Privateer on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque (fr. "Lettre de Marque" or "Lettre de Course"), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law. By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could
United States Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War United States Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a government panel in Washington during the American Civil War whose most controversial function was to investigate the cause of Union battle losses. It provided a forum for generals to try to deflect blame when accusations of disloyalty were hard to disprove, in an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust. The committee was dominated by Radical Republicans with no military experience who urged rash movements, contrary to President Abraham Lincoln's more considered strategies. The Joint Committee on the Conduct of