Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer

At age 23, Samuel Smedley became captain of the Connecticut state ship Defence during the American Revolution. He captured more than a dozen prizes, survived smallpox and shipwreck, saw his home burned to the ground by the British, and was twice caught and imprisoned by the enemy. And while he commanded two crews of "gentleman volunteers" -- privateers -- Smedley learned his profession onboard the ship Defence. But was there really a difference between the state navy and the privateers who fought for profit? With Smedley at the helm, what began "for the Defence of the sea-coasts" of Connecticut soon transformed into something else.