The Battle of Derna was a decisive victory of a combined army of U.S. Marines and mercenaries over the forces of the Barbary coast nation of Tripoli during the First Barbary War. Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804, by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Darnah is one of the municipalities of Libya. ... This page refers to Tripoli, the capital of Libya. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... Vilâyet (also eyalet or pashaluk) was the Turkish name for the provinces of the Ottoman Empire. ... This page refers to Tripoli, the capital of Libya. ... William Eaton (23 February 1764 - 1 June 1811) was an American Army officer, involved with the First Barbary War. ... Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804, by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War. ... Combatants United States Ottoman vilayet of Tripoli Commanders Edward Preble unknown Strength Mediterranean Squadron (7 ships) Unknown Casualties USS Philadelphia & USS Intrepid destroyed Unknown The Battle of Tripoli Harbor was a naval blockade which took place during the First Barbary War between the United States Navy and the forces of... This page refers to Tripoli, the capital of Libya. ... Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804, by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War. ...

Background

The former Consul to Tunis, William Eaton returned to the Mediterranean with the title of 'Naval Agent to the Barbary States' in 1804. Eaton had been granted permission from the United States government to back the claim of Hamet Karamanli, the rightful heir to the throne of Tripoli, who had been deposed by his brother Yussif Karamanli. Upon his return Eaton sought out Hamet, who was in exile in Egypt, and made a proposal to reinstate him to the throne. Hamet agreed to Eaton's plan. For modern, semi-diplomatic or colonial consuls, see Consul (representative). ... William Eaton (23 February 1764 - 1 June 1811) was an American Army officer, involved with the First Barbary War. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Yusuf ibn Ali Karamanli (r. ...

The Forces

Commodore Samuel Barron, the new Naval commander in the Mediterranean gave Eaton naval support from the Hero, Nautilus, Hornet and the Argus commanded by Captain Isaac Hull, which were to provide off shore bombardment support. A detachment of U.S. Marines was given to Eaton under the command of Lt. Presley O'Bannon. Eaton and Hull made their base of operations at Alexandria, Egypt, and there with the help of Hamet, recruited about 500 Arab, Greek and Turkish mercenaries. Eaton named himself General and Commander-in-Chief of the combined force. Samuel Barron (November 28, 1809-February 26, 1888) was a United States, and later Confederate naval officer, acting as a representitive in Europe for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Six ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Nautilus. ... Eight ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Hornet, after the stinging insect. ... The first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. ... Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843), was a Commodore, in the United States Navy. ... Presley Neville O’Bannon (1784 – 12 September 1850) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ...

The Desert Trek

General Eaton now led his army on 500 mile trek across the Libyan desert. Their objective was the port city of Derna, the capitol of the province of Cyrenaica. Supplies and money were promised to the largely mercenary force when they reached the city. During the 50 day trek Eaton became concerned with the relationship between the Christians and the roughly 200 Muslim mercenaries in his force. On several occasions mutiny threatened the success of the expedition. The force finally reached the port city of Bomba in late April, up the coast from Derna, where the Argus, Nautilus and the Hornet along with Captain Hull were waiting. There Eaton and his force received supplies and money to pay the mercenaries. Darnah is one of the municipalities of Libya. ... The Roman Empire ca. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also spelled Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. ... Mutiny is the crime of conspiring to disobey orders that the mutineer is legally obliged to obey, for example by crew members of a ship. ... Bomba is a musical expression created in Puerto Rico. ... Template:AprillCalendar Look up Aprill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Darnah is one of the municipalities of Libya. ... The first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. ... Six ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Nautilus. ... Eight ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Hornet, after the stinging insect. ...

The Battle

On April 27, two days after arriving at Bomba Hull's ships opened fire and bombed the city's batteries for about an hour. General Eaton divided his army into two separate attacks. Hamet would lead the Arabs southwest to cut off the road to Tripoli while Eaton with the rest of the mecenaries and Marines attacked the harbor fortress. At 2:45pm the attack began with Lt. O'Bannon and the Marines in the lead. The harbor defenses had been reinforced and the attackers were momentarily halted. Eaton grabbed a rifle and shouting "charge!" led the force over the walls while being seriously wounded in the hand. The defenders fled in such haste that they left their cannon loaded and ready to fire. O'Bannon raised the U.S. flag over the works as Eaton turned the captured batteries on the city and opened fire. Hamet's force in the meantime had siezed the Governor's Palace and secured the western part of the town. Many of the defenders of the harbor fortress continued retreating through the town and right into Hamet's force. By 4:00 the entire city had fallen. For the first time a U.S. flag was flown over a fortifications that side of the Atlantic. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Flag ratio: 10:19; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...

Yusuf was aware of the attack on Derna and had sent reinforcements to the city. By the time this force arrived the city had fallen. Still they dug in and prepared to retake the city. Eaton immediately worked on fortifying his new position. Hamet had taken up residence in the Governor's Palace and his Arab forces patrolled the outlying areas of the city. The reinforcements dug in south of the city and waited. On May 13 they attacked the city and drove the Arabs back almost capturing the Governor's Palace. The Argus and Eaton's captured batteries pounded the attackers, who fled under continued bombardment. By nightfall both sides were back to their origional positions. Skirmishing and several other minor attempts were made on the city in the following weeks but the city remained in American control. From Derna, Eaton now planned to march across the desert and attack Tripoli from the land. During his march he was informed of the treaty signed between Tobias Lear and Yusuf Karamanli. In the middle of his trek Eaton was ordered to return to Egypt with Hamet. May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... The first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. ... Yusuf ibn Ali Karamanli (r. ...

Aftermath

The Battle of Derna was the first recorded land battle of the United States on foreign soil. The battle was the decisive action of the First Barbary War, although Eaton was angered by what he called a 'sell-out' between Consul Lear and the bey. Hamet returned to Egypt and the mercenaries were never fully paid. William Eaton returned to the United States as a national hero. Lt. O'Bannon was awarded a sword of honor by his home state of Kentucky. The attack on the city was the inspiration for the lyrics to the Marine Hymn "to the shores of Tripoli". Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804, by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War. ... Bey is the Turkish word for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. ... Official language(s) English Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 37th 104,749 km² 225 km 610 km 1. ... The Marines hymn is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps. ...

Sources

• The Tripolitan War, 1801-1805
• William Eaton Biography
• Tripolitan War