Hey, I'm interested in the life of Aruj Barbarossa, particularly this episode:
Meanwhile, the Spanish had possession of Oran, a city just West of Algiers. The Spanish-appointed governor of the city felt so threatened by Oruç that he asked King Charles V to send troops so they could launch an attack on him. The king heeded the governor’s pleas, and the governor’s men marched on the town of Tilimsan just west of Algiers, where Oruç and his men were stationed. Oruç was unprepared for the attack, so they fled for Algiers. Along the way they came to a river and just as they were crossing, the Spanish came upon the rear and attacked them. Although he had already crossed the river, he went back across the river and fought alongside his men, although there was no hope of saving them. There he fought, one-armed, to the death.
Did it really happen? And generally, where can I read more about him?
Can confirm: The Marquis of Comares, who was Governor of Oran at the time, received enough reinforcements from Charles V to make an army of about ten thousand men with which he would march on Tlemcen. Aruj was caught in flight and forced into battle while fording a river about thirty miles east of the city; having recrossed it to fight alongside those of his troops who had not made the crossing, the corsair was killed. His cloak was taken as a trophy and sent to Cordoba, where it adorned an image of St. Bartholomew through the eighteenth century.
Barbarossa was indeed one-armed, as well; his left arm was shot and irreparably damaged in his (second and unsuccessful) 1512 assault on Bougie.
Though any history of the Barbary Corsairs (and most of Algeria that cover that period) worth its salt will at least touch on the life of Aruj Barbarossa, he does tend to be overshadowed a bit by his brother Hayreddin. The first seven chapters of Ernle Bradford's The Sultan's Admiral: The Life of Barbarossa (1968) focus almost exclusively on Aruj, however; and I recommend that book as a starting point in your reading.