“They quarrelled over every syllable”: the condemnations of American ships in Nantes, 1796-1798

Résumé 0

Beginning in 1796, France and the United States experienced a period of tension known as the Quasi-War. The singular feature of this conflict was the capture of American merchant ships by French privateers. Many of these seizures were judged before the Commercial Court in Nantes. The aim of this article is to study the procedures by which American ships were judged, linking the legal provisions to local issues. It is important to understand what was involved in the trials of American ships beyond determining the neutral sincerity of the expeditions. The fate of American ships judged in Nantes was affected by the rigorous application of the regulations in force, and by the pressure of the local merchant community, which divided its interests between maritime commerce and the commercial court. This is why the judgments of the seizures was marked by the presumption of guilt, and that the captains and their defenders faced a formidable task to secure the release of their vessels.