Otway Burns

· In 1812, Burns of Beaufort was the Captain of a merchant ship sailing between New Bern and Maine. With the sense of patriotism following recent British threats, he arranged to purchase a larger and faster vessel that he eventually renamed to Snap Dragon, with which he intended to prey on the British. He applied for “letters of marque”, which would allow him to prey on English ships without being considered a pirate. The term for this type of marauder is "Privateer"

· On his first voyage of six months, Burns took eight English vessels, heavily laden with valuable cargo.

· On his second voyage as a privateer, Burns sailed from Newfoundland to South America, capturing numbers of British ships and their cargo with a total value of over $1 million.

· Just east of Beaufort, the town of Otway is named in his honor. He is buried in The Old Burying Ground at the grave with a cannon on it.