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The End of Barbary Terror: America's 1815 War against the Pirates of North Africa
When Barbary pirates captured an obscure Yankee sailing brig off the coast of North Africa in 1812, enslaving eleven American sailors, President James Madison first tried to settle the issue through diplomacy. But when these efforts failed, he sent the largest American naval force ever
gathered to that time, led by the heroic Commodore Stephen Decatur, to end Barbary terror once and for all.
Drawing upon numerous ship logs, journals, love letters, and government documents, Frederick C. Leiner paints a vivid picture of the world of naval officers and diplomats in the early nineteenth century, as he recreates a remarkable and little known episode from the early American republic.
Leiner first describes Madison's initial efforts at diplomacy, sending Mordecai Noah to negotiate, reasoning that the Jewish Noah would fare better with the Islamic leader. But when the ruler refused to ransom the Americans--"not for two millions of dollars"--Madison declared war and sent a fleet to
North Africa. Decatur's squadron dealt quick blows to the Barbary navy, dramatically fighting and capturing two ships. Decatur then sailed to Algiers. He refused to go ashore to negotiate--indeed, he refused to negotiate on any essential point. The ruler of Algiers signed the treaty--in Decatur's
words, "dictated at the mouths of our cannon"--in twenty-four hours. The United States would never pay tribute to the Barbary world again, and the captive Americans were set free--although in a sad, ironic twist, they never arrived home, their ship being lost at sea in heavy weather.
Here then is a real-life naval adventure that will thrill fans of Patrick O'Brian, a story of Islamic terrorism, white slavery, poison gas, diplomatic intrigue, and battles with pirates on the high seas.
gathered to that time, led by the heroic Commodore Stephen Decatur, to end Barbary terror once and for all.
Drawing upon numerous ship logs, journals, love letters, and government documents, Frederick C. Leiner paints a vivid picture of the world of naval officers and diplomats in the early nineteenth century, as he recreates a remarkable and little known episode from the early American republic.
Leiner first describes Madison's initial efforts at diplomacy, sending Mordecai Noah to negotiate, reasoning that the Jewish Noah would fare better with the Islamic leader. But when the ruler refused to ransom the Americans--"not for two millions of dollars"--Madison declared war and sent a fleet to
North Africa. Decatur's squadron dealt quick blows to the Barbary navy, dramatically fighting and capturing two ships. Decatur then sailed to Algiers. He refused to go ashore to negotiate--indeed, he refused to negotiate on any essential point. The ruler of Algiers signed the treaty--in Decatur's
words, "dictated at the mouths of our cannon"--in twenty-four hours. The United States would never pay tribute to the Barbary world again, and the captive Americans were set free--although in a sad, ironic twist, they never arrived home, their ship being lost at sea in heavy weather.
Here then is a real-life naval adventure that will thrill fans of Patrick O'Brian, a story of Islamic terrorism, white slavery, poison gas, diplomatic intrigue, and battles with pirates on the high seas.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 16, 2026
This is a very very well written and fascinating history of what in America is known as the Second Barbary War. It is full of details that keep the account interesting. There is lots of information here about the personalities and politics involved in the conflict.
As I have mentioned in other reviews, I have read several books about The Barbary States in the last few months. So I wished to read about the American wars with these states. I previously read Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror 1801-1805 by Joseph Wheelan about the first Barbary War. Though the authors are different, this book seemed like a continuation of Wheelan’s book. The writing and narrative styles between the two are similar. Plus, many of the participants and issues carry over from one story to another. The overall effect is that this work seems like a sequel in fact, my reviews for the two books are even similar.
Of note is that this Second Barbary War seems to be a fairly minor occurrence compared to the first war. Like the earlier conflict, the issue here was seizure of American ships and the hostage taking and enslavement of their crews by the Barbary pirates. The United States declared war and sent several squadrons of ships into the Mediterranean. A few small navel battles were fought. A few ships were captured. But most of the developments were diplomatic. Much of the history here also takes place after the actual conflict. There is a lot here about the early United States Navy, Barbary Slavery and European politics. The work is under 200 pages long without notes and appendages. This seems sufficient length for the material covered.
I would recommend this book to anyone familiar with prior historical events. As I mentioned, it makes a good fit alongside the Wheelan book.
As I have mentioned in other reviews, I have read several books about The Barbary States in the last few months. So I wished to read about the American wars with these states. I previously read Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror 1801-1805 by Joseph Wheelan about the first Barbary War. Though the authors are different, this book seemed like a continuation of Wheelan’s book. The writing and narrative styles between the two are similar. Plus, many of the participants and issues carry over from one story to another. The overall effect is that this work seems like a sequel in fact, my reviews for the two books are even similar.
Of note is that this Second Barbary War seems to be a fairly minor occurrence compared to the first war. Like the earlier conflict, the issue here was seizure of American ships and the hostage taking and enslavement of their crews by the Barbary pirates. The United States declared war and sent several squadrons of ships into the Mediterranean. A few small navel battles were fought. A few ships were captured. But most of the developments were diplomatic. Much of the history here also takes place after the actual conflict. There is a lot here about the early United States Navy, Barbary Slavery and European politics. The work is under 200 pages long without notes and appendages. This seems sufficient length for the material covered.
I would recommend this book to anyone familiar with prior historical events. As I mentioned, it makes a good fit alongside the Wheelan book.
October 24, 2012
This book, with its entirely inappropriate title, was a master class of Euro-Americacentric propaganda. Firstly, it suggests that Morocco was subject to the Ottoman sultan and paid them tribute which is entirely incorrect and any student of North Africa should know this. When talking about the Moors, the author says that they were descended from "Muslims who had crossed into Spain...before retreating back to North Africa in previous centuries." This is a total white wash of Muslim Spanish history. They Moors did not "retreat", they were slowly but surely conquered by the Spaniards, forced to convert in the 16th century, subjected to the Inquisition before 300,000 of them were expelled into North Africa between 1609 and 1614. I would hardly call that a "retreat." He makes more claims that jihad was holy war and that it was a way of life for the North Africans, as if all they did was attack and think about attacking Christians. He makes a comparison between the "jihadis" of today and the Barbary corsairs. Let us be clear: there are very few similarities between these two; terrorists today are not the rulers of sovereign nations, do enter into treaties with Christian nations, let alone alliances, and are driven entirely by political forces. None of these things apply to the Barbary corsairs. It is funny that this author refers to the corsairs as terrorists because one of the infamous American consuls of Tunis once stated that "There is but one language which can be held to these people, [North Africans] and this is terror." The author failed to use this quote in his book. He does talk about Englishman Lord Exmouth, in his bombardment of Algiers in 1816, using bomb vessels to "smash up at least part of the town, terrorizing the population," but does not seem to think that terrorizing the North Africans is an issue. The author did mention one interesting fact: that the Americans were considering using sulphur gas to attack Algiers but once again this action is not seen as "terror." This book, when not overtly bias, was quite boring, going into heavy detail about the Americans and developing their characteristics while making the Muslims seem like one dimensional characters with no distinguishing human qualities. The epilogue went on in detail about the Americans involved, relegating North Africa to the last paragraph with a short summary of the French colonization of the country saying that the French stayed there for 130 years. If you want to know about North African history do not read this book.
May 26, 2012
Having enjoyed Richard Zacks' excellent The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines & the Secret Mission of 1805, I was looking for a book on the the more obscure 1815 war with the Barbary states and this was what I came up with.
This is a rich and detailed, if unevenly paced, look at an obscure event in U.S. naval history. "The End of Barbary Terror" describes a rather dashing adventure by a young U.S. Navy fresh off the Battle of 1812 with the British. Despite these challenges a band of brash and confident officers deployed the bulk of the U.S. fleet to the Med to destroy the Algerian Fleet and force the return of U.S. hostages and the end of payments to Algeria.
The author spends considerable team telling not only the operational naval portions of the battle, which were not exactly very exciting, but he focuses on the complicated political battles between naval leadership and national politicians. The author's naval knowledge seemed solid, but the description focus mainly on the officers, little is known or discussed about the rest of the crew. The same can be said of the Algerians. The great majority of sources were American, so what was going through the minds of Algerian leadership and naval officers could only be guessed.
The British Attack on Algiers was well done, and more riveting then the rather limited engagements between the U.S. and Algeria described earlier in the book. I recommend this book to any serious reader of naval history, who enjoys diving into the deep details of the U.S. Navy circa 1815.
This is a rich and detailed, if unevenly paced, look at an obscure event in U.S. naval history. "The End of Barbary Terror" describes a rather dashing adventure by a young U.S. Navy fresh off the Battle of 1812 with the British. Despite these challenges a band of brash and confident officers deployed the bulk of the U.S. fleet to the Med to destroy the Algerian Fleet and force the return of U.S. hostages and the end of payments to Algeria.
The author spends considerable team telling not only the operational naval portions of the battle, which were not exactly very exciting, but he focuses on the complicated political battles between naval leadership and national politicians. The author's naval knowledge seemed solid, but the description focus mainly on the officers, little is known or discussed about the rest of the crew. The same can be said of the Algerians. The great majority of sources were American, so what was going through the minds of Algerian leadership and naval officers could only be guessed.
The British Attack on Algiers was well done, and more riveting then the rather limited engagements between the U.S. and Algeria described earlier in the book. I recommend this book to any serious reader of naval history, who enjoys diving into the deep details of the U.S. Navy circa 1815.
October 9, 2018
Interesting account of a lesser-known (at least to me) part of history. Contained perhaps a bit too much unnecessary detail at times which caused it to drag a bit. The writing style also caused it to be a bit hard to follow at times. But overall I recommend this book, it will make you want to take to sea yourself.
February 12, 2023
Excellent work on a lesser known American conflict that occurred just as the War of 1812 was wrapping up and that made Stephen Decatur a naval hero. Fascinating exploration of some lesser-known figures in American history and the relations between the US and the nations of the Mediterranean. Highly recommend for history readers!
May 31, 2021
Fascinating snippet of early 19th century history. Well written and researched.
A must read if you are inclined to know more about the North African pirates and white Christian slavery in North Africa, Europe as hostage to a bribery scheme of the ages, and the American sailor who put a stop to it once and for all.
Stephen Decatur was the youngest man to be promoted to captain in the USN at age 25.
If you have ever wondered about the "Marine's Hymn" lyric, "To the shores of Tripoli", this is the link. A stalwart, smart and courageous patriot, Decatur gained fame for burning the frigate called "Philadelphia" in the Tripoli harbor during the Barbary Wars, in 1804. Rather than surrender the ship or let the pirates take her as a prize, he and 75 sailors under his command torched her in an audacious raid of the harbor. Decatur is buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church cemetery in Philadelphia.
There is an awful lot packed into this rather short book. Lots of Madison, Monroe, the drama of the competing commodores of the fleet, sweethearts waiting on shore, crews that never made it back home.
The one thing that will certainly grab you, though, is the astounding duplicity of America committed to stopping white slavery in Africa, at the very same time allowing black African slavery to continue in America.
I recommend this book.
A must read if you are inclined to know more about the North African pirates and white Christian slavery in North Africa, Europe as hostage to a bribery scheme of the ages, and the American sailor who put a stop to it once and for all.
Stephen Decatur was the youngest man to be promoted to captain in the USN at age 25.
If you have ever wondered about the "Marine's Hymn" lyric, "To the shores of Tripoli", this is the link. A stalwart, smart and courageous patriot, Decatur gained fame for burning the frigate called "Philadelphia" in the Tripoli harbor during the Barbary Wars, in 1804. Rather than surrender the ship or let the pirates take her as a prize, he and 75 sailors under his command torched her in an audacious raid of the harbor. Decatur is buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church cemetery in Philadelphia.
There is an awful lot packed into this rather short book. Lots of Madison, Monroe, the drama of the competing commodores of the fleet, sweethearts waiting on shore, crews that never made it back home.
The one thing that will certainly grab you, though, is the astounding duplicity of America committed to stopping white slavery in Africa, at the very same time allowing black African slavery to continue in America.
I recommend this book.
June 30, 2021
Convergence of topics I'm interested in: North Africa/Algeria and the birth of the US Navy, which makes it interesting to me and other wonks. Reading in conjunction with the Aubrey/Maturin (Master & Commander) series gives a fun depth of appreciation. It was fascinating to read about slavery of Europeans (the corsairs failed with impunity, depopulating littoral areas and even kidnapping a whole village in Ireland!)
Otherwise somewhat drab and stuffy writing, without a clear, engaging narrative. Wouldn't recommend to an everyday reader who wasn't very interested in the topics at hand.
Otherwise somewhat drab and stuffy writing, without a clear, engaging narrative. Wouldn't recommend to an everyday reader who wasn't very interested in the topics at hand.
October 9, 2020
Awesome. Sharply written account of a fascinating historical moment.
October 2, 2009
Islamic terrorists off the coast of North Africa regularly captured ships with Christian crews to use the crew and any passengers as slaves. In 1815, fresh from the war against Britain and with a brand new Navy, the United States stood up against the Barbary pirates to end the practice of capturing (white) Americans, not seeing the irony in America capturing Africans for slavery. To this day the United States still has a warship stationed off the northern coast of Africa.
The book is light yet interesting reading, with the important documents (Navy Dept orders, treaties) reproduced as appendices.
The book is light yet interesting reading, with the important documents (Navy Dept orders, treaties) reproduced as appendices.
Read
February 9, 2013Fantastic story of the nascent US navy. The basis of the economy of the Algerians was kidnapping white sailors on the Med Sea and holding them for ransom. If not ransomed, they became slaves. The powers of Europe paid Tribute to stop this, but the US didn't care to pay the Dey and therefore sent Commodores Decatur and Bainbridge to tell the Dey how they felt.
This helped us be an international power.. we left ships in the Mediterranean as a guardian presence. Also the first step in stopping slavery.
This helped us be an international power.. we left ships in the Mediterranean as a guardian presence. Also the first step in stopping slavery.
March 12, 2010
When I first saw this book I thought "Shores of Tripoli" and all that. This actually occurs about ten years later. The book covers the decisions to go to the North African Coast and who was to be in charge of which section. Decatur's actions precluded others from regaining reputations and rankled some in the Navy. By successfully beating the Algerian bey Decatur changed the views of several European countries regarding the Barbary pirates activities and economic base.
December 1, 2010
Fresh off the War of 1812, the United States uses the capture of an American merchant ship and her crew by Algiers to launch a fleet determined to confront the Barbary pirates and force the release of the enslaved Americans. Using documents, ship's logs, letters and personal accounts, 'End of the Barbary Terror' is a compelling look at the beginnings of American gun-boat diplomacy, and one of the few books to tackle this fascinating era of history. Highly recommended.
October 29, 2012
The capture of Tripoli did not end raids on American ships. During the War of 1812, Britian encouraged the pirates of Algiers to prey on Americans. After the conclusion of the War of 1812, The United States decided to use force against the Barbary pirates to end attacks on American ships. This is the story of how the Barbary pirates were defeated and the ultimate end of Christaib slavery by the Barbary states. A very interesting read.
February 23, 2016
Fantastic history book. Nice read and very informative. Highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews