You could maybe call it piracy if Britain was issuing the letters of marque after the fact or something, but it would seem to me this is "legit" privateering as they were at war with France at the time.
I'm probably splitting hairs though. The popular opinion has always been "it's privateering when we do it, it's piracy when they do it". One man's terrorist and all that.
I'm probably splitting hairs though. The popular opinion has always been "it's privateering when we do it, it's piracy when they do it". One man's terrorist and all that.