Jefferson's War

America's First War on Terror, 1801-1805

By: Joseph Wheelan

Narrated by: Patrick Cullen

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Two centuries ago, without congressional or public debate, a president who is thought of today as peaceable, Thomas Jefferson, launched America's first war on foreign soil, a war against terror. The enemy was Muslim; the war was waged unconventionally, with commandos, native troops, and encrypted intelligence, and launched from foreign bases.

For nearly 200 years, the Barbary pirates had haunted the Mediterranean, enslaving tens of thousands of Europeans and extorting millions of dollars from their countries in a mercenary holy war against Christendom. Sailing in sleek corsairs built for speed and plunder, the Barbary pirates attacked European and American merchant shipping with impunity, triumphing as much by terror as force of arms.

The author traces the events leading to Jefferson's belief that peace with the Barbary States and respect from Europe could be achieved only through the "medium of war".

©2003 Joseph Wheelan (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

very good listen,

I liked this book alot
it shows how the united states evolved from fledgling nation to powerfull nation.
the evolution of jefferson is great, after years of arguing against centralized government, he takes that power and creates a powerfull navy, in order to protect the fledgling american commerce.

after this book I took the plunge and picked up the 5part Alexander Hamilton monster of a book.

Excellent historical review

Excellent historical review of the Barbary war. Of great interest to me was the inquiry into the egos of the principal players that participated in the Barbary wars, not withstanding Jefferson.

Jefferson War Monger!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would if they were interested in the subject. I would not if they just liked history as this book was very dry and fact filled.

If you’ve listened to books by Joseph Wheelan before, how does this one compare?

This was the first book I have ever read by him. I won't go out of my way to read his books but if the subject interests me, I will check it out.

What three words best describe Patrick Cullen’s performance?

Cultured, crisp and clear.

Could you see Jefferson's War being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could, but I would hope it would be more exciting than the book. Decatur played by Jake Gyllenhaal, Eaton by Dwayne Johnson. The Bashaw of Tripoli by Vin Diesel. Too many others to go on.

The most exciting part of the book was Eaton's journey across the desert into Tripoli so that the Americans could fight from land and sea. America had it's own Lawrence of Arabia.

Any additional comments?

I came to a different conclusion than the author on Jefferson's War. When Jefferson was President the war ended with the USA still paying "tribute" to the Beshaw. So why did we fight if the outcome was the same?
After the War of 1812, the US finally had a Navy and Marine Corps that was ready to take on the Barbary Coast. When they fought in Madison's term the US told the Muslims they would no longer pay tribute to them. That was a win!
This is the war that the Marine's Hymn states "By the Shores of Tripoli".

Solid history marred by attempted post 9/11 hook.

A rich, detailed history of the Barbary Wars that tries too hard to link itself to America's post 9/11 war against Islamic extremism.

Wheelan's 2004 history of the Barbary Wars ("from the shores of Tripoli....") is, on its own, a perfectly enjoyable history of America's first war in foreign waters and foreign soil. Brimming with colorful details about the Barbary states and the havoc they wreaked on European and American shipping.

The book does a wonderful job detailing the lengths those states took to try to mollify the various Shahs, Deys, and Beys with tribute, peace treaties that were inevitably broken when the Barbary states wanted more tribute, and just general obsequiousness by Europe and America until the relatively weak America finally decided to push back.

What stands out here that is sometimes lost in modern retellings of the Barbary Wars is the sheer distance between American ships in the area and home station. This was not a situation where orders could be transmitted in real time so Captains had lengthy periods of time to interpret their orders and mission before the next set of instructions came (if it came at all...the book has a great anecdote of an American postal clerk who just didn't send hundreds of pieces of mail for months).

The book's main failure (and a relatively minor one) is in it's subtitle -- Wheelan tries in the intro to equate the Barbary pirates to Al Qaeda and it just doesn't hold. The Barbary corsairs were motivated by greed, not ideology and while their Islamic faith influenced how they treated non-Muslim prisoners, their pursuit of jihad via piracy was far more basically a desire for wealth. Wheelan's ham-fisted attempts to draw a linkage just doesn't fly. Admittedly this only occurs briefly in the introduction and after that we get a straightforward history of the development of the American Navy and the war against the pirates.

Wow

Where does Jefferson's War rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 20 History Book

What did you like best about this story?

We have been a world power long before the advent of the modern era.

Which character – as performed by Patrick Cullen – was your favorite?

Jefferson

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Don't go to movies, read books"

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend

Tremendous work

A superbly well organized story of a complex time in our early country. This is timely & well done to relate current events to the similar stresses in barbary for all of our country's history.

reader's war

Although, this was a good story, and is certainly an overlooked event in the history of the U.S. Especially the birth of the U.S. Navy. The telling is devoid of emotional impact. Often the audiobook feels like a bland recitation of the facts. As the other reviewer points out the author uses the subject of Arab terrorism as a way to bring relevancy to the story, but then fall short in the actual telling. I would reccomend Charlie's War as a better book for History buffs.

Very educational and entertaining

This is a thorough and entertaining work. The narration is excellent as well. If you are interested in military or naval history AND you love to hear a good story, then this book is an excellent choice.

Well Done.... Bravo!

Shows clearly the basic evil nature of Islam when it is left unchecked by honorable men willing to beat it into submission.

Great History Lesson

This book clarified some of my misconceptions about the Barbary Wars. The first is the history of the Barbary Coast. I had only a vague idea why the Barbary pirates hated Christians. The author explained their ancestors were expelled from Spain, which started the anger. Piracy was ust a profitable bonus. I was surprised that Willam Eaton's land expedition was far away from Tripoli before being withdrawn. The Marine anthem "To the shores of Tripoli" makes more sense because I always thought Eaton had arrived in Tripoli. After listening this book, I excited to learn more about Commodore Edward Preble because he was a fighter.