We all grew up singing the song, but how many of us know what "the shores of Tripoli" refers to? William C. Hammond explains the reference in A Call to Arms, the fourth book of The Cutler Family Chronicles.

The quasi-war with France is over, and peace with England is, if not entirely tranquil, at least not outright confrontational. Family patriarch Richard Cutler is now captain of the USS Portsmouth, a small frigate, and his son Jamie is to serve as a midshipman on USS Constitution, pride of the American navy, commanded by Captain Edward Preble.

But war is stirring again -- this time in the Mediterranean, where the Barbary States of North Africa are taking American ships and men because the young nation refuses to pay an exorbitant annual tribute to their rulers.

Of course the Cutlers will see action in the war that follows, but Hammond also gives us historical figures -- including Commodore Edward Preble, Captain Stephen Decatur, General William Eaton and, of course, Horatio Nelson, as well as Yusuf Karamanli, the Bashaw of Tripoli and his exiled older brother Hamet Karamanli -- all of whom played vital roles in the conflict. The novel also features significant battles in the war, such as a desperate mission to burn USS Philadelphia after that frigate was captured, and the desert march by a few U.S. Marines and an army of mercenaries to take the fortified city of Derne in Tripoli.

History comes alive in Hammond's account, and the Cutlers certainly have major roles to play in the great events of the day. And, of course, life goes on in Hingham, Massachusetts, where their wives and children -- and the family business -- continues apace despite the conflict across the sea.

The Barbary Wars were one of the first great tests of the newly formed United States. Spanning 1801 through 1805, the political will of President Thomas Jefferson -- along with the untested might of the fledgling U.S. Navy and Marines -- was put to the test when the fierce North African nations demanded obedience at the point of a sword. A Call to Arms is a daring piece of fiction set in the framework of a vital part of early U.S. history -- and Hammond does his subject proud. The Cutlers serve as an excellent lens for viewing this crucial American epoch.