The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-08-07
GROWING
PAINS
Stephen Decatur Memorial Road
By MARIE O'DEA

Stephen Decatur Memorial Road
Our recent Maryland Legislature
honored itself when it named a road
in Worcester county the stephen
Decature Memorial Road" About a
year ago a great boulder bearing
commemorative bronze tablet was ded
icated in a Berlin peach orchard on
the site of the cabin where the great
naval hero was born on January 5,
1779. French and Irish blood flowed
in his veins along with the salt
water that was his birthright.
His father was one Of the first to
volunteer for service in the newly or
gained American Navy Of 1898.
Through our naval war with France
he commanded the frigate Philadel
phia. Captain Decatur's two sons,
James and Stephen, served during the
same period, the latter as midship-
man in the frigate United States.
His skill in discipline and naval tao
tics soon won him the rank of lieu
tenant. Then followed assignments
in the brig Norfolk, the United States
again, and the frigate Essex.
Meanwhile, the British, vengeful
against the French and jealous of the
rising maritime power of the United
States, conceived a diabolical plan to
destroy both. Portugal had main
tanned patrol at Gibralter keeping
the Barbary pirates inside the Medi
terranean Sea. Britain persuaded
Portugal to withdraw this patrol and
the terrible Turks swarmed out into
the Atlantic on the trail of French
and American prizes.
These birds of prey usually sold
their captives into slavery or held
them and their ships and cargo for
ransom. To prevent their ships from
being molested, most powers of that
day paid the pirates blackmail "trib-
ute" America had little money to
expend for such racketeering and not
much of navy to defend her sea-
going nationals, but she did have
brave and resourceful naval officers.
In the Essex and the New York,
Decatur accompanied the first two
Mediterranean squadrons sent to keep
the pirates within their own borders.
In 1903, this talented youngster of "a
was given command of the brig Argus
and when it reached the Mediterra-
mean he was transferred to the
schooner Enterprise. This third squad
ron was commanded by Commodore
Preble
Meanwhile, the frigate ~Philadel-
phia, while maintaining a blockade be-
fore Tripoli had run on a rock in the
harbor The helpless ship was cap
tured by the pirates and Captain
cambridge, with his crew Of more
than 800, were imprisoned
Decatur captured a small Tripo-
Titan ketch and, with Preble's reluc-
tant permission, manned her with
suicide crew, slipped into the har-
Dor and boarded his fathers old
ship. Against an overwhelming pirate
force he found that he could not re-
lease her so he set her on fire.
For this exploit, Decature was ad-
vanced over admiring seniors to the
rank of captain, his commission bear
ing it's significant date, February 16,
1904.
Meanwhile, Captain cambridge and
his men languished in the Bashaws
dungeons. Commodore Preble ordered
six gunboats to attack the blockaded
Tripolitan fleet. One of these ships was
commanded by Captain Decature, an
other by his brother, Lieutenant James
Devature The gunboats sailed into the
contest, the crews boarded the cor
sairs and fought bloody hand-to-hand
battles with swords and scimitars.
Lieutenant James Decatur captured
one of the enemy boats. It's command
er, a moment after surrender, turned
and fired point-blank at the young
officer and killed him. The treacher-