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Decatur biography examines famed Navy commander’s life

During a dinner party in April 1816 at the Exchange Coffee House in Norfolk, Va., Commodore Stephen Decatur, the daring, skilled commander whose heroism became widespread news during the Barbary Wars, offered one of the most memorable toasts in American history.

“Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right, but our country, right or wrong!”

Offered in the presence of more than 100 military officers and leading citizens from the surrounding communities, the simple toast that received a wave of applause has echoed down through the generations. It is often misquoted, and from the perspectives of some historians, its importance is open to question.

Now, in his superlative “Our Country, Right or Wrong: The Life of Stephen Decatur, the U.S. Navy’s Most Illustrious Commander,” Leonard F. Guttridge sheds new light on this officer who, more than any other during that period, personified the ideal of the romantic hero in the 19th century.

Decatur’s extraordinary courage became known when, in fall 1804, he and a small naval force were dispatched to the North African coast to destroy an American ship captured by Tripoli. In the hand-to-hand fighting that followed, the young officer was slightly injured in the arm and chest.

Decatur’s daring again saw national recognition during the War of 1812, as he led sailors into battle against British forces, and during a second conflict on the Barbary Coast in 1815, where he forced Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli to sign peace treaties.

This biography offers insight into the elusive qualities that set the often mystifying man apart from his contemporaries. According to Guttridge, Decatur saw war as something deeply personal, to be won at all costs — and if glory was attainable, all the better. Although his concept of duty suggested an appetite for fame, his love for America superceded all.

By all accounts, Decatur, who was born in a log cabin in Tidewater, Md., and raised in Philadelphia, was a handsome man. Although often foolish in youth, he later earned a reputation for extraordinary calm under fire. Those who sailed and fought under his command had nothing but praise for his leadership. His charismatic personality also proved effective in later negotiations to end the Barbary Wars.

Yet his strong will was his ultimate undoing. In March 1820, he was challenged to a duel by a fellow officer, Commodore James Barron. Both were wounded in the duel at Bladensburg, Md., but Barron survived, while Decatur died of his injuries.

In this work, Guttridge writes in the same straightforward and authoritative style that characterizes his other works, which include “Icebound: The Jeannette Expedition’s Quest For the North Pole,” “The Ghosts of Cape Sabine: The Harrowing True Story of the Greely Expedition” and “Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection.”

Our Country, Right or Wrong: The Life of Stephen Decatur, the U.S. Navy’s Most Illustrious Commander. By Leonard F. Guttridge. Tom Doherty Associates. 304 pages. $24.95.

Don DeNevi is a freelance writer in California.