Insurgent privateers
Insurgent privateers () were private armed vessels recruited by the insurgent governments during the Spanish American wars of independence to destroy Spanish trade and capture Spanish merchant vessels. Privateering started early in the war in 1812, but large scale deployment of warships started between 1816 and 1821, most notably under the flag of Buenos Aires and flag of Artigas. Between 1821 and 1829 these privateers sailed under the flags of Mexico and Colombia (privateers coming from Cartagena, Colombia, were referred to as "Carthaginians"). The main motivation of these insurgent privateers were to earn money but their political motivation was scant. They captured merchant vessels and slave ships to seize loot but they refused to fight against the Spanish Navy. After the War of 1812 privately armed vessels came from North America, mostly from Baltimore. More than one hundred ships set sail from the United States, with more than three thousand American sailors and captains to fight as insurgent privateers. There were also shipowners of other nationalities involved, such as French and British. These vessels were fast namely schooners or brigs, typically armed with twelve to sixteen guns, consisting of either twelve or twenty four lb caliber. Cádiz was the principal