Memorial Day Weekend is fast upon us with this topical post from Balladeer’s Blog. This one covers some naval actions from America’s undeclared, neither fish nor fowl, quasi-Naval War with France. Often called Stoddert’s War in reference to Benjamin Stoddert, America’s first Secretary of the Navy, this conflict was waged largely in the West Indies.
John Adams
President John Adams wanted the infant United States Navy to protect American shipping in the West Indies from French vessels seizing our ships and sailors. The French Revolutionary government had adopted this policy to (in their view) “punish” the U.S. for not declaring war on France’s side in the Wars of the French Revolution.
Thus far America had remained neutral due to divided public opinion on the matter. Some voters felt the U.S. should join the war on the side of France but others felt that the current French Revolutionary government had overthrown, imprisoned and slain virtually all of the French figures who had aided America during our war against England, therefore negating any obligation on our part. (The paranoid French government had even jailed Thomas Paine when he visited the country.)
President John Adams later took great pride in keeping America out of an all-out land war. (Sentiment against France grew so strong that 80,000 men volunteered to serve against her. And don’t forget the rallying cry of “Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute!” following the X, Y and Z Affair.) Adams chose instead to act largely on defense by protecting our coastline, safeguarding U.S. shipping and expanding our Navy from three whole vessels (WOW!) to FIFTEEN.
Here are a few of the battles from this virtually unclassifiable conflict:
U.S. Naval hero Stephen Decatur
JULY 7th, 1798: Off the New Jersey Coast, Captain Stephen Decatur, Sr led his 20-cannon Delaware against the 10-cannon French privateer craft La Croyable. The French vessel had just plundered the American merchant ship Alexander Hamilton. After a long chase and running fight La Croyable was seized by the Delaware. The French ship was renamed Retaliation and joined the growing U.S. Navy.
NOVEMBER 20th, 1798: Off Guadeloupe, the Retaliation (commanded now by William Bainbridge) ran afoul of two French vessels: the 40-cannon L’Insurgente and the 44-cannon Volontaire. The French opened fire and soon captured Retaliation, then imprisoned the crew in the hellish Basseterre Prison on St Kitts.
FEBRUARY 9th, 1799: Nearly fifteen miles off the coast of the island of Nevis, American Captain Thomas “Terrible Tom” Truxton took his kickass nickname and his 36-cannon ship the Constellation into battle with the 40-cannon French vessel L’Insurgente. The battle began shortly after Noon and roughly two and a half hours later the French surrendered. Continue reading
PART FORTY-THREE: The targets of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the Fool Killer in the January of 1911 issue: 
Balladeer’s Blog previously examined the thoroughly bizarre suspicions regarding two terrible U.S. Presidents – Barack Obama and George W Bush. Yes, I always made it clear that I despised them both but I also did blog posts about the ridiculously overstated accusations made against them. Examples include Obama supposedly being “a Muslim sleeper agent” and George W Bush supposedly having a hand in the death of John F Kennedy Jr. 
Trump and his supporters are often called Nazis by cowardly hypocrites who would wet their pants in terror if they ever encountered REAL Nazis. The nauseating anti-Trumpers even pretended to care about “kids in cages” until they learned that Obama and Bush pursued that policy before Trump came along. 
Even the pro-Obama clowns at Snopes admit Obama incredibly erred by turning over illegal immigrant children to CHILD TRAFFICKERS! Links below. 
WE NEED THIRD PARTIES! And we need for even more of us former Democrats to #WALKAWAY from that divisive and destructive organization. Balladeer’s Blog remains the only site that equally criticizes both Republicans and Democrats.
Balladeer’s Blog’s theme of Top Twenty lists for 2020 continues. With Memorial Day coming up in a few weeks let’s take a look at some servicemembers who died in assorted neglected Cold War hostilities. 
OCTOBER 7th, 1952 – Another U.S. Air Force Superfortress encountered Soviet fighters off the coast of Japan and was presumed to have been shot down with 8 crewmen losing their lives. 
With so many other outlets covering the landslide of new evidence emerging against Barack Obama and his administration’s criminal behavior & other scandals, and with Mexico demanding answers about Obama’s Fast and Furious debacle, Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog has decided to instead focus on this underrated book. 
Martin Luther King Person of Courage Kiara Ashanti (above right) authored COMMANDER-IN-FAILURE: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN REFLECTS ON AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT AND HOW HE FAILED US ALL. It’s a riveting read.
PART FORTY-TWO – The targets of James Larkin Pearson and his Fool Killer in the December 1910 issue: 
As Bernie Sanders supporters pointed out, senile Joe Biden, amid multiple erupting scandals, proved once again that he and his people can’t even manage a virtual campaign event, let alone cope with problems on a global stage. 
Don Lemon edition: 
Balladeer's Blog 