1st cruise: Captain John Dameron commissioned
Bona as a privateer on 18 July 1812. In August Dameron twice had to deal with insubordination amongst his crew. She stopped at Norfolk, Virginia, to acquire men for her crew. There she enrolled one black man, after he had provided proof that he was not a slave. On 28 November the Baltimore privateer (fourteen 12 and 18-pounder carronades, two 9-pounder guns, and 130 men) was in company with
Bona when they encountered the
Falmouth mail packet Townshend, M'Coy, master, about seven
leagues west of Barbados. After an engagement of an hour and a half,
Townshend struck. She had her master killed, three men dangerously wounded, three severely wounded, and her captain and six men slightly wounded. The Americans gave
Townshend up. She returned to Falmouth, arriving there on 2 February 1813. ''Niles' Weekly Register
reported that Townsend
had her captain and four men killed, and several men wounded. Tom
had only two men wounded. Townshend
had 28 crew and passengers. Before she surrendered she threw here mails overboard but they were inadequately weighted and so floated where Bona
could retrieve them. The Americans ransomed Townshend
for $6,000. Bona'' brought the mails to Baltimore. On 28 November,
Bona, of seven guns and 90 men, captured , Oberry, master, to windward of Barbados.
Roe was sailing from Liverpool to Madeira.
2nd cruise: Captain John Dameron commissioned
Bona as a letter of marque on 7 January 1813. On this voyage too he had to deal with some insubordination. She cleared for Havana in January, with a cargo of flour and lard. ==Fate==