"From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoili ..."
Semper Fi ...
Posted on 12/17/2016 3:15:59 AM PST by RoosterRedux
Commodore Edward Preble, commander of the USS Constitution, had spent much of the summer of 1804 dealing with heavy seas of the Tripoli coast where he tried to maintain his blockade. He had been hand-picked by President Thomas Jefferson because of his reputation as a leader who would take initiative and press for his country’s bests interests—two traits that were necessary in the tense political climate of the early 1800s. The tension between the Barbary nations of Northern Africa and the United States had come to a boiling point in early August of 1804, leading to a battle now known as the Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor.
With a new assortment of ships at his command, Preble had new worries. He knew the schooners accompanying him, the Vixen and Nautilus, were seaworthy, as were the two brigs Argus and Syren, which had been blockading the harbor for many weeks. But he couldn’t be so sure about the six gunboats and the two mortar boats on loan. Preble had reached an understanding to borrow these boats, along with some men to sail them, but he worried whether the flat- bottomed harbor craft could withstand the weather of the open sea.
Somehow, though, they had, and now he would put them to the test. He knew that a larger fate than his own was riding on this battle; before he had set sail for the Tripoli coast, the USS Philadelphia had been taken over by Tripoli pirates, its crew of over 300 men enslaved, and eventually rendered almost unrecognizable. The United States needed to send a message to the pirates that they weren’t going to stand for these transgressions anymore.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Ping
Thanks for the post. My dad served on the modern era USS Philadelphia in WWII.
Interesting account of the battles, but book badly needs a proof & continuity reader.
After 9/11 I looked for an account of this war and could only find children’s books. Kilmeade has a good subject to write about. It is a shame he is not a better writer.
The Tripoli Pirates were much the same as the Barbary Pirates. Instead of Barbary, substitute the word Buggery.
Rotten to the core.The prisoners of these troglodytes were treated horribly,just as bad as ISIS does today.
“Within ten bloody minutes, Decatur’s nineteen men had killed sixteen Tripolitans, wounded fifteen others, and taken the remaining five prisoners. Decatur personally lowered the Tripolitan flag. Meanwhile, Lieutenant James Decatur, Stephen’s brother, aimed for the largest of the Tripolitan gunboats and softened up the enemy with intense fire. As his gunboat closed and James Decatur and his men were poised to board, the Tripolitan captain, with a large portion of his crew already dead or wounded by musket and canister fire, ordered his colors struck in surrender.”
The treasonous Obama does no even come close to this.
No mention of Lt. Presley O’Bannon, USMC? That’s like listing all the Presidents and leaving President Reagan out. Can’t be worth reading.
Various and sundry Muslim states, gratuitously dispensing violence in one form or another, have been at war with us since our Nation’s founding.
It didn’t start with Daesh, not Bin Laden, not the Cole, not Arafat... it goes back to 1784 when Congress disbanded the Continental Navy.
That’s the real History of Islam that the buffoon Obama didn’t discuss in Cairo.
The Barbary Wars - America saving Europe since 1803.
I remember this story from my seventh grade history book as I must have read it ten times. It bore no resemblance to this account. Also I had no idea that Steven’s brother was with him and was killed. The entire account was reduced to just Steven’s ship retaking the Philadelphia, saving the crew and burning the ship. I feel cheated!
I didn’t cover this in nearly the derail, but looked at many more conflicts and trends in my “America’s Victories” released last year.
Thank You! very much for posting this.
It is an inspiring thing to read as we prepare
to renew our nation’s military with a no-nonsense
General at the helm and a “take no crap” executive
behind him.
Badassery on display. No snowflakes on those crews!
Jefferson was in Paris(1787) with John Adams when they met with their enemies and decided right there that if President(or PM, or King) he was going to war with these folks. Europe did nothing to help-may have even gotten in the way.
His book is very educational.
That brilliant scholar and historian..... Brian Kilmeade???
The conservative Shep Smith
“I didn’t cover this in nearly the derail, but looked at many more conflicts and trends in my “America’s Victories” released last year.”
Quote written for him by Trump.
Thanks for the link. Have seen the movie years ago. Any war movie with Marines and Maureen O’Hara is tops on my list.
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