Eminent Americans : comprising brief biographies of leading statesmen, patriots, orators and others, men and women who have made American history . ainbridge peremptorily refused to make any stipulation concerning hisown conduct, yet the governor gladly allowed him to depart. On returninghome, his conduct was approved, and he was promoted to Master and Com-mander. In 1799, Captain Bainbridge was appointed to the command of a small vesselto cruise off Cuba. He behaved so well that he was promoted to post captain,the following year. He soon afterward took command of the frigate Washing-ton^ and
Eminent Americans : comprising brief biographies of leading statesmen, patriots, orators and others, men and women who have made American history . ainbridge peremptorily refused to make any stipulation concerning hisown conduct, yet the governor gladly allowed him to depart. On returninghome, his conduct was approved, and he was promoted to Master and Com-mander. In 1799, Captain Bainbridge was appointed to the command of a small vesselto cruise off Cuba. He behaved so well that he was promoted to post captain,the following year. He soon afterward took command of the frigate Washing-ton^ and was ordered to proceed to Algiers with the annual tribute which theUnited States had agreed to pay that power. The Dey compelled him to carryan Algerine ambassador to the Sultan, and in the harbor of Constantinople Bain-bridge received honors awarded only to the Lord High Admiral of the Turkishnavy. On his return to Algiers, he was instrumental in saving the Frenchresidents there, for the Dey had declared war Avith France, and would have im-prisoned or enslaved the few French people in his dominions. For this generous WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 341. act, Napoleon, then First Consul, thanked Captain Bainbridge, and his owngovernment highly approved the act. In June, 1801, he was appointed to thecommand of the Essex frigate, and proceeded to the Mediterranean, to protectAmerican commerce there against the piratical Tripolitans. He returned thefollowing year; and in July, 1803, he sailed in the frigate Philadelphia, to jointhe squadron of Commodore Preble, in the Mediterianean, He captured a hos-tile Moorish vessel, and at once cooled the war spirit of the Emperor of the directions of Preble, Captain Bainbridge proceeded to blockade theharbor of Tripoli, where the Philadelphia, on the morning of the last day of Octo-ber, ran upon a reef of rocks, and was captured by the gun-boats of the Tripol-itans. Bainbridge and his crew were made captives, and suffered imprison-ment and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublishernewyorkjohnbalden
