If you can slog through it James Michener's novel Caribbean is an excellent look at the political climate of the area. Yes the Captain's often had no idea who they were fighting and who was an Ally since it changed frequently and the news might take a year to get to them. There were French, Spanish and British, all fighting a war together. Changing allies every few months, according to the politics. The Dutch were the slavers and they sold to anyone who would buy. But they were not fighting anyone but the pirates!<br/><br/>The only reason I pointed out that it was Brits was to keep my story straight. I posted that it was Brits who took Blackthorn down. When you are saying it was Dutch. It's called integrity. Please read my posts and keep the story facts as I present them. It prevents confusion down the road.<br/><br/>And yes flags are very important, pirates often flew false flags to lure in a victim. It was how you identified ships from a distance.