Before the Georgia Colony was founded in 1733 the coastal region between Charleston and Saint Augustine was a no man's land between often warring England and Spain. English searovers in this period had developed the habit of taking Spanish shipping without much regard for the current state of relations between the two countries.

With wind and current providing easy escape from the Caribbean, rich in Spanish shipping, the barrier islands and marshes of the Georgia coast became a natural stomping ground for these sea wolves.

In the vastness of the ocean, sometimes the distinction between ships of different nationalities blurred a bit and the line between legitimate privateers and outlaw pirate blurred. Sometimes the lure of freedom and easy wealth became too much for seamen tired of harsh lives and so were born...the Brethern of the Coast.