FROM THE HALLS OF MONTEZUMA TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI CROATIANS IN THE THICK OF BATTLE, 1803

By Adam S Eterovich

The Barbary Pirates in North Africa from Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli continuously attacked Christian ships from the 16th to 19th centuries, playing havoc on the seas.

The New American Republic in the late 18th century started to ship and trade in the Mediterranean area and in 1785, Algiers seized the American schooner Maria and the ship Dauphin, holding their men for ransom of $2,800 apiece. The united States would not pay and in 1793, Algiers seized 11 more American vessels and increased the number of slaves to 119. The U.S. Government paid $642,000 for their release.

The pirates continued to raid American shipping and in 1803, the frigate, Philadelphia, was sent to Tripoli to blockade the port. The Philadelphia ran aground and surrendered as the crew was taken into slavery.

While the sea war simmered down, a remarkable campaign began on land. The American consul, William Eaton, began to recruit a mercenary army in Egypt. There were 300 Arabs, an English soldier of fortune named Farquhar, 107 camels, 38 Greek mercenaries and various officers of shady pedigree, including Capt. Luco Ulovic, Capt. Vincenzio, Col. Santuari, Lt. Roco and 25 cannoneers of mixed nationalities.

Desert Travel

A doctor, Francisco Mendrici, was also in the party along with eight U. S. Marines commanded by Lt. Presley Neville O’Bannon.

This band of mercenaries under the command of the U. S. Marines traveled over 500 miles of desert coastline before capturing the coastal town of Derna, controlled by the Bey of Tripoli. This ended their campaign.

The campaign is commemorated in the second line of the Marine’s Hymn, “To the shores of Tripoli” and the dress sword of the Marine Corps officer has, to this day, a curved Arabian hilt as a nod to Lt. Presley O’Bannon. The first act of piracy in 1785 to the conclusion of the above campaign caused the young American nation under President George Washington to create officially the United States Navy in 1794.

Our Navel archives would certainly shed more information on the names of the mercenaries, but it is beyond a doubt that Capt. Luco Ulovic was a Croatian and perhaps Dr. Medrici. Colonel Santuari was identified as an “Austrian”.

There were actually two main groups of pirates in the Mediterranean--the Barbary pirates and the Dalmatian pirates in the Adriatic.

They practiced their trade for several centuries (1200-1850). The Croatians, as subjects of the Ottoman Turks, were in direct contact with North Africa as fellow Moslems and the Dalmatian Croatians were either Venetian citizens or subjects of Venice. They actually appeared on both sides of the question in the piracy conflict. The North African Arabs never had a tradition of ships or seamanship and it is easily understood how many would have been in the service of the pirates or used as mercenaries by many powers of groups.

Yes, Croatians fought with the new United States Navy and Marines. Another interesting fact is that of all the pirates and pashas, Piala Pahsa, a Croatian, was one of the Barbary rulers!

References

Allen, Gardner W. Our Navy and the Barbary Corsairs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1905. 354 pp.

Chidsey, Donald B. The Wars in the Barbary. N.Y.: Crown Publishers, 1971

Eterovich, Adam S. “From Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, Croats in Thick of Battle, 1803, North Africa,” Zajednicar, June 30, 1976

Lewis, Charles Lee. The Romantic Decatur. Philadelphia: Univ. of Penn. Press, 1937. 296 pp.

Mackenzie, Alexander S. Life of Stephen Decatur. Boston; Little, Brown, 1846. 443 pp.

Tucker, Glenn. Down Like Thunder: The Barbary Wars and the Birth of the U.S. Navy. Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1963. 487 pp.

Wallace, Robert. “The Barbary Wars Raged Over Tribute Demand by Arabs,” Smithsonian, Jan. 1975, pp. 83-91.