Stephen Decatur: A Life Most Bold and Daring

Library of Naval Biography

by Spencer C. Tucker

Brave, energetic, intensely patriotic, Stephen Decatur is America's first great naval hero after John Paul Jones. His short and dramatic life is a story of triumph and tragedy told by the noted historian and author of some twenty books, Spencer Tucker. Decatur's raid into Tripoli Harbor in 1804 to burn the Philadelphia, a prized U.S. warship captured when it ran aground during the Barbary Wars, earned him international fame. An admiring Horatio Nelson described the feat as "the most bold and daring act of the age." Explaining the tremendous impact Decatur's action had on the early U.S. Navy, the author notes that it set a standard of audacity and courage for generations of future naval officers. At the age of twenty-five, Decatur was promoted to captain, becoming the youngest naval officer ever to attain that rank in the U.S. Navy.

The book fully examines Decatur's astonishing achievements as it chronicles his rapid rise in the Navy, including his command of the Constitution and the United States, during the War of 1812, when he captured the British frigate Macedonian off the Azores. The book also recounts the cruise that many call his greatest triumph: Decatur sailed into the Mediterranean with a nine-ship American squadron to punish the dey of Algiers for taking American merchant shipping, securing peace with Algiers and keeping other Barbary states quiescent. Lionized by a grateful American public upon his return, Decatur offered a toast at a reception in his honor that is now legendary, "Our country In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong " In describing Decatur's life, the author also examines Decatur's relationshipwith James Barron, a Navy captain who fatally shot Decatur during a 1820 duel.

Genres: History, Biography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2000

Reviews

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and readable biography.

Tucker does a good job fleshing out Decatur’s courage and sense of honor, as well as his pursuit of glory. The narrative covers the important episodes of his life, and his coverage of the Barbary Wars is pretty solid. The discussion of events surrounding his fatal duel is pretty thorough.

The narrative is a little repetitive, though. Some readers may wish for more background and context on the history of the early US navy. And, of course, any historian writing about Decatur has a lack of papers to work with.

A clear and engaging work.

[Peregrine 12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most gripping historical accounts I have ever read. It's the kind of story that is so well-written it transports you to the place you're reading about rather than where you actually are. Insight into US history, past cultures, and previous value systems (1790-1820) is fascinating.

I'd never heard of Decatur before picking this up from the library. I could recommend it to any fan of military history, US history, or action stories. This book reads like a novel, except that this is all true, even though it's a better story than many fiction accounts written today.