Author: Carter F. Smith

Carter F. Smith, Director of the Masters in Criminal Justice at Middle Tennessee State University, is a retired U.S. Army CID Special Agent. He has a law degree from Southern Illinois University and a doctorate from Northcentral University and has authored numerous works on gangs and organized crime, including Gangs and the Military: Gangsters, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training and his forthcoming Pursuing River Pirates: The Hunt for Sam Mason. He is a three-time recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award and has appeared twice on the History Channel's Gangland.

 Crime and Justice Posted on

Samuel Mason: Revolutionary Turncoat or Opportunistic Pirate?

In the chaotic aftermath of the American Revolution, the boundaries between heroism and villainy were often obscured by economic hardship, social instability, and territorial disputes. One figure who epitomizes this ambiguity is Samuel Mason, a Revolutionary War captain who later became infamous as a river pirate preying on trade along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. […]

by Carter F. Smith