Frederick C. Leiner
Author of The End of Barbary Terror: America's 1815 War against the Pirates of North Africa
About the Author
Frederick C. Leiner is a partner in a Baltimore law firm
Works by Frederick C. Leiner
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- Works
- 3
- Members
- 146
- Popularity
- #141,736
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 6
- ISBNs
- 10
Much like the previous Barbary war, this one was all Stephen Decatur. Decatur was theoretically under the command of William Bainbridge, but Bainbridge was delayed in getting the main fleet units and Decatur was sent ahead with a small squadron. (There’s some hints that political maneuvers by Decatur’s supporters were involved). Upon arrival in the Mediterranean, Decatur immediately encountered the main unit of the Algerian fleet, the 46-gun frigate Meshuda, commanded by rais Hamidou. As was fitting, Hamidou was the best Algerian captain, having once taken a Portuguese 36-gun frigate in battle; however, he was far overmatched here, since Decatur had three frigates, a sloop, three brigs, and a schooner. The American sailors complimented the Algerians on their skillful ship handling while attempting to escape, but the heart went out of the Algerians when rais Hamidou was hit in the chest by a 42-pound carronade ball from Guerriere.
Most of the remainder of the war consisted of Decatur “negotiating from a position of strength” with the Dey of Algiers. Being the Dey was considerable less fun than it sounds, since the previous three Deys had all been assassinated by their own troops – one after only a week, not even enough to do a once around the harem. This put the Dey in a difficult position; he had no more navy and no way to fight Decatur, but the entire national finances of Algiers were based on piracy and if the Dey concluded a treaty eliminating it the troops might get restless again. After considerable stalling, Decatur eventually got the treaty with the assistance of various American diplomats and the Swedish consul.
Frederick Leiner’s book is an interesting account of an obscure period of American history. He draws a little on contemporary issues; The End of Barbary Terror is not about a seagoing Al Qaeda but people more like the modern Somali pirates, more interested in getting rich with a little jihad on the side than spreading terror. The secondary characters are well researched – Benjamin Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy; William Shaler, US ambassador to Algiers; and Mordecai Noah, on special diplomatic service and apparently the first American Jew to be appointed to a government office. The only drawback is the maps; the naval actions are all illustrated by contemporary sketches from officer’s notes, which are interesting history but don’t give a real idea of what happened.… (more)