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The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Barbary War - Feb. 28th, 2003
http://earlyamerica.com/review/2002_winter_spring/terrorism.htm ^ | Thomas Jewett

Posted on 02/28/2003 5:35:48 AM PST by SAMWolf

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America and the Barbary Pirates:
An International Battle Against an Unconventional Foe


The events of September 11, 2001 shocked the United States out of its complacency concerning its invulnerability. Even though the U.S. has the most powerful military machine on earth, it might be of little avail; it seems that a new type of war will be fought. A war that will need resolve, years of effort, and new tactics.

This is not the first conflict in which America has faced such deprivations against life and property. There was another time when it was determined that diplomacy would not only be futile, but humiliating and in the long run disastrous. A time when ransom or tribute would not buy peace. A time when war was considered more effective and honorable. And, a time when war would be fought, not with large concentrations of military might, but by small bands peopled with individuals of indomitable spirit.

Almost 180 years ago our infant country attacked Tripoli under circumstances that are eerily similar to contemporary times. That conflict, immortalized in the Marine Corps Hymn, "From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" called the Tripolitan War or the Barbary Pirate War, came shortly after we gained our independence from England. The United States chose to fight the pirates of Barbary, rather than pay tribute, as did all the other nations who traded in the Mediterranean Sea. The decision was bold, but the eventual victory by the tiny United States Navy broke a pattern of international blackmail and terrorism dating back more than one hundred and fifty years.



The Barbary States was a collective name given to a string of North African seaports stretching from Tangiers to Tripoli. These ports were under the nominal control of the Ottoman Empire, but their real rulers were sea rovers or corsairs who sallied forth from the coast cities to plunder Mediterranean shipping and capture slaves for labor or ransom. Among the famous prisoners ransomed from the shackles of Barbary were St. Vincent de Paul, and Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote (Castor, 1971).

Common piracy by the Barbary States blossomed into a sophisticated racket in 1662, when England revived the ancient custom of paying tribute. The corsairs agreed to spare English ships for an annual bribe paid in gold, jewels, arms, and supplies. The custom spread to all countries trading in the Mediterranean.

England paid tribute for the vessels of her American colonies, and France guaranteed it for them during the War of Independence. The new United States awoke abruptly to an ugly responsibility of independence when in 1785 the Dey of Algiers seized an American ship and jailed its crew for nonpayment of tribute (Channing, 1968).



The Dey was in no hurry to wring tribute from this new source of revenue. The capture of American ships would be more profitable, and in view of the naval weakness of the United States, a rather safe venture. Eleven of the first unfortunate Americans to fall into his hands died before their country ransomed the rest ten years later.

To the sea hawks of Barbary, the American ships in the Mediterranean were "fat ducks" prime for the plucking. In this view, they were encouraged by England and France whose trade was being hurt by the upstart Yankees (Castor, 1971).

Turkey, overlord of Barbary, was an ally of Britain. The North Africans depended on free trade with France for supplies. Hence the pirates were forbidden to attack British shipping and in plain self-interest could not raid the French. With targets so limited, the American "fat ducks" were a godsend. By 1794, the Dey of Algiers had plundered eleven American ships and held one hundred and nineteen of their survivors for ransom.

President George Washington tried to reach an agreement with the Barbary States but with little success. His agents, one of whom was John Paul Jones, had diplomatic doors slammed in their faces.



Washington's ambassadors in Europe worked to free Americans enslaved in Barbary dungeons, but John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were ridiculed.

In 1785, the exasperated Jefferson suggested that war was the only solution. His mind was "absolutely suspended between indignation and impotence." Jefferson declared that tribute was "money thrown away" and that the most convincing argument that these outlaws would understand was gunpowder and shot. The future president proposed a multi-national effort between European powers and America that would in effect economically blockade North Africa and ultimately provide for a multi-national military force to combat pirate terrorism. The European powers chose to continue paying tribute to the Barbary States (Irwin, 1970).

John Adams, the next President, went along with the Europeans and paid for peace in the Mediterranean. Congress, in 1795, authorized payment of tribute. Algiers was granted the equivalent of $642,500 in cash, munitions, and a 36-gun frigate, besides a yearly tribute of $21,600 worth of naval supplies. Ransom rates were officially set for those Americans already in Barbary prisons-$4,000 for each passenger, $1,400 for each cabin boy. Sunday after Sunday, a sad roll of names was read out in the churches of Salem, Newport, and Boston, listing the men in irons. Congress would only pay $200 for their freedom, the rest of the money had to be raised privately. Eventually, at long last, the American captives of the Dey of Algiers walked into the light, except for thirty-seven dead, whose ransoms had to be paid nevertheless (Malone, 1951).



Adam's acquiescence to Algiers prompted Tunis and Tripoli to demand and be promised their own blood money. Tripoli, especially, was piqued at the Dey of Algiers' good fortune.



TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: barbarypirates; freeperfoxhole; jefferson; marines; navy; tripoli; veterans
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To: facedown
Can we do that to the French Ambassador?
61 posted on 02/28/2003 6:09:00 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: mrsmith
Greetings mrsmith, Foxhole Freepers, et al:

" The American Counsel in Tripoli, William Eaton, correctly gauged French complicity with the Dey of Tripoli. After publicly flogging the French Ambassador, Eaton departed for the desert where he joined Lt. O'Bannon's Marines detached from the U.S. fleet. "

Flogging! Nautical lexicon. < salty dog growl> From the days when ships where made of wood, and men were made of iron. < /salty dog growl>

Eaton flogged the French Ambassador? LOL!

From www.corpun.com:

“Flogging, it was also the most disgraceful since the official or his assistants inflicted it in public.
The instrument of punishment was usually a bundle of birch twigs or similar material. Sometimes a single rod or a scourge was used. Some favored a rope, leather whip, or a horsewhip.
Public floggings were either inflicted in a procession through the streets or at the whipping post on the platform of disgrace.
Usual punishment was 39 or 40 strokes.”

May I personally authorize Secretary of State Powel this level of diplomacy with all matters French?

62 posted on 02/28/2003 7:02:55 PM PST by OneLoyalAmerican (This charade has gone on long enough, it is time to liberate the Iraqi people.)
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To: SAMWolf
Great job SamWolf!
63 posted on 02/28/2003 7:07:52 PM PST by OneLoyalAmerican (This charade has gone on long enough, it is time to liberate the Iraqi people.)
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To: OneLoyalAmerican
LOL!
We're too "civilized" now and it might hurt his self image.
Remember when you could ride crooked politicians out of town on a railor tar and feather them? Now they have private taxpayer paid bodyguards ot laws prohibiting it.
64 posted on 02/28/2003 7:12:45 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Can we do that to the French Ambassador?

At your pleasure, Sir.

65 posted on 02/28/2003 7:43:33 PM PST by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: SAMWolf
Fascinating article. We going it alone to fight the "pirates" is similar to what is happening now. Then, we won; today, we will win too.
66 posted on 02/28/2003 7:51:21 PM PST by Humal
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To: SAMWolf; AntiJen; SpookBrat; MistyCA; souris; All

A larger squadron of US ships sailed to the Mediterranean to blockade the port of Tripoli. May 31, 1801 Commodore Edward Preble traveled to Messina, Sicily to the court of King Francis Monarch of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He sought help and found a good ally. The Kingdom was in the throws of war with Napoleon, but Francis supplied the Americans with manpower, craftsmen, supplies, gunboats, mortar boats, and the ports of Messina, Syracuse and Palermo to be used as a naval base to launch operations against a port walled fortress city protected by 115 heavy artillery manned by 25,000 soldiers, assisted by a fleet of 10 ten gunned brigs, 2 eight gun schooner-s, 2 large galleys, and 19 gunboats.

67 posted on 02/28/2003 7:55:27 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: facedown
Can we do that to the French Ambassador?

At your pleasure, Sir.

It would give me great pleasure!

68 posted on 02/28/2003 8:11:05 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: Victoria Delsoul
Evening Victoria. Another weekend upon us, any big plans?

Thanks for tha additional info on the Barbary war.
69 posted on 02/28/2003 8:12:43 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Thanks Sam. I'm being careful regarding the graphics and info I get. LOL! I have only made one mistake since you have met me…. just one wrong graphic. See? I'm almost perfect.

Another weekend upon us, any big plans?

Not big just little plans.

70 posted on 02/28/2003 8:21:18 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Victoria Delsoul
LOL! Almost perfect, huh?

Little plans are better than the no plans I have.
71 posted on 02/28/2003 8:27:37 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Well, no plans are better than no weekends.
72 posted on 02/28/2003 8:50:14 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul (Does this make any sense?)
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To: Victoria Delsoul
Don't even think about no weekends!!
73 posted on 02/28/2003 8:53:17 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
See, you are doing pretty good, even if you have no plans. LOL
74 posted on 02/28/2003 9:09:20 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Victoria Delsoul
I rarely have plans, usually play things by ear.
75 posted on 02/28/2003 9:20:02 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf; AntiJen; E.G.C.

Damn the Resolution--Let's roll!

~~~

Thank God for the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Stephen Decatur who would not bear tribute to bastards.

Keel haul Dan Rather and Hans Blix and on to Baghdad.

The cost of not going cannot be comprehended with equanimity.

76 posted on 02/28/2003 9:57:55 PM PST by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: PhilDragoo
Evening PhilDragoo.

Keelhauling is too good for them, make them walk the plank!!
77 posted on 02/28/2003 10:03:27 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: E.G.C.
Get me off this site.
78 posted on 02/28/2003 10:52:42 PM PST by golder
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To: coteblanche
Need I remind any foxhole person that the United States Ship Constitution is a commisioned warship of the United States Navy? Manned by navy sailers? She is berthed in the Boston Navy Yard.

Nice choice, coteblanche.

79 posted on 03/01/2003 1:47:12 AM PST by Iris7
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To: Triple
Please accept my respects for your illustrious ancestor, Captain MacDonough. It is fitting that you honor your brave ancestor.

My respects to you.

Paul

80 posted on 03/01/2003 2:08:32 AM PST by Iris7
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