To the Shores of Tripoli E36: The Flames That Lit the Harbor

Last week, we saw the humiliating surrender of the Philadelphia. After running aground, Captain Bainbridge and his crew struggled for hours to free the ship, but their efforts were pointless. Faced with no escape, they were forced to surrender to the Tripolitans. The crew, including 38 Marines, was taken captive. Some resisted, including Bainbridge himself, who fought off a pirate attempting to steal a locket from his neck. Stripped of their belongings, the prisoners were marched through Tripoli as crowds jeered and spat at them. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia, once a symbol of American power, was now in enemy hands. But the war was far from over.