The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805

A real-life thriller—the true story of the unheralded American who brought the Barbary Pirates to their knees.

It is a tale of high ideals, derring-do, [and] extraordinary courage. — New York Times

In an attempt to stop the legendary Barbary Pirates of North Africa from hijacking American ships, William Eaton set out on a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. The operation was sanctioned by President Thomas Jefferson, who at the last moment grew wary of intermeddling in a foreign government and sent Eaton off without proper national support.

Short on supplies, given very little money and only a few men, Eaton and his mission seemed doomed from the start. He triumphed against all odds, recruited a band of European mercenaries in Alexandria, and led them on a march across the Libyan Desert. Once in Tripoli, the ragtag army defeated the local troops and successfully captured Derne, laying the groundwork for the demise of the Barbary Pirates.

Now, Richard Zacks brings this important story of America's first overseas covert op to life in The Pirate Coast .

A historical page-turner with guts, glamour, and gore. —Anthony Swofford, New York Times –bestselling author of Jarhead

[A] rollicking account of the event that put 'the shores of Tripoli' in the Marine Hymn. [A] truly cinematic story. — National Review

A thrilling, better-than-fiction history. . . . Plenty of swords and swashbuckling. — People