Quick Book Review: The Pirate Coast

This book [The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805] just caught my eye at the library. It covers the First Barbary War the U.S. fought with the Barbary States in North Africa circa 1805, the early U.S. Marines, Jefferson, Aaron Burr, as well as political and diplomatic intrigue. The story is history that reads like a fascinating novel. The protagonist, William Eaton, was literally spending months hiring mercenaries and crossing the desert to take (see Battle of Derne) Tripoli in a military assault (with the help of a handful of U.S. Marines). At the same time his counterpart of questionable skill and loyalty, Tobias Lear, was working on a diplomatic solution to the problem of 300 U.S. sailors and Marines held hostage for over a year.

The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805

A great read, highly recommended.

Update: "As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
-- Treaty of Tripoli, 1796
Source: ARTICLE XI of the Treaty of Tripoli, 1796, signed in the last part of Washington's presidency, ratified under John Adams.

Written in Algiers and signed at Tripoli on Nov. 4, 1796, and at Algiers on Jan. 3, 1797, by Hassan Bashaw, dey or bey of Algiers, and Joel Barlow (1754-1812), U.S. Consul to Algiers. The original is in Arabic, and the English text was translated by Joel Barlow. Both texts were submitted to the U.S. Senate on May 29, 1797, and the treaty was ratified and proclaimed in Philadelphia on June 10, 1797. George Washington was president when the treaty was signed at Tripoli, but by the time it reached the Senate for ratification, John Adams was president and presented it to the Senate. Joel Barlow was co-author with Moslem officials of this treaty and sole author of Article XI which contains the non-Christian statement.

Interestingly, there is no Article XI in the original Arabic, and in its place is a crude letter of no importance from the Dey of Algiers to the Pasha of Tripoli. This discrepancy remains a mystery to this day. (source)

Misc.:
The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805
The Barbary Treaties: Treaty of Peace and Amity, Signed at Tripoli June 4, 1805
Pirate Coast Campaign Was U.S.'s First War on Terror
NYT Review: Desert Derring-Do Undone by Diplomatic Chicanery
The Marine Corps Officers' Mameluke Sword
Presley O'Bannon, an early and famous Marine
More on the USMC Mameluke Sword