The Barbary Pirates

U.S. Landmark Books #31

by C.S. Forester

C.S. Forester, creator of the beloved Horatio Hornblower series, takes young readers on an exciting adventure to the shores of Tripoli in North Africa. That’s where, more than 200 years ago, the United States was threatened by “pirates” who snatched American merchant ships and imprisoned sailors—and the country’s young, untested navy took on the task of fighting the pirates in their home waters. This true tale features thrilling ocean battles, hand-to-hand combat, and the first landing on foreign soil by the US Marines, and it’s as fresh and relevant today as when it was first published.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Historical, Pirates, American History, Adventure

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Cecil Scott Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of adventure and military crusades. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, about naval warfare during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on this forgotten part of American history. The author has vast knowledge of the time and tactics used...which makes this book a pleasure to read. This is an almost forgotten part of early American foreign policy; it was by no means a 'done deal' that the US would come out on top of this conflict.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re Read: This is a great short read factual read about the United States first real war that lead to the establishment of its Navy.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview and one geared to a younger audience, or at least a younger audience circa 1953. I'm curious to see what comparable material exists today and how it is written. Forester writes with streamlined language but with great density of information and no sense that he is spoon-feeding his audience. Though it details significant (and exciting!) events and personalities, this is largely an overview that covers a historically busy period both in terms of the Barbary campaign itself but also the American national character of the time, the Napoleonic wars, the political and economic system that made Barbary piracy possible, and even a general sense of life aboard ship for the sailors (spoiler-no-spoiler: it was awful). That the author accomplishes all these things and still has room for several good swashbuckles is a testament to organization and writing.

For the adult reader, this is an easy starting point for any number of subjects that intersect and for which more detail is undoubtedly available. Also: stories of brave naval officers giving what-for to dastardly pirates in an amazing period of history and part of the world. Just be sure to take the author's Christian / Islamic dichotomy with a bit of salt.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli” is the opening stanza to the U. S. Marine Corps Anthem. These are not just random words to a catchy service song but are based on historical facts few Americans (and even fewer non-Americans) are aware of.

Shortly after the fledgling thirteen colonies won their independence and became the United States, they entered their first war as a new nation. This war was with the countries and nation-states along the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea; what is now commonly known as North Africa. At the dawn of the nineteenth century this was a very difficult war to fight, much less win but the United States had no lack of determination to see it through. From George Washington’s administration, through that of John Adams and into that of Thomas Jefferson, the United States continued to send ships into these troubled waters (especially since the Napoleonic Wars were tearing Europe apart for most of this time in history). Through lack of sufficient navy stores, fresh water, speedy communication, seaworthy ships and unexplainable short enlistments, the war took much longer than it needed to. I guess this can be chalked up to a new nation flexing its hitherto unused wings of international power.

The things that particularly piqued my interest were the ships. The USS President (55 guns), the USS Philadelphia (44 guns), the USS Essex (46 guns) and the USS Enterprise (12 guns) comprised the first squadron. All of these American ships are lost to history and only remembered by the most astute history student or maritime buff. Later ships to arrive and partake in the struggles, like the USS Constellation (38 guns) and the USS Constitution {Old Ironsides} (52 guns), fared better in the minds of Americans but this is probably due to the fact that they both played a major role in the War of 1812 and the latter survives today as the oldest U. S. commissioned ship. As a navy vet, I realize what a ship, any ship, means to the sailors that serve upon her. She never leaves you as you. Likewise, never completely leave her.

This is an easy-to-read book that appeals to readers of all ages. It is clear and concise in its presentation as well as clean and comprehensible in its form. This falls under the category as lesser known works of C. S. Forester, creator and writer of the Hornblower series (12 books), featuring Horatio Hornblower as he advances through the ranks while battling the hated French during the Napoleonic Wars. However, where Hornblower was fiction based upon fact, The Barbary Pirates is fact based on fact. I think everyone will enjoy this one and I therefore highly recommend it.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light, easy to read history of the American war with the pirates of North Africa.
The book was originally written in 1953 so it cannot include new information or new historical perspectives.
That being said, C S Forester is the man behind the Hornblower novels as well as the book/movie: Sink the Bismark.
He is skilled at delivering a "rattling good yarn"

It is old time , top down story telling. History as made by the leadership with very little in the way of criticism of anyone in the theater of action. There is some little generalized disparagement of the politicians who failed to comprehend the importance of having a credible war fighting ability.

Speaking as Navy man, I was surprised at how little credit Forester gives to the role of Lt O'Bannon and his squad of Marines. The men who earned the "Shores of Tripoli" portion of the Marine Hymn almost disappear behind the role of fellow American William Eaton. Mr Eaton, self styled General, and more properly former American Counsel earned his place in this book. When compared to the version of the Marine role as given by Richard Zacks in: The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805, one can not help but feel that Mr. Forester failed the US Marine Corps.

Forester neither did not know of, or mostly ignored the American infighting, cross purposes and failures. Again Zacks handles this better. The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines & the Secret Mission of 1805.

Conclusion, easy read, non challenging and more fun than entirely accurate. Likely this was exactly what Forester had in mind.

[Tom King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forester's book, written for young people, gives a concise and engaging look at an often neglected episode in American history when the fledling navy of the United States brashly took on a problem the Europeans had been ignoring for centuries. The book chronicles the successes and failures of the enterprise, but through it all, you get a unique look at how Americans were perceived in the old world and what a shock we all were to our older brethren in that part of the world. It's unlikely to be popular with historians who make their careers explaining what's wrong with America, but I think this book belongs in everybody's home school library. We need to remember there are heroes in our history, not just villains.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting period of history

This book deals with the war against the Barbary pirates by the United States. Many will recognize the name of the author, C.S. Forester, from his Hornblower series. This work does not go into the political side of this war. It is a straightforward account of the naval actions and in a couple of cases the inaction of the Navy. Forested is very taken in this book that this war against pirates is where the U.S. Navy comes of age. The names of the officers that lead the right are well-known to any, who are familiar with this period of American History. There are good guys and bad guys, but the reasons for the bad guys doing what they do are clearly stated. If you are a history Buffy then this is one you need to read.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

در ابتدای قرن هجدهم تعداد نظامیان امریکایی تنها چند صد نفر بود چون بسیاری از امریکاییان بیم داشتند که روزی یک ارتش بزرگ و افسران فرمانده آن آزادی های ملت را محدود کنند.حتی شماری از نمایندگان کنگره می گفتند بهتر است دزدان دریایی شمال افریقا کشتی های کشور ما را به غارت ببرند تا خطر داشتن یک نیروی دریایی بزرگ را بپذیریم.کار به جایی رسید که دولت امریکا به حاکمان تونس و طرابلس و مراکش باج هم داد که ناچار به داشتن چنین نیرویی نشود.حتی پس از ایجاد این نیروی دریایی در یکصد سال بعد و در آستانه جنگ جهانی اول هم تعداد کل سربازان ایالات متحده از 87000 نفر تجاوز نمی کرد.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gem of a short non-fiction account which neatly describes the attempts of a young US nation and its fledgling navy to combat the Barbary corsairs which were a formidable menace in the Mediterranean (and beyond) well into the 1800s. A great source for those wishing to learn more about valiant, lesser-known American naval heroes like Edward Preble and Stephen Decatur.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was originally in the Landmark series. Good job explaining the Barbary Wars to young readers.

[Dennis Steussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a short historical book about how the US Navy started and how we got involved with the war of The Barbary Pirates, then this book is a very good primer. You will learn about the burning of the Philadelphia by Stephen Decatur and how President Jefferson and Madison supported this war. You will also learn about one of the first land and sea battles led by the United States Navy.

[Robert Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this isn't a great book. However, I've read it twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. It is one of a number of books I own that were published in the 1950s and 60s for young readers under the series title "Landmark Books" (apparently some of them have been reissued as Sterling Point Books). Pirates + Early American History + Yellowed, Musty Pages = A Great Read.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very straight forward telling of a piece of history. Me edition is illustrated and would suit a youngster who had an interest in this period of history. I found the book fascinating, so much so that I've ordered more detailed books on the same subject. I can't wait for them to arrive.

[TE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the more intriguing entries in the Landmark series, and a seemingly very popular one, based on the number of reviews. It was penned, by none other than the formidable C.S. Forester, the author of the renowned Horatio Hornblower novels, a series of twelve books composed over the course of thirty years which described the encounters of the much-beloved fictional title character, a Royal Naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars.

Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899-1966), better known by his pen name, was born in Cairo, the fifth child of George and Sarah Smith. His father was a local English teacher. His parents separated when Cecil was still young, and he returned to London. Forester moved to the US during WWII, where he worked for the British Ministry of Information. He reportedly met another famous British writer, Rold Dahl, in 1942, while he was living in Washington, D.C., a chance encounter which prompted Dahl to write his first story, "A Piece of Cake." The rest is history.

C.S. Forester wrote dozens of novels and collections, the most famous of which were those of his Horatio Hornblower series. Unbeknownst to many, he also wrote "The African Queen," (1935), which was made into the now-classic film featuring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn (1951). Another famous novel, "Hunting the Bismarck (1959) was shortly thereafter used as the screenplay for the film "Sink the Bismarck!" (1960). The last of Forester's novels was published only in 2011, after a previously unknown manuscript was discovered in 2003, which was released by Penguin Classics.

Due to his knowledge of all things maritime, Forester is an ideal candidate to write a short history of the Barbary Pirates. Sometimes known as the Barbary corsairs, the various groups of predominantly Muslim pirates and privateers operated out of North Africa, primarily from the ports of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers, modern-day Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, in the region known in Europe as the Barbary coast, the name a reference to the Berbers of North Africa.

The Barbary pirates weren't just sword-wielding swashbucklers who raided and pillaged the seven seas using the seized ships of their captives: they were typically well-organized and controlled at least in part by satellite states of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the Beys - the local rulers - in the cities and principalities out of which they operated. The local strong men also expected their cut of the take. The corsairs mostly prowled the waters of the western Mediterranean rather than on the high seas, but they also ranged south to West Africa, sometimes even into the North Atlantic, and occasionally as far west as the eastern coast of Brazil.

The Barbary pirates had been harassing European ships since at least the seventeenth century, attacking in particular wealthy British shipping vessels along the coast of North Africa, where they seized goods and took captives for ransom or enslavement. Many captivity narratives written by their prisoners and slaves have survived. Things changed somewhat when the pirates started attacking American ships, however, especially during the Revolutionary War. Although it took some time, the new nation was a primary factor in their ultimate downfall.

In 1777, the sultan of Morocco, who was one of the first foreign entities to recognize the United States as a new sovereign nation, declared that the fledgling country's merchant ships were now under his protection, and, as such, would receive safe passage into the Mediterranean. This Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship stands as America's oldest unbroken friendship treaty with a foreign power.

The Barbary pirates of other principalities in North Africa had no such qualms, however, and began seizing American ships almost immediately, upon realizing that they were no longer protected by the powerful British navy. In 1786, the US began systematic payment of tribute to the pirates and their masters to halt the attacks. As piracy had been a longstanding problem, in 1794, then-president George Washington urged congress to authorize the construction of six heavy frigates, which essentially established the US Navy.

The undertaking was expensive, however, and was something the US could ill afford. It had paid out some $1.25 million to the pirates as tribute, which constituted a fifth of the government's entire annual budget. In order to keep its merchant ships safe from plunder, the US was forced to send to the dey of Algiers $642,000 and $21,000 in military equipment each year for continued peace - a serious humiliation. To make matters worse, in 1800, the armed frigate USS George Washington was forced to fly an Ottoman Algerian flag before sailing to Constantinople.

Something had to change. That change was ushered in at least to some degree with the election of Thomas Jefferson, who decided to halt both the tribute the US was being forced to pay, and the piracy which had plagued the Mediterranean for nearly two centuries. This resulted in the First Barbary War (1801-1805), which was fought between the US and several European allies against the Northwest African Muslim states, most notably Tripoli and Algiers. Jefferson refused to continue paying their demands, and instead sent a naval fleet in 1801 under the command of Commodore Richard Dale to their shores.

This effort met with uncharacteristic disaster, however, when the ship blockading Tripoli's harbor ran aground and was fired upon by shore batteries, resulting in the taking of 307 prisoners. Due in no small part to this catastrophe, a treaty was reached in 1805, under which the US government had to agree to pay Algiers $60,000 in ransom for the prisoners and to continue sending the previously-agreed-upon tribute to the dey. This continued until the Second Barbary War, which flared up in the wake of the War of 1812, when the British actively sought to turn the Barbary states against the US.

This time, however, things were different. The US was no longer an impoverished, upstart nation, and had built up a substantial naval force, mostly as a result of its recent war with the British. During the reign of the dey Omar Pasha, Algiers got greedy and began to demand an increase in the tribute the US was expected to pay, an already heavy financial burden. His demand instead resulted in the Americans setting out to fight.

The conflict was quite short-lived. It ended in the famous Battle of Cape Gata, where the Algiers flagship was captured by the US navy and its admiral killed in battle. The dey was then informed of America's intent to enter into a war against him, whereby he offered the US the renewal of the previous treaty, but the US refused. The matter ended in a peace treaty whereby rather than being granted tribute, the dey as forced to pay $10,000 in restitution to the United States, and to renounce any previous arrangements for tribute. American naval power had won the day, and essentially ended the threat of piracy from the North African powers.

The first half of the book does describe the Barbary pirates, but anyone looking for a detailed account of them will probably be disappointed. The vast majority of the second half of the book deals with the US's efforts to put an end to demands for tribute and the looting of its ships, but it does offer detailed descriptions of several of the major campaigns and battles which occurred during the two Barbary wars. This is a good overview of a little-known period in US history, and is a good addition to the series in general.

[Kelly Hohenstern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #4 of 2022: The Barbary Pirates by C.S. Forester
(Landmark Book Series)
(#36 I’ve completed in the series)

“From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles, In the air, on land, and sea,” is the opening to the U. S. Marine Corps Anthem. These words are based on actual historical facts discussed in this novel.

Shortly after the thirteen colonies won their independence, they entered their first war as a new nation, with what is now commonly known as North Africa. The United States sent ships into these troubled waters and lost many ships and people to the Barbary Pirates (the Napoleonic Wars only worked to cause more conflict in the area ).

Commodore Edward Preble was my favorite character to read about in this novel. Tough as nails and tolerating no nonsense, he implemented many of the rigorous requirements and discipline still observed today in the US Navy. Trying to signal an unknown vessel one night who refused to announce themselves he said, “‘This is United States Ship Constitution, 44 guns, Edward Preble, an American commodore, who will be damned before he sends his boat on board of any vessel.’ And then to his gun crews: ‘Blow your matches, boys!’”

I enjoyed reading this novel and believe it will appeal to readers of all ages.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a bunch of the Landmark series books as a kid. Our school library had a huge collection of them, so I just made my way down the shelves. I remember enjoying them, but I was too young at the time to question the narrative slant. I just liked reading biographies and histories, and there wasn't a lot of interesting non-fiction for kids at that time. Most of what did exist was either boring or more myth than fact. These books did not talk down to the reader, which I appreciated.

Each Landmark Book was written by a different author, each highly respected and invited to contribute to the series. There is a wonderful article on the Landmark Books series on the American Historical Association website: https://www.historians.org/publicatio...

I'm rating them on the memory of enjoyment alone, not on accuracy or how they would go over today. Fortunately, kids today have a lot better from which to choose.

[James Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, punchy book covering the American experience in the Barbary Wars. Well, almost entirely about the First Barbary War, with a few pages, at the very end, to wrap it up and cover the Second Barbary War (although Forester doesn't refer to them as wars).

I have no idea how historically accurate the book is and a quick check of the internet didn't make me any wiser, on that score, but it was a very easy read and left me feeling that I'd learned about some of the main figures (as their lives pertained to these events) and events.

Worth the read, especially if you are a fan of Forester or the relevant histories.

[Conrad Kinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and lively, this a popular history for younger readers of the conflict between the infant US Navy and the Barbary Pirates of North Africa. The prose is simple and crisp as is usual with Forrester and the narrative gallops along at a satisfying pace. Adult readers will no doubt want something more in depth on the subject as this treatment is necessarily superficial, but even adult readers can benefit from a simple story well told.

Good for younger readers or as an introduction to the subject.

[BT Philips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great quick and easy historical read that closely narrates American involvement in the Barbary Wars. Forester gives a nice broad perspective to readers regarding the infancy of the U.S. Navy as it fought for respectability against North African pirate-sponsoring states.

I am glad I read this, for it gives me a worthy knowledge of a little known, but critically important event in early U.S. history.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful history of early foreign policy of the U.S. Government

[Stuart Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A YA novel about the American war against the Barbary Pirates circa 1800. Not overly in-depth, it still conveys the basics of the history, with some good backstory explaining how piracy existed in North Africa for hundreds of years and why the great powers of the day allowed it to continue. Basically they were usually too busy fighting among themselves to be bothered, and when they did try they found it was generally just cheaper to pay blackmail than to occupy unfriendly ports.

The America of 1800 has only finished the Revolutionary War 12 years previously. It's army has been disbanded, numbering less than 1000 men, and it has no navy whatsoever. The government and the people are afraid of forming a real military force because that's how tyranny had started throughout history. Only through long years of ineffectiveness did they finally decide to build the necessary ships to end the conflict.

Good telling of the big events around Tripoli, with some fine naval action and some famous ships and officers involved. The taking of the Philadelphia, the assault by the Intrepid, and a long march across the Sahara are well covered. Oddly, despite it being memorialized in the Marine Corps Hymn, the U.S. Marine Corps never actually made it as far as Tripoli, and of the entire 500 man force only 8 of them were Marines, the rest being foreign mercenaries.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this thinking it was a novel, but instead it is a sort of young persons's history of the early US Navy and the north African "Barbary" Muslim slave states in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Most Americans know of the "shores of tripoli" in the Marine's Hymn, and that's what this is about: Tripoli, mostly. It starts with the USA only just having won its independence, but without any real coherent government, still working on the constitution. An effort is made to stop predation by Barbary "pirates" upon US shipping, since that was such a critical American industry at the time.

Forty years later, it finally ends with the Barbary Pirates crushed and their scourge of the seas which had gone on for centuries finally ended. The tale is often sad and frustrating, with many stumbles, mistakes, betrayals, confusion, and failures, but eventually the job was done and the US Navy formed into a powerhouse that from then on became the dominant force on the ocean.

Great reading, filled with history and background, told in a very engaging, entertaining manner by a brilliant author that young people can read and enjoy as well as adults.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Τρίτο βιβλίο του Σ. Σ. Φόρεστερ που διαβάζω, μετά το υπέροχο "Η βασίλισσα της Αφρικής" που διάβασα το 2020 και το πολύ καλό "Βυθίσατε το Βίσμαρκ!" που διάβασα το 2022, μπορώ να πω ότι και με τούτο το βιβλίο πέρασα ιδιαίτερα ευχάριστα την ώρα μου. Πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που απευθύνεται κυρίως σε εφήβους και που ασχολείται με τους Βερβερίνους πειρατές, που τρομοκρατούσαν όλη τη Μεσόγειο, αλλά ακόμα και τον Ατλαντικό Ωκεανό, με ορμητήρια κυρίως το Αλγέρι, την Τύνιδα και την Τρίπολη (Λιβύη). Στην αρχή είναι λίγο γενικόλογο και όχι τόσο... καθηλωτικό, μετά στρώνει όμως, παρουσιάζει κάποια χαρακτηριστικά γεγονότα με μια κάποια γλαφυρότητα και ζωντάνια, και τελικά κατέληξε να είναι ένα απλοϊκό μεν αλλά συνάμα ευχάριστο και εξαιρετικά ευκολοδιάβαστο ανάγνωσμα. Και με έβαλε στη διαδικασία να ψάξω διάφορα πράγματα σχετικά με τους Βερβερίνους πειρατές, τις προσπάθειες Αμερικάνων, Άγγλων, Γάλλων κ.λπ. να δώσουν ένα τέλος στη δράση τους, και όλα αυτά τα ωραία. Οπότε, έστω και την τελευταία στιγμή, τσιμπάει το τέταρτο αστεράκι από μένα. (7.5/10)

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The U.S. actions against the Barbary Pirates are an often-overlooked part of early American history. Yet the campaigns the young nation fought against Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli did more than protect American commerce—they helped establish the U.S. Navy as a capable fighting force on the high seas. What makes this period so interesting is that President Thomas Jefferson, who had long opposed maintaining a large standing army or navy, recognized that confrontation was the only sensible path forward. Although he was wary of military power, Jefferson understood that paying endless tribute to the pirate rulers was both humiliating and unsustainable. Jefferson set aside his more ideological qualms for practicality, proving that the United States, even as a neutral young republic, would not be bullied or extorted by hostile powers.

[Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

C.S.Forester for your nautical reading pleasure of course you can't find much better than this author especially when looking at naval history during the age of sail, Forester's novels about the Barbary Pirates is really a story about the founding of the US Navy. What it took who were the main persons, what were the issues, the logistically problems, the tactics used and there results. He points out that this was the battle that prepared and trained the Navy for the war of 1812, it was filled with campaign details rich in historical data a little lacking in the personal human touch more like a well researched military paper therefore three instead of four stars for this one but I will still be reading more works from Mr. Forester have a lot of military history to catch up on.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This older book by the master of naval fiction CS Forrester, tells the story of the first US naval campaign and the ships and captains who made it work. The new United States was having its commerce raided and its citizens captured by north African raiders. The government created a navy and went to war to put a stop to it. This isn't the most scholarly version available but it is satisfying to read.

[Joshua Horn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my kids, though I decided that they were a bit young for it so I ended up summarizing and skipping a lot. It is less of a rip roaring tale for boys and more of an understand explanation of statecraft and the economics of piracy. I'd say it's a good book, but not quite what I was looking for or expecting.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A condensed history of the birth of the U.S. Navy and its battles against the pirates of North Africa. Written for a young audience, this slim volume is full of action and the feats of the naval heroes of the early American Republic. It makes us older readers want to know more about men like Stepehen Decatur, James Barron and Edward Preble.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is intended as a Young Adult title, but I loved it. It is nice to see that Forester can write nonfiction as well as he writes fiction. This is a period of history that I knew nothing about, other than the line from the Marine Corps Hymn "to the halls of Tripoli". My only complaint would be that I wanted more details.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great tale of American heroism. The US navy, younger than the rest of Europe's, and farther away destroyed the piracy, tyranny, and slavery which none of them could do. I did not know Jefferson started a war, though, and it seems to be an offensive war at that. This was disappointing to me.