The End of Barbary Terror: America's 1815 War against the Pirates of North Africa
Frederick C. Leiner
When Barbary pirates captured an obscure Yankee sailing brig off the
coast of North Africa in 1812, enslaving eleven American sailors,
President James Madison first tried to settle the issue through
diplomacy. But when these efforts failed, he sent the largest American
naval force ever gathered to that time, led by the heroic Commodore
Stephen Decatur, to end Barbary terror once and for all. Drawing upon
numerous ship logs, journals, love letters, and government documents,
Frederick C. Leiner paints a vivid picture of the world of naval
officers and diplomats in the early nineteenth century, as he recreates a
remarkable and little known episode from the early American republic.
Leiner first describes Madison's initial efforts at diplomacy, sending
Mordecai Noah to negotiate, reasoning that the Jewish Noah would fare
better with the Islamic leader. But when the ruler refused to ransom the
Americans--''not for two millions of dollars''--Madison declared war
and sent a fleet to North Africa. Decatur's squadron dealt quick blows
to the Barbary navy, dramatically fighting and capturing two ships.
Decatur then sailed to Algiers. He refused to go ashore to
negotiate--indeed, he refused to negotiate on any essential point. The
ruler of Algiers signed the treaty--in Decatur's words, ''dictated at
the mouths of our cannon''--in twenty-four hours. The United States
would never pay tribute to the Barbary world again, and the captive
Americans were set free--although in a sad, ironic twist, they never
arrived home, their ship being lost at sea in heavy weather. Here then
is a real-life naval adventure that will thrill fans of Patrick O'Brian,
a story of Islamic terrorism, white slavery, poison gas, diplomatic
intrigue, and battles with pirates on the high seas.
coast of North Africa in 1812, enslaving eleven American sailors,
President James Madison first tried to settle the issue through
diplomacy. But when these efforts failed, he sent the largest American
naval force ever gathered to that time, led by the heroic Commodore
Stephen Decatur, to end Barbary terror once and for all. Drawing upon
numerous ship logs, journals, love letters, and government documents,
Frederick C. Leiner paints a vivid picture of the world of naval
officers and diplomats in the early nineteenth century, as he recreates a
remarkable and little known episode from the early American republic.
Leiner first describes Madison's initial efforts at diplomacy, sending
Mordecai Noah to negotiate, reasoning that the Jewish Noah would fare
better with the Islamic leader. But when the ruler refused to ransom the
Americans--''not for two millions of dollars''--Madison declared war
and sent a fleet to North Africa. Decatur's squadron dealt quick blows
to the Barbary navy, dramatically fighting and capturing two ships.
Decatur then sailed to Algiers. He refused to go ashore to
negotiate--indeed, he refused to negotiate on any essential point. The
ruler of Algiers signed the treaty--in Decatur's words, ''dictated at
the mouths of our cannon''--in twenty-four hours. The United States
would never pay tribute to the Barbary world again, and the captive
Americans were set free--although in a sad, ironic twist, they never
arrived home, their ship being lost at sea in heavy weather. Here then
is a real-life naval adventure that will thrill fans of Patrick O'Brian,
a story of Islamic terrorism, white slavery, poison gas, diplomatic
intrigue, and battles with pirates on the high seas.
Kategorije:
Godina:
2006
Izdavač:
Oxford University Press
Jezik:
english
ISBN 10:
0195189949
ISBN 13:
9780195189940
Fajl:
AZW3 , 2.08 MB
IPFS:
,
english, 2006