 into this war, especially with the Navy. So the call went out to private ship owners, if they wanted to let their ships be used in the cause against the Brits, they could. And Baltimore led the country in lending private ships. They were called Baltimore Clippers. They were very fast ships, and they gave the Brits a lot of trouble on the seas. And the Brits did not like this. One British newspaper writer referred to Baltimore as a nest of thieves.