Object 17: Mameluke Sword from the Assault on Derna, Tripoli, 1805

The Marine Corps is rich in history and tradition, and the Marine officer's Mameluke sword is one of the most historic items of that tradition. Its story goes hand in hand with that of one of the most famous early Marines, First Lieutenant Presley Neville O'Bannon. Less well known, however, is the role of a midshipman in the same attack that brought fame to O'Bannon, and this midshipman's role in the real story of how the Marine Officer's sword came to be.