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What is Stephen Decatur known for?
5 January 1779 – 22 March 1820 Stephen Decatur is best known for the 16 February 1804 action in Tripoli when, as a lieutenant, he and 75 Sailors set the captured frigate Philadelphia on fire during a daring raid on Tripoli harbor.
Why did Stephen Decatur become a hero?
Stephen Decatur (Jan. 5, 1779–March 22, 1820) was a U.S. naval officer who became famous for his exploits during the Tripoli War. He later served as a heroic commander in the War of 1812. He was killed in a duel by a fellow officer whose court-martial he had participated in years before.
What did Stephen Decatur say?
Stephen Decatur, (born Jan. 5, 1779, Sinepuxent, Md., U.S.—died March 22, 1820, Bladensburg, Md.), U.S. naval officer who held important commands in the War of 1812. Replying to a toast after returning from successful engagements abroad (1815), he replied with the famous words: “Our country!
Who was Decatur named for?
Stephen Decatur
Decatur was named in honor of Stephen Decatur, a popular early-American naval hero. Stephen Decatur was born in 1779 in Maryland and was raised in Philadelphia. At the age of 19 he joined the newly formed U.S. Navy, and rose rapidly in rank.
Who was a naval hero against the Barbary pirates?
Stephen Decatur was born in 1779 in Maryland and was raised in Philadelphia. At the age of 19 he joined the newly formed U.S. Navy, and rose rapidly in rank. He led daring raids in the wars against the Barbary pirates along the northern coast of Africa, and returned home a hero in 1805.
Who were the Barbary pirates and what did they do?
The Barbary pirates were mostly Berbers, Arabs, and other Muslims, but some came from Christian Europe. The pirates used small, fast-moving vessels to capture trading ships and their cargoes. They held the crews and passengers for ransom or sold them as slaves. Each of the four Barbary States had its own ruler.
Who was the hero of the Barbary War?
officer Stephen Decatur
U.S. Navy officer Stephen Decatur, hero of the Barbary Wars, is mortally wounded in a duel with disgraced Navy Commodore James Barron at Bladensburg, Maryland.
What war was Stephen Decatur in?
the First Barbary War
Decatur rose to prominence during the First Barbary War against North African pirates preying on U.S. ships. In 1804 he spearheaded a mission to recapture, and if necessary destroy, the USS Philadelphia, a frigate taken by the pirates in Tripoli harbor.
Who was Stephen Decatur and what was his mission?
Decatur supervised the construction of several U.S. naval vessels, one of which he later commanded. Promoted at age 25, he is the youngest man to reach the rank of captain in the history of the United States Navy. He served under three presidents, and played a major role in the early development of the U.S. Navy.
Why was Stephen Decatur an early military hero to many Americans?
In this and other engagements during the First and Second Barbary Wars, the Quasi-War with France, and the War of 1812, Commodore Stephen Decatur fought with daring and courage, capturing the imagination of the American public and becoming a national hero.
Why is Decatur called Decatur?
Decatur was an American schooner built in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1813 for privateering during the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for the United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, who served with distinction in many of America’s earliest conflicts.
Is Decatur considered Atlanta?
Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear Decatur as the address.