Reference Entry
BATTLE OF DERNA
During the First Barbary War, the United States turned a small expedition into an enduring symbol of Marine Corps identity. An overland force of United States Marines and local allies, led by Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon and naval agent William Eaton, marched across harsh desert terrain to attack the port city of Derna on the North African coast. On April 27th, 1805, they assaulted the defenses and captured the town, raising the American flag above the works.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Battle of Derna, Tripoli
During the First Barbary War, the United States turned a small expedition into an enduring symbol of Marine Corps identity. An overland force of United States Marines and local allies, led by Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon and naval agent William Eaton, marched across harsh desert terrain to attack the port city of Derna on the North African coast. On April 27th, 1805, they assaulted the defenses and captured the town, raising the American flag above the works. It was one of the first times that flag flew in victory on foreign soil in wartime. The action at Derna helped pressure the local ruler toward a settlement and etched the phrase “to the shores of Tripoli” into Marine tradition, linking a small expedition to the emerging sense of a global American presence.
Read the complete weekly DispatchTrackpads Source Register
