Forgotten War, Forgotten Hero

Have you ever heard of the Barbary Wars? How about the Tripolitan War? Didn't think so. The two conflicts were one and the same. During the early 1800s, the newly formed United States faced a problem that had been plaguing Europeans for over a century: the Barbary pirates. These pirates, Muslims from North Africa, made a living off of plundering European and American vessels that would get too close to the African coast. The pirates offered European nations and America protection from their plundering, but not without a price: those nations had to pay a tribute to the pirates. America did so, for a while.

In 1801, President Jefferson decided action was in order. America stopped paying the pirates, who promptly began capturing American commercial vessels. Jefferson sent the United States Navy to the Mediterranean in an attempt to check the resumed piracy. When one American military vessel, the Philadelphia, ran aground in Libya, the Muslims captured it and held it under guard. This was a serious issue for the Americans; they feared that the African pirates would use the Philadelphia as a model for building more up-to-date warships.

The date was February 16, 1804. A young Navy Lieutenant named Stephen Decatur led a disguised American force on a mission to retake the Philadelphia. In the ensuing battle, the battleship was destroyed, thus preventing the pirates from taking advantage of it. Decatur's force suffered only one injury in the raid, making Stephen Decatur the most celebrated American Naval Officer since Revolutionary War legend John Paul Jones. He became a national celebrity overnight, and was awarded with a promotion and decorations from Congress.

Today, this event of our nation's history is all but forgotten by most Americans. Even Stephen Decatur, much revered in his time, is well-known by only the most dedicated military historians. Decatur himself went on to gain greater acclaim during the War of 1812, but his story ended tragically. He died in a duel with a fellow naval officer 186 years ago today, March 22, 1820.

Sources: The History Channel Website, Encyclopaedia Britannica