""Shanghaied," 1811" Topic

"It was an evening in 1811. Twenty-two-year-old Robert Hay was leisurely walking through a London neighborhood. Suddenly he was accosted by a group of shady characters eager to know if he was a seaman. Within hours he found himself aboard a British Naval vessel setting sail for the open sea. In American parlance, Robert Hay had been "Shanghaied" – forced into naval service against his will. In England, the same activity was described as "Impressment."

Impressment had been a common method of filling the ranks of the British Navy since the seventeenth century, particularly in times of war. Gangs of British seamen would rove the streets of seaports in search of likely candidates for naval service. Once targeted, these hapless victims were forcibly taken aboard ship and sent to sea. Britain's life or death struggle with Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century created a desperate need to fill the ranks of its war ships. Impressment was revitalized with vigor – a situation that would have direct consequences for the relations between Britain and America.

Not surprisingly, this method of recruitment combined with the harsh conditions aboard British naval ships to create a high rate of desertion among its crews. In response, Britain initiated an aggressive campaign of retrieving deserters. This included stopping and searching American merchant ships on the high seas. Many of those targeted as deserters during these raids claimed American citizenship – a claim that was ignored by the British. Tensions between the two countries escalated and contributed to the outbreak of the War of 1812 – America's "Second War of Independence."…."
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