Battle of Derna (1805)

Battle of Derna (1805)
	Part of the First Barbary War
	; William Eaton leading the attack on Derna
Date	April 27 – June 12, 1805
Location	Derna, Cyrenaica, Regency of Tripoli32°46′N 22°38′E / 32.767°N 22.633°E
Result	US–rebel victory
Belligerents
United States; Tripolitanian rebels	Tripolitania
Commanders and leaders
William Eaton (WIA) ; Presley O'Bannon; Oliver Perry ; Hamet Karamanli	Mustafa Bey; Hassan Bey
Strength
9 U.S. Marines; 70 Greek mercenaries; 450 Arabs; 1 sloop; 1 brig; 1 schooner	Garrison:; 800 men; Relief force:; 1,200 men
Casualties and losses
Americans:; 2 killed; 3 wounded; Greeks:; 10 wounded; Arabs:; 68–78 killed and wounded	68–78 killed; 120 wounded

The Battle of Derna at Derna, Cyrenaica, was a military engagement 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.

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.