Show rh fy fuma jou released by western newspaper union A A yankee captures de derna 17 WHEN E N general wavell of the B british army marched along the coast boest of 0 northern africa in his campaign against 11 duces italians he was following in the footsteps of a bold connecticut yankee who was making the same march 1361 years ago william eaton baton was his name and although his heroic exploit has been all but forgotten by his fellow americans Wavel ls capture of the town of 0 derna has brought ea batons ons name into prominence again in 1804 eaton baton went to tripoli as the american naval agent to the barbary states for years the barbary pirates had been preying upon the commerce of europe burcope and when american shipping became worldwide the united states as well as other seagoing nations were fo forced aced to pay tribute to the pirates finally N 1 if N I 1 tiring of these appeasement efforts the new republic persuaded the bashe basha ot of tripoli to sign a treaty tor for peace without ransom A deposed ruler but the Trl politan ruler did not keep the agreement and was soon demanding tribute again when his demand was refused he declared war and american warships blockaded the harbor ot of tripoli the pasha caramillo Caram lUl had gained the throne by deposing his brother hemet harriet when eaton baton learned that hamet had taken refuge in egypt he sought him out there and with the sanction of the american government ern ment offered to help him regain his throne in the early part ot of 1805 eaton baton assembled a force of about men at alexandria egypt it included s six ix american marines and a sergeant from the warship argus P N OBa midshipman P P peck a troop of arab horsemen led by two sheiks pasha harriets hamet personal escort of go 80 men 38 greek mercenaries with their two officers 25 ethiopian canno with one brass cannon and an englishman named farquhard who apparently went along just for the fun of being la in on a 8 good scrap eaton arranged tor for the co opera tion of the american naval squadron in the mediterranean and on march 8 1805 with his motley army set out on the mile march across the libyan desert t towards derne as the name was then spelled almost from the start baton had bad trouble with hemet hamet and when the pasha threatening to quit the expedition the arab a belks sheiks were threatening to mutiny using both threats and bribery eaton managed to keep his force together and after a weary journey of five weeks he arrived on april 15 at the bay of bombs bomba into which the two american warships argus and hornet commanded by isaac hull sailed the next day after a weeks rest there the expedition tion set out for derne and on april 26 arrived before that fortified town which was garrisoned with men eaton dentan sent an ultimatum to the governor of derne to surrender and received the reply of my head or yours I 1 the next day the argus the hornet and the nautilus arrived in the harbor of derne and under cover of a heavy bombardment bar dment landed a force of marines then eaton organized a charge of his bis forces and to the credit of the mercenaries it must be said that they fought bravely beside the americans and swept through the breaches made in the walls of the town by the warships eaton was slightly wounded in the battle but by late in the afternoon the stars and stripes floated boated over derne de rne the first time they had ever been raised oyer a fortress on that side of the atlantic A foe of appeasement eaton was born in connecticut in 1764 at the age of 19 16 he enlisted in the continental army and served until it was disbanded in 1783 after graduating from dartmouth he was made clerk odthe of the house of delegates and served there until 1797 when he be was appointed consul at tunis his experience with the bey of tunis soon convinced him that only armed force could make the te barbary pirates respect american amerl c a right light this thi belief was responsible for the expedition against derne |