In Memoriam
Between the War for Independence and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the armed
forces of the United States have participated in twenty-one principal wars and in numerous
smaller conflicts and operations. In each of these American men and women have paid a high
price for the nation's freedom, selflessly sacrificing life or limb for an honorable cause.
Principal sources of information for the figures, explanatory text and
illustrations appearing below include the National Archives and Records Administration; U.S.
Navy Historical Center; Department of Defense; Department of Veterans Affairs; and The Oxford
Companion to American Military History, from which all quotations are taken.
Naval War with France (Undeclared), 1798 - 1801
When England went to war with France in 1793, the Washington administration
claimed American neutrality despite a treaty negotiated the following year with England that
limited American trade with the French. Over the next several years, French privateers
responded by seizing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of American merchant shipping.
The Adams administration attempted to effect a settlement with France in 1798, hoping to
persuade the revolutionary government to withdraw its authorization of the privateering. At
the same time he called for other military preparations, President Adams ordered the completion
of three warships that had been under construction since 1793--the United States, the
Constellation, and the Constitution.
French Foreign Minister Talleyrand demanded $250,000 in gifts and $6 million in loans before
he would even meet with the American delegation. This notorious incident became known as the
"XYZ Affair." Charles Pinckney's famous response expressed the American point of
view perfectly: "[N]o; no; not a sixpence...." On receiving word of the attempted
extortion, "Congress commissioned 1,000 privateers to capture or repel French vessels,
established the Department of the Navy, levied $2 million in taxes, and passed the Alien and
Sedition Acts to restrict domestic dissent." During 1798 and '99, American naval vessels
fought more than ten engagements against ships of the French navy, losing only one. In some
of these, Acting Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and Captain Thomas Truxton distinguished themselves.
After Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in France in November 1799, the Adams administration
reopened negotiations with the French government, which came to a successful conclusion a few
months later.
American Casualties, Naval War with France
| Branch of Service |
Killed in Action |
Wounded in Action |
| Navy |
14 |
31 |
| Marines |
6 |
11 |
