1820 : NAVAL HERO KILLED IN DUEL:
U.S. Navy officer Stephen Decatur, hero of the Barbary Wars, is
mortally wounded in a duel with disgraced Navy Commodore James Barron
at Bladensburg, Maryland. Although once friends, Decatur sat on the
court-martial that suspended Barron from the Navy for five years in
1808 and later opposed his reinstatement, leading to a fatal quarrel
between the two men.
Born in Maryland in 1779, Stephen Decatur was reared in the traditions
of the sea and in 1798 joined the United States Navy as a midshipman
aboard the new frigate, United States. That year, he saw action in the
so-called quasi-war with France and in 1799 was commissioned a
lieutenant. Five years later, during the Tripolitan War, he became the
most lauded American naval hero since John Paul Jones.
In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the
Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by
pirates from the Barbary states--Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and
Tripolitania. Sustained action began in June 1803, and in October the
U.S. frigate Philadelphia ran aground near Tripoli and was captured by
Tripolitan gunboats. The Americans feared that the well-constructed
warship would be used as a model for building future Tripolitan
frigates, and on February 16, 1804, Stephen Decatur led a daring
expedition into Tripoli harbor to destroy the captured vessel.
After disguising himself and his men as Maltese sailors, Decatur's
force sailed into Tripoli harbor and boarded the Philadelphia, which
was guarded by Tripolitans who were quickly overpowered by the
Americans. After setting fire to the frigate, Decatur and his men
escaped without the loss of a single American. The Philadelphia
subsequently exploded when its gunpowder reserve was lit by the
spreading fire. Famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson hailed the
exploit as the "most bold and daring act of the age," and Decatur was
promoted to captain. In August 1804, Decatur returned to Tripoli
Harbor as part of a larger American offensive and emerged as a hero
again during the Battle of the Gunboats, which saw hand-to-hand combat
between the Americans and the Tripolitans.
In 1807, Commodore James Barron, who fought alongside Decatur in the
Tripolitan War, aroused considerable controversy when he failed to
resist a British attack on his flagship, the Chesapeake. Decatur sat
on the court-martial that passed a verdict expelling Barron from the
Navy for five years. This began the dispute between Decatur and Barron
that would end 13 years later on the dueling grounds in Maryland.
In the War of 1812, Decatur distinguished himself again when, as
commander of the USS United States, he captured the British ship of
war Macedonian off the Madeira Islands. Barron, meanwhile, was
overseas when his Navy expulsion ended in 1813 and did not return to
the United States to fight in the ongoing war with England. This led
to fresh criticism of Barron from Decatur, who later used his
influence to prevent Barron's reinstatement in the Navy.
In June 1815, Decatur returned to the Mediterranean to lead U.S.
forces in the Algerian War, the second Barbary conflict. By December,
Decatur forced the dey (military ruler) of Algiers to sign a peace
treaty that ended American tribute to Algeria. Upon his return to the
United States, he was honored at a banquet in which he made a very
famous toast: "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations
may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!"
Appointed to the Navy Board of Commissioners, Decatur arrived in
Washington in 1816, where he became a prominent citizen and lived a
satisfying life politically, economically, and socially. In 1818,
however, dark clouds began to gather when he vocally opposed Barron's
reinstatement into the Navy. The already strained relations between
the two men deteriorated, and in March 1820 Decatur agreed to Barron's
request to meet for a duel. Dueling, though generally frowned on, was
still acceptable among Navy men. On March 22, at Bladensburg in
Maryland, Decatur and Barron lifted their guns, fired, and each man
hit his target. Decatur died several hours later in Washington, and
the nation mourned the loss of the great naval hero. Barron recovered
from his wounds and was reinstated into the Navy in 1821 with
diminished rank.
history.com/tdih.do
1945 : Arab League formed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4854
1972 : Equal Rights Amendment passed by Congress
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4855
U.S. Navy officer Stephen Decatur, hero of the Barbary Wars, is
mortally wounded in a duel with disgraced Navy Commodore James Barron
at Bladensburg, Maryland. Although once friends, Decatur sat on the
court-martial that suspended Barron from the Navy for five years in
1808 and later opposed his reinstatement, leading to a fatal quarrel
between the two men.
Born in Maryland in 1779, Stephen Decatur was reared in the traditions
of the sea and in 1798 joined the United States Navy as a midshipman
aboard the new frigate, United States. That year, he saw action in the
so-called quasi-war with France and in 1799 was commissioned a
lieutenant. Five years later, during the Tripolitan War, he became the
most lauded American naval hero since John Paul Jones.
In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the
Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by
pirates from the Barbary states--Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and
Tripolitania. Sustained action began in June 1803, and in October the
U.S. frigate Philadelphia ran aground near Tripoli and was captured by
Tripolitan gunboats. The Americans feared that the well-constructed
warship would be used as a model for building future Tripolitan
frigates, and on February 16, 1804, Stephen Decatur led a daring
expedition into Tripoli harbor to destroy the captured vessel.
After disguising himself and his men as Maltese sailors, Decatur's
force sailed into Tripoli harbor and boarded the Philadelphia, which
was guarded by Tripolitans who were quickly overpowered by the
Americans. After setting fire to the frigate, Decatur and his men
escaped without the loss of a single American. The Philadelphia
subsequently exploded when its gunpowder reserve was lit by the
spreading fire. Famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson hailed the
exploit as the "most bold and daring act of the age," and Decatur was
promoted to captain. In August 1804, Decatur returned to Tripoli
Harbor as part of a larger American offensive and emerged as a hero
again during the Battle of the Gunboats, which saw hand-to-hand combat
between the Americans and the Tripolitans.
In 1807, Commodore James Barron, who fought alongside Decatur in the
Tripolitan War, aroused considerable controversy when he failed to
resist a British attack on his flagship, the Chesapeake. Decatur sat
on the court-martial that passed a verdict expelling Barron from the
Navy for five years. This began the dispute between Decatur and Barron
that would end 13 years later on the dueling grounds in Maryland.
In the War of 1812, Decatur distinguished himself again when, as
commander of the USS United States, he captured the British ship of
war Macedonian off the Madeira Islands. Barron, meanwhile, was
overseas when his Navy expulsion ended in 1813 and did not return to
the United States to fight in the ongoing war with England. This led
to fresh criticism of Barron from Decatur, who later used his
influence to prevent Barron's reinstatement in the Navy.
In June 1815, Decatur returned to the Mediterranean to lead U.S.
forces in the Algerian War, the second Barbary conflict. By December,
Decatur forced the dey (military ruler) of Algiers to sign a peace
treaty that ended American tribute to Algeria. Upon his return to the
United States, he was honored at a banquet in which he made a very
famous toast: "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations
may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!"
Appointed to the Navy Board of Commissioners, Decatur arrived in
Washington in 1816, where he became a prominent citizen and lived a
satisfying life politically, economically, and socially. In 1818,
however, dark clouds began to gather when he vocally opposed Barron's
reinstatement into the Navy. The already strained relations between
the two men deteriorated, and in March 1820 Decatur agreed to Barron's
request to meet for a duel. Dueling, though generally frowned on, was
still acceptable among Navy men. On March 22, at Bladensburg in
Maryland, Decatur and Barron lifted their guns, fired, and each man
hit his target. Decatur died several hours later in Washington, and
the nation mourned the loss of the great naval hero. Barron recovered
from his wounds and was reinstated into the Navy in 1821 with
diminished rank.
history.com/tdih.do
1945 : Arab League formed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4854
1972 : Equal Rights Amendment passed by Congress
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4855
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