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Siege of Tripoli Blood & Guts Eyewitness Archive, 35pp, Chesapeake Affair, Too!
Siege of Tripoli Blood & Guts Eyewitness Archive, 35pp, Chesapeake Affair, Too!
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Description:

Siege of Tripoli Blood & Guts Eyewitness Archive, 35pp, Chesapeake Affair, Too!

This archive includes fascinating letters from Purser James Tootell, aboard the USS Nautilus in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War (1801-1805). It includes a vivid description of Captain Stephen Decatur's audacious mission to destroy the captured USS Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli. Subsequent letters discuss battles in the siege of Tripoli, including an attack by ex-consul William Eaton on the Tripolitan city of Derna. Eaton's victory there marked the first time the United States flag was raised in victory on foreign soil and made its way into the Marines' Hymn in the line "the shores of Tripoli." In this auction, another lot, is the Thomas Jefferson signed commission of Tootell.

[FIRST BARBARY WAR.], James Tootell, Collection of Letters and Other Documents, 1803-1808. 13 documents, 35 pp. Some staining and edge tears; some tears on opening original wax seals; a few tears repaired on verso; several letters have separated on folds; general toning; housed in protective sleeves. Includes handwritten statement of provenance since mid-nineteenth century.

Contents and Excerpts:

' Robert Smith, Autograph Letter Signed, to James Tootell, May 5, 1803, Washington, D.C. 1 p., 8" x 9.75".

"I have the pleasure to enclose you herewith a warrant as Purser in the Navy of the United States.... You will repair to Baltimore as soon as you can possibly make it convenient and place yourself under the Command of the Commanding officer of the Nautilus."

Robert Smith (1757-1842) served as Secretary of the Navy from 1801 to 1809 and as Secretary of State from 1809 to 1811.

USS Nautilus was a schooner purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1803. It was armed with 12 guns and had a crew of 103. Its first commander was Richard Somers. It served until captured by the British in July 1812, when it became the British sloop HMS Emulous.

' John Mason, Autograph Letter Signed, to James Tootle, May 12, 1803, Georgetown, D.C. 1 p., 8" x 10".

' John Mason, Autograph Document Signed, Resolution of President & Directors of the Bank of Columbia, May 12, 1803, Georgetown, D.C. 1 p., 8" x 9".

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," March 4, 1804, USS Nautilus, Malta Harbor. 4 pp., 9" x 15".

"I wrote you some time ago by Mr Gadsden and by the Ship Traveller informing you of the Capture of the Philadelphia by the Tripolitans. I will now inform you of an event which must be pleasing to all Americans upon our arrival at Syracuse from Gibraltar about 27th Jany we found there a Tripolitan ketch which was taken off Tripoli by the Commodore and Enterprize, the Ketch was immediately fitted out and manned from the Enterprise, there was about twenty men put on board of her including Officers with all kind of small arms and Two guns, the Commodore gave orders to Capt Decatur who commanded her to proceed immediately to Tripoli and destroy the Philadelphia; we recd orders on the same day to cruize off Cape Mensurato not far distant from Tripoli; after cruising some days on the morng of 16th Feby we discovered a sail from the mast head dead to windward we gave chase brought her too about sunset she proved to be an English Brig from Malta bound to Tripoli tho' the Capt would not confess it; as the port of Tripoli had been declared in a State of Blockade and the Brig having on board Six Turks and Two Turkish women we made a prize of her and sent her to Syracuse for a further examination by the Commodore; on the same night about 10 oClock we discovered a large light in the direction which Tripoli bore of us and heard the report of several guns which we supposed to be the Philadelphia on fire and we were not wrong in our supposition, we were off Tripoli three days after and Could see nothing but the Philadas stern port as she was burnt entirely down, the night which the ketch went in was a remarkable moon light night; they had on board a pilot who spoke Arabic very well, when they got in the Turks from the Philadelphia hailed her the pilot told them she was a vessel from Malta in distress that they had lost their anchors and begged that they would give them a rope to make fast to the ship or else they should go ashore the Turks not suspecting any thing sent their boat with a low line which they made fast they then discovered Arms on board the Ketch and cried out Americans and told them on board the ship to cast off the rope: Capt Decatur immediately gave the order to board, and they were all soon on board the ship, all the Turks in the Boat were killed, and several in the ship, some ran down in the Hold which was burn up in her & a number jumped over board the men in the boat which the Ketch had rowing round the ship to prevent any from escaping put most of them to death, they set fire in every part of the ship tho' not on board of her twenty minutes; the noise soon reached the shore and the gun boats were coming out but they were in such a Consternation ashore they knew not what they did. it seems as if the Almighty favored them for as soon as they had completely set fire to her a light breeze sprung up which with the Assistance of their boats towing her soon got her out of the Harbour, the Philadelphia lay very near their forts, the Ketch was fired at as they left the ship but the Balls went over her, there was not one man killed, they counted about twenty Turks dead but could not tell how many more were killed; they only made one prisoner, it was their orders to put them all to death not having time to take care of prisoners, this Turk which they brought off had recd several wounds, one of the sailors took hold of him and swore by Jesus he was his prisoner which saved his lif'another sailor seeing a Turk setting on one of the guns, went up to him and took him by his long beard and cried out come here you blood thief after giving him a stroke with his Tomahawk which allmost did his business he then dragged him to Capt Decatur told him there was a prisoner and asked him if he should kill him, but the Turk died in a few minutes'I informed you before that the Phila had thrown over board all her guns I was misinformed she had them all on board."

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," September 18, 1804, USS Nautilus, Syracuse Harbor. 8 pp., 8" x 10". Lacking top third of pp. 3/4.

"We arrived here to day from the Siege of Tripoli where we had been almost two months though unable to effect the ransom of our unfortunate Countrymen. The Commodore deserves the greatest praise his Government can bestow for his active exertions in trying to settle the differences between the United States and the Bey of Tripoli, and I am sorry he is to be superceeded by another Commodore.

"The King of Naples loaned the Commodore in the month of June last six Gun Boats & Two Bombards which he took off Tripoli to see what could be done. I had not the least doubt but that the Bashaw would have come to terms as soon as our squadron made their appearance off his town and I believe it was the oppinion of most of the Officers; we were three or four days in sight of Tripoli before we could do anything on Acct of the weather being boisterous. On the 3rd Augt it being a fine day and a moderate breeze the Commodore made the signal for the fleet to Cast off the Gun Boats (having had them in tow) and get them ready to Attack at 3 p.m. the signal was made...the Enemy's boats advanced and engaged the boats of the UStates, the Batteries kept up a heavy & constant fire upon ours, untill they got so intermixed, that they could not fire at our boats without endangering their own; the Batteries then directed their fire upon the Frigates, Brigs, & Schooners, the Gund Boats were engaged about Two Hours when the Comme made the Singal for them to retire out of Gun shot, after having boarded and Carried Three of the Enemy's Gun Boats and obliged the rest to retreat as you will see.. .. in the boats that were Captured ten Turks were killed & fifty taken prisoners, thirty of which were badly wounded...."

"The next engagement was on the 7th Augt after having got the three prizes in order which increased our little Squadron of Gun Boats to Eleven, the Enemy being then reduced to Seventeen.. .. on the following day the Come sent in to Tripoli a flag of truce and offered terms of peace to the Bey which he would not accept."

"The next attack was made on the 28th Augt which commenced before day light; we recd no injury excepting one of the Jno Adams's boats which was attached to, and a stern of Gun Boat No 1, was sunk by a w4 pound shot which passed through her bottom and killed three men. We must have did the Enemy considerable damag'the 4th engagement the boats went in mearly to Cover the Bombards which threw a number of shells into the Town. We recd no damage."

"The Come ordered Capt Somers to take the Ketch Intrepid which was the same Ketch that burned the Phila and prepare her to go into Tripoli as an infernal to be blown up in the Harbour. Capt Somers having got on board of her Eighty Barrels of powder & 150 shells filled with powder besides a great quantity of combustible matter, he then took command of her having two officers & Ten men with him & on the night of the 3rd inst made all sail and stood in for the Harbour of Tripoli; our Scho was ordered to accompany them and stand in as close as we could without being discovered in order to take the Capt & crew on board after they had set the Ketch on fire and left her. About 15 minutes before 10 OClock we saw her with the night glass close in the Harbor we being then in five fathoms water and in 5 minutes after she blew up and made a most elegant explosion. It was conducted so as to burn 11' minutes before she exploded which they allowed to be a sufficient time for Capt S & the crew to get off, and in order to know where the boat was Capt Somers was to throw up a rocket which we anxiously looked for expecting to see it every moment, but we neither saw or heard anything of the boat or crew having stood off and on all night. We were so near the shore that we could hear them making a noise on the beach Several shot were fired at us. We suppose they were all blown up in the Ketch but cannot account in what manner it happened."

"A duel took place yesterday at Syracuse between Mr Wm Ncholson & Mr DeCraff both Midshn on board the Brig Siren in which the former was shot dead."

William R. Nicholson was killed in September 1804 in a duel with F. Cornelius de Krafft. Nicholson's "close relative," Maryland Congressman Joseph H. Nicholson (1770-1817) asked Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith to forgive De Krafft and restore him to his rank. In April 1805, Secretary Smith permitted De Krafft to go to Europe to settle family matters and ordered him to report on his return.

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," March 16/27, 1805, USS Nautilus, Tunis Bay/ Malta. 6 pp., 8" x 10".

"Since the arrival of Commodore Barron's Squadron, nothing as yet has been done in respect to Tripoli. We are preparing to Bombard the Town this spring with the five Frigates, the Neapolitan Gun Boats can not be got. I am well convinced that we shall meet with a warm reception and I fear not be successful for the force of Tripoli is more formidable than the people of the United States have an idea of."

"the Brig Argus has arrived from Egypt where they left Genl Eaton with his army of Arabs on their march to Tripoli. The Brig with a Bomb Sloop which the Comme has lately purchased sails again today for Derne where the army is expected by the time she arrives there. What she is sent for I know not; the army is to march to Derne from whence they will Cross the Gulph of Sydra in transports. Eaton is Commander in Chief with Hamet Bashaw the brother of the present sovereign whom they mean to place upon the Throne of Tripoli in his place how it will turn out God knows; Eaton has a present fifteen or Twenty thousand Arabs which he expects to increase to double the number the by time he arrives at Tripoli. The Bashaw of Tripoli has swore in his mosque by Mahomet and his beard (which is the most sacred oath he can take) that if the Infidels (the name by which he calls the Americans) brings an army to dethrone him he will cut off the heads of every one of the prisoners."

' Lt. J. Thorn, Autograph Letter Signed, to James Tootell, July 23, 1806, New York, New York. 1 p., 7.75" x 9.75".

"I have just commenced my operations in this navy yard. I shall probably commence with the gun boats next week."

' Robert Smith, Autograph Letter Signed, to James Tootell, January 26, 1807, Navy Department, Washington, D.C. 1 p., 8" x 10".

"You will immediately place yourself under command of Capt Smith of the Wasp who will receive you as purser of that vessel."

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," April 25, 1807, U.S. Ship Wasp, Potomac River. 3 pp., 8" x 10".

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," July 8, 1807, U.S. Ship Wasp, Falmouth. 3 pp., 7.5" x 9".

"I have the pleasure of informing you of our arrival at this place after a passage of Twenty Seven Days from Land to Land."

"I may say with truth that our Ship is one of the finest that ever floated, she sails uncommonly fast and is as stiff as a Church."

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," August 27, 1807, U.S. Ship Wasp, Gibraltar. 2 pp., 8" x 10".

"The unpleasant affair which took place between the Chesapeake & Leopard we heard at Portsmouth it has occasioned much talk in England and seems to be regretted by every one that I have heard speak upon the subject, a War I suppose must be the consequence if ample satisfaction is not made by the British Government, however in my opinion the English have enough on their hands at present and are averse to going to War with the UStates. We have met with several of his Majesty's ships and have always been treated with the greatest politeness."

The British warship HMS Leopard pursued, attacked, and boarded the American frigate USS Chesapeake off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, on June 22, 1807. Unprepared, the Chesapeake's commander, James Barron, surrendered after firing only one shot. Three American sailors were killed, eighteen were wounded, and the captain of the Leopard seized four men sailing under American seaman's protection papers as deserters from the British navy and later hanged one of them. The American uproar over what became known as the Chesapeake-Leopard affair soon faded, but resentment over impressment in general contributed to the outbreak of the War of 1812 five years later.

' James Tootell, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Girls," July 5, 1808, U.S. Ship Wasp, New York. 3 pp., 8" x 10".

"Passamaquoddy where we (being, as the Public Prints state in the Embargo employ) were sent to prevent smugling...."

"I shall have a fine oppertunity of seeing every Port on the Sea board from Georgia to Maine. I begin to feel a great desire to visit Maryland which I hope I shall effect in the winter, provided our ship should remain in New York during the winter months."

' C. Nicholson, Autograph Letter Signed, to John Tootell, n.d., London, England. 1 p., 7.5" x 9.375".

Historical Background

The USS Philadelphia was a 36-gun sailing frigate, built in 1798-1799 for the U.S. government by residents of that city. Commissioned in April 1800 with Captain Stephen Decatur Sr. in command, the ship saw duty in the West Indies during the Quasi-War with France and in 1801 sailed to the Mediterranean under Captain Samuel Barron. After a return to the United States for refitting, the Philadelphia again departed under the command of Captain William Bainbridge for the Mediterranean, where it arrived in August 1803. On October 31, 1803, the Philadelphia was pursuing a Tripolitan ship when it ran aground on a reef two miles off Tripoli harbor. The ship and its crew were captured, and the crew were enslaved as war captives. The Tripolitan forces managed to refloat the Philadelphia and take it into the Tripoli harbor.

On the night of February 16, 1804, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur Jr. led a small detachment of U.S. Marines aboard a captured Tripolitan ketch, which they had renamed the USS Intrepid, into the harbor of Tripoli. They deceived the guards on board the USS Philadelphia long enough to board the ship. Decatur and his men took over the ship and set fire to the Philadelphia, denying the use of the powerful frigate to the enemy, and retreated aboard the USS Intrepid. The British flag officer, Lord Horatio Nelson, is said to have described the feat as "the most bold and daring act of the age."

In August 1804, the USS Intrepid was fitted out as a "floating volcano" or fireship to be sent into Tripoli harbor and exploded near the walls of the city. Sailors loaded it with 100 barrels of powder and 150 fixed shells, arranging for the fuse to the explosives to burn for fifteen minutes to allow the crew to escape. Lieutenant Richard Somers took command of a small crew of a dozen volunteer sailors. On September 4, the Argus, Vixen, and Nautilus escorted the Intrepid to the harbor of Tripoli; the escort ships remained near the harbor's entrance to pick up the crew of the Intrepid when they returned from their mission. Before the Intrepid could get into position, it exploded, killing all on board.

In April-May 1805, ex-consul William Eaton, a former Army captain, and a Marine Corps officer led a force of eight marines and five hundred mercenaries across the desert from Egypt to capture the Tripolitan city of Derna. This victory, the first in which the American flag was raised on foreign soil, gave American negotiators leverage in gaining the release of American hostages. In June, Yusuf Karamanli, the Bashaw of Tripoli, signed a treaty ending the war. The United States agreed to pay a $60,000 ransom for American hostages. In doing so, the Jefferson administration drew a distinction between paying tribute, which it refused to do, and paying a ransom.

James Tootell (d. 1809) was born in Annapolis, Maryland. From 1803 to 1805, he served in the U.S. Navy as the purser on the USS Nautilus. From 1807 to 1808, he served as purser on board the USS Wasp and in 1809 on the USS President. He died in Annapolis in September 1809. A Philadelphia newspaper declared, "Seldom have we had occasion to discharge a more melancholy duty than recording the decease of this amiable young man."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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