The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805

a Real-life Thriller From Acclaimed Historian And Author Of the Pirate Hunter, Richard Zacks -- The True Story Of The Unheralded American Who Brought The Barbary Pirates To Their Knees.

in An Attempt To Stop The Legendary Barbary Pirates Of North Africa From Hijacking American Ships, William Eaton Set Out In 1805 On A Secret Mission To Overthrow The Government Of Tripoli. The Operation Was Sanctioned By President Thomas Jefferson, But At The Last Moment He Grew Wary Of Intermeddling In A Foreign Government, And Eaton Set Off Without Proper National Support.

short On Supplies, Given Very Little Money And Only A Few Men, Eaton And His Mission Seemed Doomed From The Start. But Against All Odds, He Improbably Triumphed, Recruiting A Band Of European Mercenaries In Alexandria, Along With Some Arab Cavalry And Bedouin Fighters, And Leading Them On A March Across The Libyan Desert. Once In Tripoli, The Ragtag Army Defeated The Local Troops And Successfully Captured Derne, Laying The Groundwork For The Demise Of The Barbary Pirates. The Success Of The Event Is Immortalized In The marines' Hymn, But Jefferson Never Allowed Eaton The Fame He Craved. Now, Richard Zacks Brings This Important Story From Our Nation's History To Life.

richard Zacks, Author Of The Heralded the Pirate Hunter, Is A Graduate Of The Columbia School Of Journalism And A Freelance Journalist For atlantic Monthly, Life, Time, And Numerous Other Publications. He Lives In New York City.

the Washington Post - Sudip Bose

jefferson's Navy In Those Days Consisted Of Fewer Than 10 Ships, But He Sent The Uss Philadelphia To Blockade Tripoli Harbor In The Hope Of Making Peace. The Maneuver Failed. The Mighty Philadelphia And Its Crew Of 307 Were Captured, And Karamanli Set Ransom At An Astonishing $1,690,000. The Failure Was, As Richard Zacks Puts It In the Pirate Coast, A National Disaster For The Young United States. How Those Captives Were Eventually Rescued Is The Subject Of Zacks's Lively Popular History.

Author : Zacks, Richard

Publisher : Hachette Books

Published Year : 2006-06-01T00:00:01Z

Format : Paperback, 454 pages

Language : en_US

Dimensions : Height: 8.25 Inches, Length: 5.25 Inches, Weight: 0.86200744442 Pounds, Width: 1.25 Inches

ISBN : 140130849x

ISBN13 : 9781401308490

Overview :

In an attempt to stop the legendary Barbary Pirates of North Africa from hijacking American ships, William Eaton set out on a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. The operation was sanctioned by President Thomas Jefferson, who at the last moment grew wary of "intermeddling" in a foreign government and sent Eaton off without proper national support. Short on supplies, given very little money and only a few men, Eaton and his mission seemed doomed from the start. He triumphed against all odds, recruited a band of European mercenaries in Alexandria, and led them on a march across the Libyan Desert. Once in Tripoli, the ragtag army defeated the local troops and successfully captured Derne, laying the groundwork for the demise of the Barbary Pirates. Now, Richard Zacks brings this important story of America's first overseas covert op to life.