The Barbary Wars, Part 3: “The Most Daring Act of the Age”

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

In January 1804, Captain Edward Preble sent Lieutenant Stephen Decatur the following instructions: “It is my order that you proceed to Tripoli…enter that harbor in the night, board the Philadelphia, burn her and make good your retreat with the Intrepid.” The plan was audacious and filled with risk as the Philadelphia was surrounded by a dozen Tripolitan warships. On the evening of February 16, Decatur entered the harbor and the Intrepid slowly drifted towards the Philadelphia, whose guards hailed the ship asking its intention. Decatur’s Sicilian pilot stated his ship had lost its anchor in the storm and requested permission to tie his ship to theirs for the night and they agreed.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses how Decatur and his crew were able to pull off “the most bold and daring act of the age,” and why it still matters today. 

Images courtesy of Wikimedia, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, Naval History and Heritage Command, Yale University Art Gallery.

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Tom Hand
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The Barbary Wars, Part 2: The Philadelphia is Lost