Battle of Derna (1805)
| Battle of Derna (1805) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the First Barbary War | |||||||
William Eaton leading the attack on Derna | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
United States Tripolitanian rebels | Tripolitania | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
William Eaton (WIA) Presley O'Bannon Oliver Perry Hamet Karamanli |
Mustafa Bey Hassan Bey | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
9 U.S. Marines 3 navymen 70 Greek mercenaries 450 Arabs 1 sloop 1 brig 1 schooner |
Garrison: 800 men Relief force: 1,200 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Americans: 2 killed 3 wounded Greeks: 10 wounded Arabs: 68–78 killed and wounded |
68–78 killed 120 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Derna at Derna, Cyrenaica, was a military engagement in April–May 1805 of a mercenary army recruited and led by United States Marines under the command of U.S. Army Lieutenant William Eaton, diplomatic Consul to Tripoli, and U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon. The battle involved a 521-mile (839-km) march through the Libyan Desert from Alexandria, Egypt, to the eastern port city of Derna, which was defended by a much larger force.
The Battle of Derna and the broader First Barbary War highlighted the challenges faced by the United States in dealing with piracy and asserting its interests in the Mediterranean during the early years of its existence as a nation. It was also the first foreign military intervention in U.S. history.