1To Thomas Jefferson from William Eaton, 24 March 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
E.— will go forward in the first frigate to the Mediterranean. After an interview with the Commodore , will proceed, in one of the small vessels, to Derne to aid the motions of the legitimate Bashaw of Tripoli in order to bring him in the rear of the enemy—Thence to Naples and negociate a convention as the President shall direct—Then be at the rendezvous, on the arrival of a re-enforcement, to...
2To Thomas Jefferson from William Eaton, 2 February 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
At an early period of our rupture with Tripoli Mr. Cathcart suggested to me the plan of using Hamet Bashaw , the legitimate sovereign of that regency, then an exile at Tunis, as an instrument in favor of the United States to chastise the perfidy of our enemy, his brother, who had usurped the Government— I did not then enter decidedly into the measure, doubting whether any construction of my...
3To Thomas Jefferson from William Eaton, 12 February 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Yesterday I received the letter of which the following is a translation — “Sir, Having lost the hope of the restitution of my family, a Mr. Davis, the American Consul at Tripoly assured me, and seing myself abandoned like a prisoner, more peculiarly now that there are no longer American ships of war in this Sea and the consul being about to depart hence without making provisions for the...
4To Thomas Jefferson from William Eaton, 26 January 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
By Geo. Dysson Esq. late Navy Agent of the UStates at Syracuse, I am assured that Tobias Lear did privately stipulate with Joseph Bashaw of Tripoli an article, which he signed, that the family of Hamet Bashaw should not be surrendered, as by public treaty engaged, until after the expiration of four years—It is impossible to suppose that information of this dishonorable duplicity and fraud...
5To James Madison from William Eaton, 9 November 1802 (Madison Papers)
The letter accompanying this of 22d. a 27th. ult. went off for Gibraltar on the day of its date by an English merchantman which, having sprung a leak at sea, returned into port. That from the department of State of May 10th. I had the honor to receive 30th. It was enjoined on me to forward my account by the return of the squadron: but it must be long since known to the Government that no ship...
6To James Madison from William Eaton, 12 November 1802 (Madison Papers)
The cause of the sudden change of treatment on the part of this Bey towards me in my representative character is just now discovered. About thirty days ago arrived here a chaux (messenger) from the Sublime Porte with a firman from the Grand Signor demanding immediate restitution of three Sardinian merchant vessels and cargoes, captured during the late war, by the Bey’s cruisers, while under...
7To James Madison from William Eaton, 6 May 1803 (Madison Papers)
I embarked at Tunis in the schooner Enterprize on the 10th. March, touched at Algiers the 20th.—and arrived at Gibraltar the 23d.: the squadron had arrived the morning of the same day. It was my intention thence to have taken passage to the United States in the frigate chesapeak. But, hearing on the 30th. of the arrival of a ship from Leghorn bound directly to Boston, I asked the Commodore’s...
8To James Madison from William Eaton, 5 August 1802 (Madison Papers)
I have the honor herewith to inclose for the information of Government copies of letters A. & B. which I this instant received from our Chargé des affaires and Cap. Morris at Tripoli. The American frigate mentioned in the latter was the Constellation Cap. Murray, as I presume from the circumstance of the Boston having left Malta on the 11th. ult. for the U States, and as I have no information...
9To James Madison from William Eaton, 28 June 1801 (Madison Papers)
On the night of the eighteenth instant a fire broke out in the Bey’s Palace which in its progress consumed fifty thousand stands of small arms. The Second day following I recieved a message to wait on the Bey; but was at that moment confined to my bed with a billious fever so that it was not till this morning I have been able to go in my carriage to the Palace. The Bey’s object in calling on...
10To James Madison from William Eaton, 8 June 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
8 June 1802, Tunis. Complains that his plans regarding Hamet Pasha of Tripoli “have undergone very severe criticism by Captains S. Barron and Bainbridge; by them reprobated in a stile of most illiberal censure; and under their influence, rejected by Capn. Murray in an air of authority and reprimand.” Acknowledges his reporting that “ We are abandoned by our ships of war ” must have offended...