The End of Barbary Terror

When Barbary pirates captured an obscure Yankee sailing brig off the coast of North Africa in 1812 enslaving eleven American sailors President James Madison 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. 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. 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.