REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE, United States. The organization of this service in 1790 was the conception of the first Secretary of the Treasury under the Constitution, Alex ander Hamilton. In emphasizing its importance Hamilton recommended 'giving the officers military or naval rank, which will not only in duce fit men to engage, but attach them to their duties with a nicer sense of honor.' The original purpose was to inaugurate a °preven tive service' as against illicit trade by sea, and in that sense to aid the customs service in the collection of • the revenue from duties on im posts. The organic act provided for ten small vessels, armed and equipped, and for each a complement of officers and enlisted men, and these formed the nucleus from which has grown the service of to-day. From the begin ning the service was placed upon the same plane as to pay and allowances for its officers and enlisted men, with the officers and soldiers of the army.
Various acts of Congress (1 Oct. 1790, 2 March 1793, 6 March 1796, 1 July 1797) pro vided for additional and larger vessels, increase of crews, armaments and equipments. It is interesting to note that this service was the only semblance of a navy possessed by our government from 1790 to 1797, when on 10 July, in the latter year, the first vessel of the then new navy, the 44-gun frigate United States, was launched. In the meantime the duties of the service were such as were required of an armed service, in guarding the coast and com mercial interests, and also against piratical in cursions. But during those years our relations with France were becoming strained, culminat, ing finally in active hostilities at sea between vessels of the United States and of France. The difficulties with France may be said to have been the first war of the young republic with a foreign power. During its continuance (1798 to 1801) several engagements were fought and many captures were made by our vessels.
The revenue cutter service took an active and brilliant part in co-operation with the navy. Thus, while this service was organized as a preventive service to be operated in the interest of commerce and for the protection of the rev enue, it had, in these early years, rapidly de veloped into an armed and equipped military or naval service, offensive and defensive, and this character was well and continuously main tained.
At the breaking out of hostilities with France provision for an armed force upon the sea, to convoy merchantmen and to defend the coast, became indispensable. To accomplish these purposes the President was authorized (Act 1 July 1797) to increase the complements of the several revenue cutters, and to employ them in defensive operations on the coast. Under authority of previous enactments the service had been provided with a number of vessels which, for that time, were of consider able size and able sea-going qualities. In 1798 two brigs and six schooners were commis sioned, aggregating 1,140 tons, carrying 96 guns and 416 men.
When it was determined, in 1798, to extend hostile operations against France, to the waters of the West Indies, four fleets, under Commo dores Barry, Truxton, Tinny and Decatur, United States navy, comprising in all some 20 national vessels, were formed to prey upon French commerce and destroy that nation's privateers, the above-named vessels of the revenue cutter service were placed in co-opera tion with the navy and sailed with the fleets, and in the summer and fall of 1799 did fine service. It was during this war that the frigate Constellation, under Commodore Truxton, captured the French frigates Insurgeut, 40 guns, and Vengeance, 44 guns. During the naval operations against France 22 vessels, privateer and other, under the French flag, were captured, and of these 16 were made prizes by the revenue cutters, unaided, while they assisted in the capture of two others.
The. Slave Trade.— Under the provisions of law inhibiting the slave trade, between the United States and foreign countries, the revenue cutter service, in common with the navy, took an active part in its suppression, and in the course of its work captured many slavers and liberated an aggregate of 487 negroes.