CHAPTER XII
We nowcome to the other and vastly more honorable phase of our relations with the Barbary powers and to a series of actions which form one of the most dramatic chapters of American naval history. ThePhiladelphiaand schoonerVixenwere the only two vessels blockading Tripoli. It was October, with much rough weather. Carried by the gales well to the eastward of Tripoli, thePhiladelphiaon October 31st was returning, with the wind now shifted into the east, to her station. Sighting a vessel inshore, she gave chase and pursued until the soundings decreased to a danger point and the ship was hauled off shore. The coast was practically uncharted. The depth increased and then again suddenly decreased and the ship drove on to a reef which was one of several to the eastward of the port, and between which, as in most coral formations, was deep water. The chase, knowing well the water, reached the harbor in safety. The firinghad brought out nine gunboats and no time was to be lost if the ship were to be saved. She had driven up the smooth eastern slope of the reef her entire length. Guns were thrown overboard, a few only being reserved for defence, anchors cut from the bows, the foremast cut away, and every means taken to lighten the ship without avail. The hostile gunboats took positions from which they could safely fire; night was at hand; theVixenwas unfortunately absent in search of a Tripolitan cruiser, and the situation became such that it was imperative to surrender to save the lives of the ship’s company. The magazine was “drowned,” holes bored in the ship’s bottom, and all done which it was thought would insure the loss of the ship. The colors were then lowered. The Tripolitan crews acted in their usual manner, stripping the men of their clothing and seizing everything valuable, snatching even from Bainbridge his epaulets, gloves, watch, and money when in the boat of his captors. It was ten at night when the 307 prisoners were landed at the town. The officers were very civilly received in state by the Pacha, given supper, and at one o’clock of the morning taken to the former American consulate, a house goodenough in itself but almost destitute of furniture and other comforts. But for the kindness then shown by Mr. Nicholas C. Nissen, the Danish consul, then as ever an unswerving friend of American prisoners, their condition would have been greatly more trying. His name should be held in grateful remembrance. He did indeed receive the thanks of Congress and had the lasting gratitude of the officers of thePhiladelphia, who, after their release, presented him in grateful recognition of his kindness with a handsome testimonial of silver.
The men were confined in a warehouse much too small but were later transferred to a larger. They were set to various kinds of work, even to the building, as mentioned, of a fort which came to be known as the American fort and received much maltreatment, particularly after the burning of thePhiladelphiain the harbor, which soon came to pass.
The ship had been floated largely through the influence of a northerly gale which had raised the water-level on the coast and had on November 5th been brought into the harbor. Her guns and anchors were weighed, the former mounted, and work begun to put the ship in order. It is seldom that the soul of man ismore sorely tried than was that of her gallant captain when he became conscious of this success of the enemy.
It was not until November 27th that Preble on his arrival at Malta received news confirming rumors of thePhiladelphia’sloss in letters from Bainbridge. In one of December 5, 1803, Bainbridge had suggested the destruction of thePhiladelphia, an idea which naturally had already occurred to Preble. On December 17th the latter sailed for Tripoli, taking with him theEnterprise, commanded by Decatur, who captured on the way a ketch (or topsail schooner) named theMastico, with a crew of seventy. It was this captured vessel, renamed theIntrepid, which was finally used in the coming adventure and has thus come down through more than a century in the list of famous ships.
There was no trouble in finding officers or men for the duty, but the whole was finally turned over to the commander of theEnterpriseto arrange, and her crew only was to be employed except that five midshipmen of theConstitutionwere detailed to assist. Sixty-two men of theEnterprisewere taken. The officers were Decatur, commanding; LieutenantsLawrence, Bainbridge, and Thorn, and Midshipman Macdonough, all of theEnterprise; Midshipmen Izard, Morris, Laws, Davis, and Rowe of theConstitution, and Salvador Catalano as pilot. Nearly two months from the inception had been spent in maturing the plans, and on the evening of February 3d theIntrepidandSirensailed together from Syracuse and were off Tripoli on the 7th. A gale of wind drove them to sea, and it was not until the 16th that they were again off Tripoli. At dark theIntrepidwas two miles from the entrance, and here Midshipman T. O. Anderson, with a boat and nine men from theSiren(which was disguised as a merchantman), was taken on board. This made a total of eighty-four in theIntrepid. A careful division of duties had been made. Decatur, two midshipmen, and fifteen men were to hold the spar (or upper) deck; the others were to look after the lower decks except a midshipman and his boat’s crew who were to secure thePhiladelphia’sboats and prevent the escape ashore of the Tripolitan crew. The watchword was “Philadelphia.”
The captured ship had her main and mizzen topmasts housed (partially lowered), the foremast which had been cut away was not yetreplaced; the sails were unbent and her lower yards lying across the bulwarks. Her forty guns were all loaded. She was lying in front of the castle well inshore.
The night was almost calm with a smooth sea and a young moon, and theIntrepidcrept slowly in, apparently exciting no distrust. The main part of her crew was kept concealed, only some ten or twelve being visible. She was steered straight for thePhiladelphia’sbow.
When still some distance off, a hail from thePhiladelphiawas answered by the pilot, who stated the vessel to be from Malta, and that her anchors having been lost in a gale, permission was asked to make fast to the ship. A sudden shift of wind brought theIntrepidunder the frigate’s broadside and she drifted slowly astern, exposed to thePhiladelphia’sport broadside at a distance of about forty yards. So completely were the Tripolitans deceived that they lowered a boat and sent a line. Some of theIntrepid’smen had meanwhile got into her boat and taken one to the frigate’s fore chains (supports to the shrouds). They then took the line from the frigate’s boat which had been run from the after part of the ship and made it fast aboard theIntrepid. Both lineswere hauled upon by the men lying down concealed on her deck. On getting near thePhiladelphiatheIntrepid’sanchors were discovered. On this, the Tripolitans prepared to cut the fasts, passing the cry of “Americanos.” A strong pull brought theIntrepidalongside, “where she was secured quick as thought.”
The ship was immediately boarded. The Tripolitans crowded over to the starboard side and forward, offering practically no resistance, and large numbers jumped overboard. There was some struggle below, “but in less than ten minutes Decatur was on the quarter deck in undisturbed possession of his prize.”
The orders to destroy the ship and not attempt to get her away, which in the circumstances of not a sail bent or a yard aloft would have been almost impossible, were imperative. The arrangements for firing her were so complete that the combustibles prepared were alight in a few minutes, and in some twenty-five minutes from boarding the Americans were hastening out of the ship to escape the flames. Their movements were none too quick to escape; the fasts were cut and theIntrepidshoved clear only just in time herself to escape burning. The sixteen sweeps were manned, and, aidedby a light breeze, the little vessel with her brave crew intact swept out of the harbor under the fire of the batteries and the thunder of thePhiladelphia’sown guns as they heated and discharged themselves, one broadside toward the town, the other toward the English fort. The only shot striking theIntrepidwas one passing through her topgallantsail. She was met outside the harbor by theSiren’sboats. TheSiren’scommander had seen the rocket-signal, agreed upon, from thePhiladelphia, and in the calm had used his sweeps to close in and protect theIntrepidshould she be attacked. Before the signal could be answered the flames were running aloft in thePhiladelphia. “Presently a boat was seen coming alongside and a man in a sailor’s jacket sprang over the gangway of the brig. It was Decatur to announce his victory!”[22]On the 19th both vessels were again at Syracuse. This brilliant exploit made Decatur a captain at the age of twenty-five and promoted most of those who accompanied him. It remains as one of the most gallant and successful adventures of the sea, remarkable particularly for the coolness of its procedure and calm courage of execution. It was worthy ofall the praise given it at the time and which has continued undimmed.
The loss of thePhiladelphiaand Decatur’s exploit gave an impetus to naval affairs, which struggled then, as ever since, under conditions of want of knowledge in our legislators and a poor system of administration. There was, for example, not a drydock in the whole country. “Facts,” as Fenimore Cooper expresses it, “were still leading opinion, and the gallant men who were slowly fighting themselves into favor were merely performing an office that would seem inseparable from the advancement of every free people in civilization.”
Preble’s whole force before Tripoli in July, 1804, was the frigateConstitution, six small vessels of from 12 to 16 guns each, six gunboats, and two bomb-vessels; an excellent force for blockading and for attacking the Tripolitan gunboats, which hugged the shores, but not for bombarding the batteries in which were 115 guns.
From now on many brilliant actions between the smaller craft took place, in one of which was a famous incident of the general attack of August 4, 1804, when Decatur, having alreadyboarded and taken one gunboat, boarded another. The captain of the second was a large and powerful Turk who seized the pike with which Decatur attacked him and used it against the latter, who parried with his sword which broke at the hilt. The pike entered the fleshy part of Decatur’s breast. Decatur succeeded in tearing it out and grappled with the Turk. Both fell, the Turk uppermost. He felt for his poniard, but Decatur, grasping his arm with one hand, was able to take a small pistol from his waistcoat pocket and passing his arm around the Turk fired it into his back. The ball passed entirely through his foe and lodged in Decatur’s clothes. While this was going on, another raised a sabre to cleave Decatur, but a young seaman, named Daniel Fraisher,[23]interposed his arm, which was nearly severed at the wrist. Lieutenant Trippe of Gunboat No. 6 had an equally desperate encounter. His own and the enemy’s gunboat separated with the shock, leaving only nine Americans aboard the Tripolitan. Trippe was attacked by a powerful young Turk, who inflicted eight sabre wounds in the head and two in the breast. Trippe was brought to his knees,but he was able to give his adversary a final thrust with his short pike, which ended the struggle. When the captain thus fell, the others surrendered. The desperate nature of the struggle undertaken by the six gunboats in the action may be understood when it is known that the two boats captured by Decatur carried about eighty men; of these fifty-two were known to be killed and wounded, many jumped overboard, and only eight unwounded prisoners were taken. Stephen Decatur’s brother James had command of Gunboat No. 2. In boarding, he was shot through the forehead and died that evening.
The details of the many sanguinary actions during Preble’s blockade cannot be given. Three captured gunboats, numbered 7, 8, and 9, were changed in rig and added to the fleet. On August 7th No. 7 blew up in action and of her crew of twenty-eight, ten, including Lieutenant Caldwell, her commander, and Midshipman Dorsey, were killed, and six wounded.
The arrival of theJohn Adamson August 8th brought the unwelcome word to Preble of the coming of a new and more powerful force under Commodore Samuel Barron, his senior. This, as it was arranged, was an unfortunate necessity, as anew squadron could not be organized without putting in command some of Preble’s seniors, and it was deplored by the Secretary of the Navy in a letter to Preble. It is not, however, readily seen why the crews with Preble, the times of which had expired, could not have been replaced by new crews, and only the two captains junior to him sent. It was an act which showed feeble unaccustomedness to administration. Preble wrote in his private journal: “How much my feelings are lacerated by this supersedure at the moment of victory cannot be described and can be felt only by an officer placed in my mortifying situation.” He kept up his attacks, however, while awaiting his relief, and on the night of August 24th, after being much delayed by heavy weather, a night attack was made by bombardment with little reply. This was renewed on the 28th; one Tripolitan gunboat was sunk, two ran ashore, and the rest retreated. The town was subjected to a heavy bombardment during which a 24-pound shot entered the quarters of the captive Americans, covering Bainbridge in the débris.
On September 3d came Preble’s fifth and last attack by bombardment. The next evening theIntrepidwas sent in with the intent of blowingher up in the midst of the Tripolitan fleet. A compartment was built in which was placed 15,000 pounds of powder connected with a slow match expected to take fifteen minutes in burning. Over the powder was placed one hundred 13-inch and fifty 9-inch shells, with a quantity of solid shot and pig-iron ballast. She was commanded by Commander Richard Somers, who volunteered for the work and took with him, as the only other officer, Lieutenant Wadsworth of theConstitution. Ten men were taken. At the last moment, before parting company with the three vessels which accompanied theIntrepidto a point near the entrance and stood by to receive the boats when they should return, Lieutenant Joseph Israel of theConstitutionwent aboard theIntrepidto carry a message from the commodore and begged so to stay that Somers allowed him to do so.
The night was dark and theIntrepidwas soon lost in the gloom, when at 9:47, as marked in the log of theConstitution, there was a terrific explosion, followed by cries of terror and beating of drums in the town and then silence. The boats which were to return never came. The bodies of the three officers and ten men were from time to time recovered by the Tripolitans,but the explosion, which evidently occurred before intended, has ever remained a mystery.
Among the six names which appear on the monument now at the Naval Academy, erected by their brother officers to those killed at Tripoli, are those of the three then lost, the three other names being Caldwell, James Decatur, and Dorsey. The total loss in Preble’s squadron in these eleven months at Tripoli was thirty-two killed and twenty-two wounded.