The Interesting Story of Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer-- Part 1: Member of the Austrian and French Armies

Still from the Small Wars Journal on the First Barbary War.

This was a man of many, many stories indeed.

He was William Eaton's chief of staff during the march on Derna.  Eaton had met Lietensdorfer in Cairo.  But how Lietensdorfer  had come to be in Cairo is an interesting story in itself.

His real name  was Gervasso Prodasio Santuari and he was 33 years old Italian from a village  near Trent in the Tyrol.  His parents had wanted him to become a priest but he quit school at the age of seventeen, got married, and then joined the Austrian Army in its campaign against the Turks.

He fought at Belgrade from 1789 to 1790. and continued serving in the Austrian Army  during the siege of Mantua.  But in 1797, the Austrian collapsed, surrendering to Napoleon.

Santuari did not wish to remain with the losers, so he changed his name to Carlo  Hossando and joined the French Army.

A Man of Two Armies.  --Cooter

Little-Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 6: Henry Wadsworth

Henry Wadsworth

When Commodore Preble decided to send two fireships into the harbor of Tripoli to destroy pirate ships anchored there.  Among the men selected for this daring task was Henry Wadsworth, a 20-year-old acting lieutenant.  Preble made him second in command of one of the ships, the Interprid.

On the night of September 4, 1804, the USS Intrepid, now a fireship containing 100 barrels of gun powder, sailed into Tripoli Harbor, but, tragically, the Intrepid blew up before it could reach its target.

The entire crew, including Henry Wadsworth, were killed.

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was named after his uncle, Henry Wadsworth.

--Cooter

Little Known Facts of the First Barbary War-- Part 5: Stephan Decatur

At the end of the War of 1812, where he made a huge name for himself, Stephen Decatur sailed to Algiers on the 44-gun frigate USS Guerriere and eyed the familiar harbor of Algiers.  On July 3, he negotiated a peace treaty with Algiers, the strongest of the Barbary States.

They renounced their claim to an annual tribute from the United states.

He then sailed on to Tunis and Tripoli, where the Bey and Bashaw respectively, signed lasting peace treaties with the United States.

The Barbary States Reign of Terror over American commerce had come to an end.

Sadly, Decarur lived just six years after forcing the Barbary States to peace terms.  On March 22, 1820, he was killed in a duel with Commodore  James Barron in Bladensburg, Maryland.  He was just 41 when he died.

Kind of Gunboat Diplomacy I Think.  --Cootgun

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 4: James Lawrence "Don't Give Up the Ship"

JAMES LAWRENCE also rose to great fame during the War of 1812.  As commander of the USS Hornet, he captured the HMS Peacock and was promoted to captain.  On June 1, 1813, as commander of the 48-gun frigate USS Chesapeake, he fought the HMS Shannon and was mortally wounded.  As he lay dying, he told his men:  "Tell them to fire faster and not give up the ship, fight her till she sinks!"

In honor of Lawrence, a group of women stitched the words "Don't Give Up the Ship" into a flag and presented it to Oliver Hazard Perry, who flew it on his USS Lawrence named in Lawrence's honor in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie.

Since then, the Navy has named many ships in Lawrence's honor and his words, "Don't Give Up the Ship" have become the motto of the U.S. Navy.

--Cooter

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 3: Thomas Macdonough and Charles Morris

NAVAL HEROES:  Many naval men served, but four especially stand out.

Midshipman THOMAS MACDONOUGH who later was a hero in the War of 1812 for his role in the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh / Lake Champlain when his naval force destroyed the British fleet.

CHARLES MORRIS  who went on to serve as 1st lieutenant on the USS Constitution in its battle against the HMS Guerriere.  He was promoted to captain after this and later commanded the frigates USS Adams and Congress.

Next, James  Lawrence  --Cooter

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 2: Hyms, Scimitars and A Few Good Men

In 1801, Tripoli declared war on the United States.  President Thomas Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to the Mediterranean Sea to battle them.  After a four year war, the U.S. finally won.

HYMNS AND SCIMITARS:  After the Battle of Derna, the phrase "To the Shores of Tripoli" was added to the Marine Corps battle hymn.

The Marine Corps officer sword, adopted in 1826, was modeled after the Marmaluke scimitar given to Lt. O'Bannon in honor of his role in the march to Derna.

A FEW GOOD MEN:  In 1799, the Marine Corps consisted of 25 officers and 58 enlisted men.  Lt. O'Bannon continued to serve aboard the USS Argus and retired in 1807.  He moved to Kentucky where he served in both houses of the state legislature before dying in 1850 in Russellville.

A Frankfort, Kentucky, memorial to him that has the inscription "As captain of the United States Marines, he was the First to Plant the American Flag on Foreign Soil."

--DaCoot

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 1: No More Tribute

From the January 20, 2017 Small Wars Journal by David Smethurst.

The First Barbary War was fought between 1801 and 1805.

The Barbary States were Morocco, Tripoli, Algiers and Tunis along the shore of North Africa.

For centuries they had been demanding tribute from any ship in the Mediterranean Sea.  Since the United States had received its independence, its ships were no longer under the protection of British tribute.

The United States signed peace treaties with each Barbary State and paid annual tributes.

In Case You Were Wondering.  --Cooter