Battle of Derna (1805)

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Battle of Derna
Part of the First Barbary War
William Eaton leading the attack on Derna
Date April 27 – May 13, 1805 (2 weeks and 2 days) Location Derna, Cyrenaica, Regency of Tripoli Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Tripolitania
Commanders and leaders
William Eaton Presley O'Bannon Oliver Perry Hamid Karamanli	Yusuf Karamanli Hasan Bey
Strength
8 U.S. Marines 400–500 Arab and about 50 Greek mercenaries 1 sloop 1 brig 1 schooner	Unknown
Casualties and losses
14+ killed and wounded	Unknown

The Battle of Derna at Derna, Cyrenaica, was the decisive victory 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 Neville O'Bannon. The battle involved a forced 521-mile (839-km) march through the North African desert from Alexandria, Egypt, to the eastern port city of Derna, Libya, which was defended by a much larger force.^[1]

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.