To the Shores of Tripoli: The Birth of the U.S. Navy and Marines (Bluejacket Books) [Paperback]

A. B. C. Whipple (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1557509662 | ISBN-13: 978-1557509666 | Publication Date: September 1, 2001

An often-overlooked yet significant and prophetic event in U.S. history, the Barbary War was America's first battle against an Arab despot and President Thomas Jefferson's first major challenge to U. S. foreign policy. As described by A.B.C. Whipple, it is a great yarn as well as first-rate history. The author skillfully combines vivid accounts of derring-do with shrewd appraisals of contemporary politics and diplomacy. Because the Continental Navy had been disbanded, there was an urgent need to develop a new Navy and Marine Corps. Faced with the choice of trading arms for hostages or meeting force with force, Jefferson sent a squadron of warships to the Mediterranean while Congress was in recess, prompting the first major debate on the war-making powers of a U.S. president. The war included a blockade of Tripoli, sustained bombardment by the Navy's new frigates, and finally a ground war fought by a U.S. Army captain, eight Marines, and a rabble of Christians and Arabs sent to free the hostages.

Whipple's rousing narrative is filled with fascinating personalities. In addition to Jefferson, there is Commodore Edward Preble, the quarter-deck tyrant who commanded the first naval forces into battle; the bold junior officer Stephen Decatur; the tyrannical bashaw, Yusuf Karamanli; William Eaton, an early-day Lawrence of Arabia; Marine lieutenant Presley O'Bannon; and a host of others.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For centuries, Barbary Coast pirates had been terrorizing merchant shippers and forcing their governments to pay tribute--until the frigate Philadelphia was captured in 1803 and President Thomas Jefferson decided to put an end to the extortion. Whipple ( The Challenge ) shows how the Barbary War in the early 19th century included the first major challenge to U.S. foreign policy, America's first hostage crisis and the first subversive plot to overthrow the head of an unfriendly government (the war also served as the first proving ground of the U.S. Navy and Marines). Jefferson sent four successive naval squadrons against Tripoli. All failed to gain the release of the Philadelphia 's crew. Finally, an Army captain named William Eaton ("one of the lost heroes of U.S. history") led a handful of Marines and a polyglot mercenary mob on a 500-mile epic journey across the Libyan desert. Their capture of the city of Derna led indirectly to the release of the prisoners and a treaty (1805), but did not end the threat of piracy to U.S. shipping. Whipple's vigorous you-are-there style brings to life all the color and drama of this neglected period in American history.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

America's first hostage crises date back to its formative years, when Muslim pirates operating out of city-state ports along North Africa's Barbary Coast preyed on its merchant vessels in the Mediterranean. Here, with considerable analytic flair, Whipple (The Challenge, 1987) sorts out Washington's often irresolute response to these seizures and the incarceration of US sailors. In his engrossing narrative (which neither ignores nor belabors obvious parallels to latter-day events in the Middle East), the author skillfully combines vivid accounts of derring-do with shrewd appraisals of contemporary politics and diplomacy. Among other events, the many-splendored story line encompasses the first US attempt to overthrow the head of a hostile government (the bashaw of Tripoli), plus America's initial effort to isolate another nation via blockade--and bombardment. Covered as well are our nation's earliest debates on defense budgets, foreign intervention, the President's war-making powers, and allied issues that have proved nothing if not perdurable. In addition to the satisfyingly treacherous villains, the plot features a great many authentic American heroes and more than a few shady middlemen offering to swap arms for captives. Standouts in the white-hat ranks include Edward Preble (a quarter-deck tyrant who commanded the first US Navy forces to go into battle), Stephen Decatur (then a junior officer of notable boldness), and William Eaton. As a self-styled general, Eaton led a rabble of Arabs, Christians, and eight US Marines out of Egypt across the Libyan desert to free the 307-man crew of an American warship captured by the Tripolitans. How legates with their own agendas cheated him (and the US) of a hard-won victory at the 11th hour makes a fascinating and cautionary tale. Americana at its rousing and resonant best. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 357 pages
• Publisher: United States Naval Inst. (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557509662
• ISBN-13: 978-1557509666
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This'll Keep You on the Edge of your Seat., November 17, 2000

By 

"reformerz_" - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Shores of Tripoli: The Birth of the U.S. Navy and Marines (Hardcover)

I got the unabridged audio edition. I stayed with it tape after tape at work for 3 consecutive days. I was not disappointed. The events described in this narrative should never have gone forgotten, although it seems they have. Whipple has brought to remembrance some of our early great American heroes. I was surprised that so much primary source material was available on the Tripolitan wars. Whipple has really done his homework and the narrative, though non-fiction, reads like a top novel. I came here seeking the book version in order to purchase it for my library and have found, sadly, that the work is out-of-print. If you're an American History buff, you'll be happy to have this in your library, provided you can find a good copy. I rated this a 5, which it surely deserves. Unfortunately, worthy books never seem to stay in print for as long as trashy fair, and this may be difficult to secure. I hope you find it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rip-roarin' good tale of the Tripolitan Wars., November 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: To the Shores of Tripoli: The Birth of the U.S. Navy and Marines (Hardcover)

Pirates and Pashas, courageous American sailors and marines, Presidents and diplomats, heroes, POWs, bribery, incompetence, fools, mishaps and mayhem. This is the story of the almost forgotten but historically significant Tripolitan Wars. Had Thomas Jefferson not pursued an aggressive military policy in the Mediterranean in the early 1800s, the US Navy and Marine Corps may have been woefully unprepared for the War of 1812 and subduing the Caribben pirates, three campaigns which showed the European powers that the US would not be bullied and made the oceans safe for economically vital American exports. This is a darn good read for history buffs and kids who are old enough to read at this level. It has good rhythm and is fun to dance to, so I give it a 10.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Over the Hills, and Very Far Away..., June 17, 2001

By 

Kevin F. Kiley - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Shores of Tripoli: The Birth of the U.S. Navy and Marines (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

This is a slam-bang account of the first overseas campaign waged by the United States. With a new, expert little Navy, and an even smaller Marine Corps, the young United States, after great success against the Revolutionary French Navy in the Quasi-War, the cocky country, fed up with foreign blackmail and extortion, sends a squadron to the Mediterranean to deal with the problem. This is adventure and high deeds at its best. Naval historian ABC Whipple is definitely up to the challenge here and he has produced a winner of a tale and a book.

All of the elements of high suspense are here: daring raids into dark harbors, ships exploding in the night from unknown causes, the roar and rush of boarders from gun deck to gun deck, dedicated seamen and Marines sacrificing themselves for their comrades, the mystery of the Arab world, and the double dealing of what was essentially a group of pirate states, a daring march across the North African desert with a motley army of Arabs, Greek mercenaries, and 'a few Marines' who, at the end of their journey launch a neck-or-nothing assault against a fortified city and take it, raising the US flag, for the first time, 'over a fortress of the Old World.'

This is history at its best and this book rekindled an interest in the young US Navy, which has blossomed into a mini-collection of excellent books on the subject, of which this was the first. This book should be read by everyone with an interest in US history. A great read, an excellent book, and superb history.