The surviving record is incomplete for reasons that have little to do with how active the early cutters were. British action during the War of 1812 destroyed some records, and the Treasury Department fire of 1833 caused further losses. Both events affected material held by the department that administered the service. Gaps in the archive therefore cannot be treated as evidence that the cutters were inactive.
Notable Point · 11:44-12:18
Why the early cutter record is incomplete
War and the 1833 Treasury Department fire left major gaps in the surviving history of the early Revenue Cutter Service.