Namesake:
Edward Preble was born at
Falmouth, Maine on August 15, 1761 and began his career at the
age of sixteen when he ran away to sea on a privateer. Two years
later, he was appointed a midshipman on the frigate Protector
and fought two engagements before being captured in 1781. The
following year, after his release, he became First Lieutenant on
the cruiser Winthrop. While on this ship Preble earned a
reputation for undaunted courage and presence of mind. In one
mission he led a boarding party in the capture of an anchored
British brig at Castine, Maine, and escaped with her under
hostile shore fire.
After the Revolutionary War, Preble remained in the
merchant service. He was appointed a First Lieutenant in the
United States Navy in April of 1798, and ordered the following
January to command the brig Pickering of the U.S. Revenue
Marine. The Pickering sailed in the squadron of Commodore Barry,
protecting American commerce against French privateers in the
West Indies.
Commissioned a Captain on 7 June 1799, he took command of
the new frigate Essex in December, and sailed from New York in
January 1800 to afford protection to American vessels engaged in
China and Eastern trade. During this cruise Preble had the honor
of being the first naval officer to fly the American flag east
of the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1803 on board his flagship, USS CONSTITUTION, Preble
sailed against the Barbary pirates as Commodore of a seven-ship,
thousand-man squadron. In October of that year he established a
peace treaty with the Emperor of Morocco, and then effected a
blockade of the harbor of Tripoli. Preble and his Tripolitan
campaign became one of the focal points for the development of
the fighting tradition of the U.S. Navy. Not satisfied with a
passive blockade, Preble attacked the harbor, which was
well-fortified and defended by 25,000 men. In a series of daring
raids, Preble's men caused severe damage and inflicted heavy
causalities, a direct result of strenuous training and bold
thinking. Preble's influence extended not only to events of his
time, but also to the later successes of Stephen Decatur,
William Bainbridge, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, and David
Porter, all of whom served under his command at Tripoli. In 1804
Preble returned to the United States to supervise the
construction of gunboats. He died a few years later on August
25, 1807. |
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