The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 (edit title)

Sharon H edited the quotations of The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 8 days ago.

• Added a quotation: “If the Congress do not consent that the government shall send a force into the Mediterranean to check the insolence of these scoundrels and to render the United States respectable, I hope they will resolve at their next session to wrest the quiver of arrows from the left talon of the <American> Eagle...and substitute a fiddle bow or a cigar in lieu.”William Eaton

Shelfari edited the description of The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 Saturday, August 1 2009.

• A real-life thriller, now in paperback -- 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 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.

Shelfari edited the contributors of The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 Sunday, July 26 2009.

• Added a contributor: Richard Zacks: (Primary Author)