The Pirate Coast, Thomas Jefferson, the first Marines and the Secret Mission of 1805 by Richard Zacks

“William Eaton’s mission was way beyond foolhardy…He would have to find a weak-willed prince named Hamet wandering somewhere in war torn Egypt and convince him to try to seek his rightful throne. He would then have to mount a civil war in Tripoli to overthrow the current ruler and free 307 U.S. sailors and marines held hostage there.”

The Pirate Coast, Thomas Jefferson, the first Marines and the Secret Mission of 1805 is an amazing but true story of the young United States in an awkward Mediterranean war against Tripoli and its state-sponsored terrorism of the sea, also known as the Barbary Pirates. Based upon the diaries and personal correspondences of those involved, Richard Zacks has given us a unique view of the U.S. dealings with Tripoli, Jeffersonian politics, and early naval operations. The intrigue and political dealings of of the time are explained in context and provide insight that would otherwise be hard to comprehend in today’s world.

The book also gives readers a unique insight into mindset of the Arab world. In the same way that Americans of the time had no problem with using captured Africans as slaves, the Arab world saw nothing wrong with making slaves of non-Muslims who were either captured on routine raids of neighboring countries or captured in battle on land or sea.

The Muslim regent of Tripoly, Yussef Karamanli, sent out vessels, aka Barbary Pirates, to harass, sink, or capture the ships of nations that refused to pay tribute. President Thomas Jefferson’s (public) response to these demands was, “Millions for defense, but not one penny in tribute!”

By 1804, the U.S. escalated the war with Tripoli and sent six U.S. fleet ships to the Mediterranean to harass and capture the Barbary ships. One of the U.S. ships, the U.S.S. Philadelphia, got stuck on a sand bar inside Tripoli harbor while chasing one of the Barbary ships. The officers and crew abandoned ship and were captured and held as slaves which could be ransomed if tribute was paid. In response, Jefferson sent William Eaton, a former consul to the region, and no friend to the Barbary piracy or slavery, with a commission to incite a coup attempt and create a U.S.-friendly state on the Barbary Coast.

Jefferson, however, began to reconsider the commission soon after Eaton had departed and would send a negotiator to try to work out a peace with Tripoli even if it meant paying a secret tribute. Meanwhile, Eaton would lead a band of eight Marines and several hundred foreign mercenaries on a march across the Libyan desert to attack Tripoli’s second-largest city, Derne, and achieve a near miraculous victory.

Unbeknown to Eaton, Jefferson’s other emissary, the pompous and weak-willed Tobias Lear, would be sent to Tripoli to work out a peace treaty and free the American hostages/slaves. With victory in sight, Eaton would be forced to abandon Derne and the allied tribes to the vengeance of their enemies as the diplomat Lear lavished gifts and tribute upon the regent of Tripoli.

Returning to the U.S. from his aborted mission, Eaton found himself lauded as a hero by the nation that was being fed stories of the American victory that had little to relation with reality. Rather than bask in the glory that was poured upon him and milk it for personal gain, Eaton, the flawed patriot, instead mounted a campaign to discredit Lear and by complicity Jefferson, for paying for peace when a military victory was at hand that would have ended the need for tribute forever.

Zacks captures not only Eaton’s heroics but also his many failings. Eaton saw the world in terms of black and white, good and evil, which forced him to, many times, stand on and defend principles to his own detriment. This inability to compromise finally caused him to turn to drink and “loose everything except his anger”.

The Pirate Coast reveals that there really is nothing new under the sun. Many current events actually have a long tradition in the United States. The book will most definitely be read by anyone interested in U.S. history, but should be read by a much wider audience. I heartily recommend it.