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Led by self-appointed “General” William Eaton, one of
the strangest invading forces in military history set out across the North
African desert to avenge American honor.
Most Americans can recite the second line of the immortal “Marine
Hymn” by memory, but few actually know what it means. In fact, the
famous line, “To the shores of Tripoli,” refers to America’s
limited engagement against the Barbary pirates at the dawn of the 19th
century. It was our fledgling nation’s first attempt to exert its
authority overseas. It was also America’s first conflict with an
asymmetrical opponent in the Muslim world. This conflict, which came to
be known as the Tripolitan War, eerily foreshadowed the modern war on
terror. It also gave rise to one of the most interesting and bizarre characters
in American military history “General” William Eaton.
Eaton was born in 1764 in rural Connecticut. He came from a farming family,
but he had no interest in spending his life tilling the flinty New England
earth. When war broke out between the American colonies and Great Britain,
Eaton found a golden chance to escape. At the age of 15, he enlisted in
the Continental Army. Unfortunately, the adventurous teen saw little action
during his tour of duty. After three uneventful years spent mainly as
a clerk, he left the service to pursue a higher education. Working his
way through Dartmouth College, Eaton graduated in 1790, then took a job
as a clerk in the Vermont House of Delegates.
Eaton soon grew bored with politics and returned to the military as an
infantry captain in 1792. He served his second tour under Maj. Gen. Anthony
Wayne, affectionately known as “Mad Anthony” by his subordinates.
Wayne was a fighting man’s general, and he gave Eaton his first
taste of combat during the Ohio Valley campaign. Eaton was assigned to
the American Legion, a combined-arms unit consisting of infantry, artillery
and light dragoons. In the course of the campaign, Eaton successfully
infiltrated Miami Indian villages and even took command of a wilderness
fort to repel a massive Indian counterattack. Under Wayne’s tutelage,
he became adept at such time-tested Indian fighting techniques as camouflage
and ambush. He would later put these skills to good use a long way from
the rolling forests of the Ohio Valley.
When the Ohio Valley campaign ended in late 1794, Eaton was reassigned
to Georgia where his main duty was to prevent attacks against the local
settlers by Creek Indians. Eaton soon became familiar with the Creek language
and customs, even briefly taking the daughter of a local chief as his
bride. During his time in Georgia, there were no Creek uprisings or attacks
on settlements. The State Assembly was so grateful that they offered Eaton
a reward of $500, which he suavely declined, noting that the people of
Georgia were poor and could put the money to better use improving their
roads. In appreciation, the assemblymen made him an honorary citizen of
Georgia and offered him his choice of land whenever he chose to settle
down.
Along with keeping an eye on the Creek Indians, Eaton and his men were
also responsible for guarding the Georgia border against the Spanish.
At the time, Florida was a Spanish colony and there was a constant fear
of incursion by Spanish troops. However, after the excitement of the Miami
war, Eaton found duty as a border guard boring, and the boisterous young
soldier didn’t take well to boredom. He began using his meager savings
to invest in a number of speculative land deals in the West. These shady
deals were surprisingly profitable and by October 1796 Eaton was a wealthy
man, banking some $54,000 on his initial investment of $200.
Eaton’s newfound wealth attracted the attention of his commander,
Colonel Henry Gaither. Gaither and Eaton had never gotten along, but their
relationship worsened when the colonel lost his life savings speculating
on another land deal. Eaton’s fiery temper only added to this volatile
clash of personalities. The conflict ultimately came to a head that same
autumn, and Gaither court-martialed Eaton for allegedly selling government
supplies to the Creek Indians. Eaton was also accused of improperly using
his time in the military to further his private land deals. He was convicted
in absentia, but a review board soon overturned the conviction and chastised
Gaither for bringing the charges. Nevertheless, the scandal tarnished
Eaton’s reputation within the military. Realizing that his opportunities
for promotion were limited and not wanting to remain under Gaither’s
command, he resigned his commission in December 1796 and moved to Philadelphia.
However, it would take six months for his resignation to take effect.
In the meantime, he was still officially in the Army, although without
specific duties.
Secretary of State William Pickering came to the young officer’s
aid. Eaton had ingratiated himself with the secretary when he shamelessly
named a small mud fort in a Georgia swamp after him. As it turned out,
Pickering had a use for a disgraced military officer such as Eaton, and
he was recruited into a small counter espionage unit that was tasked with
surveilling British and French spies inside the United States. The surveillance
required a subtle touch, since America had shaky diplomatic relations
with both nations. The upstart country had been free of British rule for
less than a quarter-century, and it had only recently emerged from the
Quasi-War with its former ally France. A major diplomatic embarrassment
of either nation could lead to a resumption of hostilities, something
the young country might not survive.
Given Eaton’s reputation as a firebrand, he seemed an odd choice
for such delicate work. However, his court-martial and abrupt departure
from the Army gave him the perfect cover to infiltrate the spy ring.
Eaton traveled to New York to find the ring’s suspected contact,
Dr. Nicholas Romayne. Romayne was believed to be the intermediary used
by British spies to deliver their reports, although nothing definitive
could be proven. It was Eaton’s job to obtain that proof. In his
signature direct style, Eaton walked into Romayne’s office and related
the sad story of his court-martial and supposed departure from the Army.
Romayne seemed particularly interested in his service along the Georgia
border. He offered to pay Eaton to detail the American defenses along
the border. Eaton immediately arrested the doctor and personally escorted
him back to Philadelphia.
(Read the rest of the story in the June issue of Military Heritage.)
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