Eaton, Ohio

The city of Eaton, Ohio, takes its name from General William Eaton, a soldier and diplomat who achieved fame in eighteen oh five when he led a small mixed force overland from Egypt across the Libyan desert to capture the city of Derna, in what became one of the first land battles fought by United States forces on foreign soil. Eaton's exploit is often said to have inspired the line about the shores of Tripoli in the Marines' Hymn. The town of Eaton in Preble County was platted in eighteen oh six by William Bruce and went on to become the county seat. Preble County itself was named for another naval hero of the same era, Commodore Edward Preble, who commanded the American squadron during the Barbary Wars.