
With the outbreak of the
Spanish-American War in 1898, the Revenue Cutter Service saw plenty of action. Many Revenue cutters were assigned to theblockade of Havana Harbor. During theBattle of Manila Bay onMay 1 ,1898 , the Revenue cutter "Hugh McCulloch" fought with the American fleet under AdmiralGeorge Dewey .On
May 11 ,1898 , the Revenue cutter "Hudson", equipped with two 6 pounder (3 kg) guns and amachine gun , took part in theBattle of Cárdenas off the coast of Cárdenas,Cuba . Together with thetorpedo boat "Winslow", "Hudson" fought against a Spanishgunboat and coastal batteries until forced to withdraw. Under extremely heavy fire "Hudson" towed the disabled "Winslow" away from the battle, and Congress awarded the captain of the "Hudson",Frank Newcomb , with a gold medal for his bravery.Formation of the Coast Guard
President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Act to Create the Coast Guard on
January 28 ,1915 . This Act effectively combined the Revenue Cutter Service with the Lifesaving Service and formed the newUnited States Coast Guard . Gradually the Coast Guard would grow to incorporate theUnited States Lighthouse Service in 1939 and the Navigation and Steamboat Inspection Service in 1942.In 1990, the United States Coast Guard created a military award known as the
Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation which commemorated the original founding of the Revenue Cutter Service.ee also
*
First ten Revenue Service cutters
* USRC "Jackson"
* Tallship "Californian"External links
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html Official U.S. Coast Guard history page]
* [http://www.spanamwar.com/mccullch.htm Revenue Cutter "McCulloch" at the Battle of Manila Bay]
* [http://www.aug.edu/~libwrw/others/Hudson/hudson.htm Revenue Cutter "Hudson" at the Battle of Cardenas]
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