When Barbary pirates captured an obscure Yankee sailing brig off the coast of North Africa in 1812; enslaving eleven American sailors; President James Madison 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. 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. 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.
#1840625 in Books 2006-07-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.00 x 1.60 x 9.30l; .0 #File Name: 0195305329544 pages
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