Battle of Derna (1805) 1805
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 April 1805 – 12 June 1805 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1805 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Libya | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | First Barbary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Tripoli eyalet, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 32.7667, 22.6333 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
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.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Derna (1805) (revision 1379954325), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Derna (2018–2019) 2019 · 0 km
- Siege of Derna 2016 · 0 km
- Battle of Derna (1912) 1912 · 1 km
- Action at Mechili 1941 · 73 km
- Battle of Bayda 2011 · 83 km
- 1989 air battle near Tobruk 1989 · 108 km
Other battles of the First Barbary War
- Action of 1 August 1801 1801
- First Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1802
- Action of 22 June 1803 1803
- Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1804
All 5 battles of the First Barbary War →
Browse more: battles in Libya · Africa · 19th century battles