One of the greatest naval leaders of American history was a man named Stephen Decatur. Decatur led American forces to victory during events in the Barbary Wars into the War of 1812 against the British. He studied under Revolutionary War hero John Barry. Decatur’s major impact on the evolution of the United States Navy is best seen by his action setting a standard on both doctrine and culture of the Navy. Decatur’s exploits in taking the initiative and opinions on command of vessels defined the way the Navy viewed a Captains role in times of distress. What is significant here is that Decatur changed the way Naval Officers should act when leading their men and set precedents for dealing with foreign navies and insults and acting as a gentleman above petty encounters. To fully understand the way Decatur changed the Navy, one must first …show more content…
There was an incident with the chief of an Indiaman merchant ship when Decatur recruited some of the sailors to serve in the Navy. The chief made some disparaging remarks and Decatur took them in stride and ignored the situation. Knowing that the chief was misguided, when challenged to a duel after suing for peace, Decatur simply wounded the chief to make a point . This is compounded by his actions to try to attempt a gentlemanly ship on ship duel during the War of 1812 which never occurred due to the British side being unable to guarantee safe passage if Decatur won . These actions show how Decatur strived for justice and would not unnecessarily hurt someone if he didn’t need too. This is seen throughout history as U.S. Naval officers are always expected to be honorable men and women and to follow what is right and respect those around them. This is something emphasized by the way we respect other nations officers and respect foes while being very honest and honorable in all our