The Olmsted Case: Privateers, Property, and Politics in Pennsylvania, 1778-1810

This is a history of the Olmsted Case. The events of this history began in 1778 when Gideon Olmsted, a Connecticut sea captain held prisoner by the British, overcame his British captors and sailed their ship, the sloop Active, into American waters. He claimed the Active as a prize of war. The state of Pennsylvania also claimed the Active and refused to grant Olmsted his prize. The stubborn sea captain pursued his claim through the state and federal courts for thirty years. In 1809, the United States Supreme Court, in United States v. Peters, ruled in Olmsted’s favor. The case was not resolved, however, until after an armed confrontation between the federal government and the state of Pennsylvania.