HAND-TO-HAND WITH THE PIRATES
A FIGHT AGAINST ODDS OF THREE GUNBOATS TO ONE--DECATUR AND MACDONOUGH
LEADING THE BOARDERS--COLD-BLOODED MURDER AND THE VENGEANCE THAT
FOLLOWED--WHEN REUBEN JAMES WON FAME--ELEVEN AGAINST FORTY-THREE
IN A HAND-TO-HAND STRUGGLE, AND THE REMARKABLE RESULT--THE HANDY
_CONSTITUTION_--FIRED THEIR GUN AS THE BOAT SANK UNDER THEM--WHEN
SOMERS AND HIS MATES WENT TO THEIR DEATH IN A FIRESHIP--END OF THE
WAR WITH THE PIRATES.
After the destruction of the _Philadelphia_ the war against the
Tripolitans was carried on with increased vigor. A number of gunboats,
carrying one long heavy gun each, and two barges, carrying a big
thirteen-inch brass mortar each, were “generously loaned us by his
Sicilian majesty.” With these and the force already in hand a number
of attacks were made on the city of Tripoli by Captain Preble, who
was still in command of the American forces. The first of these, and
the most notable as a battle, took place on the afternoon of August
3, 1804. Six gunboats, in two divisions, were sent in to attack the
enemy’s fleet. Master Commandant Richard Somers, of whom a remarkable
story will be told further on, led one division, and young Stephen
Decatur, now a captain, the other. Of the six gunboats only three
succeeded in weathering the point and getting at the enemy; but one of
these carried Stephen Decatur, and another Stephen’s brother, Lieut.
James Decatur. The Tripolitan fleet numbered nine gunboats, each at
least as well manned and armed as any of the American boats, but the
Yankees dashed at the head of the fleet with hearty cheers. Stephen
Decatur’s boat was the first to open the fire. Its long gun had been
loaded with a thousand musket-balls in a bag, in lieu of the ordinary
projectiles, and it was fired at point-blank range. A moment later
the Yankee boat was beside the enemy, and Decatur led the way to her
quarter-deck. The Tripolitans retreated forward, where a wide, open
hatch protected them, after a fashion, from direct assault; but a
narrow gangway was found on each side of the hatch--a gangway where men
might advance in single file--and over these narrow paths the Yankees
charged. Decatur was first on one side and Midshipman Thomas Macdonough
on the other--the Macdonough who was to win still greater fame on Lake
Champlain. It was a bloody but a brief fight, and the Tripolitans fled
over the rail, save eight who tumbled down the hatch and were made
prisoners.
[Illustration: _From an engraving by Kelly of the picture in Faneuil
Hall, Boston._]
When an examination was made they found the Tripolitan captain dead,
with fourteen bullets from the great gun through him.
Meantime Lieut. James Decatur had, with equal ardor, attacked another
of the Tripolitans, and her commander, seeing the great power of the
Americans, determined to try to do by treachery what he could not hope
to do open-handed. He hauled down his flag after the first fire had
been received, and then waited the coming of Lieut. James Decatur to
take possession--waited with a loaded pistol at hand. As Decatur stood
at the rail ready to board and take possession, the Tripolitan shot him
dead, the bullet passing through his head. As the Tripolitan had hoped,
the Americans were thrown into confusion by the unexpected attack, and
he was able to haul off.
But he did not escape. In some way Stephen Decatur heard that his
brother had been murdered. He was towing his captured gunboat to a
place of safety, but he cast her off, and, seconded by his crew, who
were thoroughly aroused by the story, he went after the assassin.
[Illustration: Decatur avenging the murder of his brother.
_Com. Decatur whilst bearing a prize from the harbour, hears of
the treacherous murder of his brother by a Turk; (the Turk having
surrendered) in a moment changes his course, and with 10 men for
his crew seeks his enemy--rushes on board--and after a desperate
struggle, with numbers far superior, kills the Turk--captures his
enemy’s boat--& again retreats from the harbour._
]
A round of grapeshot and musketry was poured into the fleeing
barbarian, and then Decatur led the boarders, and himself selected
the captain for his own victim. A most desperate hand-to-hand fight
followed, for the Tripolitan was a more powerful man than the
American. Decatur lunged at him with a boarding pike. The Mussulman
parried the blow, caught the weapon, and wrenching it away, lunged at
Decatur. Decatur had drawn his sword, and with this he parried the
thrust, but his sword broke short off at the hilt. The Tripolitan
lunged again, and Decatur, although he parried the blow, was wounded
in the chest and arm, and a moment later the two were clasped in a
wrestling struggle for life.
At this another Mussulman aimed a blow at Decatur’s head from behind.
It was apparently all over with the gallant American, for no other
American was within reach save one, a seaman, Reuben James, and both of
his arms were disabled. But James leaped in, and with his head caught
the blow aimed at Decatur.
And then the Tripolitan threw Decatur to the deck, and Yankees and
Mussulmans thronged in and piled themselves over the two leaders.
As it happened, each of the leaders fell, with one arm free and one
pinned by the men on top. The Tripolitan with his free arm drew a long
knife, Decatur a pocket pistol. For a moment each felt the other’s ribs
to locate the heart, but Decatur was first by a fraction of a second,
and his pistol-ball did faithful work, killing the Mussulman instantly.
[Illustration: Reuben James Saving Decatur’s Life.
_From an engraving of the picture by Chappel._]
Then the Americans cleared the enemy from over their captain, and
when he reached his feet the victory was won, for the Mussulmans fled
over the rail as usual. It is comforting to know that the brave Reuben
James recovered from the wounds he had received, and lived to serve
the nation more than forty years. It was his boast that he was in “ten
fights and as many skrimmedges,” and it was his custom to celebrate the
anniversary of each with enthusiasm. A jolly old tar was Reuben James.
Of equal bravery were the men on the third American gunboat. She was
commanded by Sailing Master John Trippe and Midshipman John D. Henley.
Ranging up beside the enemy, these two officers and nine men got on
board of her, and then the two boats separated, leaving these eleven
men to face the whole barbarian crew, with no chance of retreat and
small hope of timely assistance.
But Trippe and Henley were just the men to lead such a forlorn hope.
Pikes and swords in hand, the eleven charged the enemy, Trippe and
Henley singling out the Tripolitan captain, knowing that victory was
assured if they could cut him down. But he was a magnificent specimen
of humanity, and it is said that he had sworn on the Koran to win
victory or die.
Fighting with the energy born of fanaticism, he wounded Trippe no less
than eleven times, and at last Trippe went down with one knee on the
deck, but while in this position he caught the Tripolitan with breast
unguarded and thrust him through with a pike. And that ended one of
the most remarkable fights recorded in the annals of the navy. For
Trippe and his ten men killed fourteen of the Tripolitans, and made
the remainder, twenty-two in number, prisoners. The number of the enemy
wounded was only seven. The Americans struck to kill in that fight.
Besides Trippe, a boatswain’s mate and two marines were wounded, but
none was killed among the Americans.
[Illustration: John Trippe.
_After a French engraving._]
Meantime Master Commandant Somers, finding he could not sail his boat
inside of the reef by the route Decatur had taken, went down wind to
the opposite end of the reef, and for a time faced five of the enemy’s
boats. The other American gunboats came in later, and the enemy was
driven off. The _Constitution_ (the flagship) and the smaller vessels
of the American fleet sailed close under the enemy’s batteries,
silencing them over and again, and bombarding the city. That the
batteries were not permanently silenced was due to the fact that the
Tripolitans had 25,000 soldiers within, and these remanned the guns of
each battery as soon as the American ships ceased firing at it.
So well did the Americans show their power here in hand-to-hand fights
that thereafter the Tripolitans would never engage them in that way.
And the manner in which the _Constitution_ was handled must also be
mentioned, for she was sailed boldly into the harbor, and there sail
was taken in or made as if it were a mere exhibition of skill in a
friendly port, while her guns were handled with the precision of
peaceful target practice. The admiration of all foreigners was excited,
but the time when American naval crews were to compel the respect of
all foreign powers had not yet arrived.
In the subsequent attacks on the city, there were many incidents of
interest to American readers. A heavy shot penetrated the castle one
day where the American prisoners were confined. It covered Captain
Bainbridge with the débris of the wall and snatched the clothes off the
bed on which he was lying.
While one of the American gunboats was firing on a shore battery, a hot
shot penetrated her magazine and she was blown up. At the moment of the
explosion Midshipman Robert T. Spence and a gun’s crew were loading the
big gun on the bow. As it happened, the explosion did not injure either
them or their gun, although it opened wide the bottom of the boat. And
so it came to pass that, as the smoke cleared away, spectators saw
Spence and his men still at work loading the gun. And not only did
they complete their work; as the boat sank under them they gave three
cheers for the flag, and fired their last shot at the enemy, with the
rising water wetting their feet.
[Illustration: The Battle of Tripoli, August 3, 1804.
_From the painting by Corné, 1805, at the Naval Academy, Annapolis._]
Spence was not able to swim, but he got hold of a big oar, and so kept
afloat with eleven others until picked up, when he and the others saved
turned to and continued the fight.
The story of the most stirring and the most unfortunate attack on the
city remains to be told. Captain Preble, “desirous of annoying the
enemy by all means,” decided to send a fireship among their shipping.
The ketch _Intrepid_, that had served so well in the attack upon the
captured _Philadelphia_, was selected for the sacrifice. A hundred
barrels of powder in bulk and 150 fixed shells and a lot of old iron
were placed in a bin amidships, and from this a pipe led to a room well
aft, where a huge mass of combustibles was placed. It was intended to
handle the ketch as a blockade runner and so get her into the midst of
the enemy’s shipping. She was then to be fired in the after-room, and
the blaze there, it was supposed, would be fierce enough to prevent
the Tripolitans extinguishing it. Meantime a train regulated to burn
fifteen minutes would be running through the pipe to the magazine. Two
swift rowboats were placed on the ketch, and in these her crew hoped to
escape to the smaller vessels that would be in waiting to pick them
up.
[Illustration: Map of the HARBOR OF TRIPOLI,
Showing where the Philadelphia grounded and where burned and where
Intrepid was blown up.
]
The glory which Decatur and his men had won in their attacks on
the _Philadelphia_ had inspired the whole force of the fleet, and
volunteers a-plenty were eager to man the ketch. Of those who offered,
Master Commandant Richard Somers was chosen to command, while
Midshipman Henry Wadsworth was made second, with ten seamen for a crew.
In addition to these was a stowaway--Midshipman Joseph Israel. He had
pleaded in vain for permission to go, and so hid on board. He was
discovered, but was then allowed to go.
Every man of the crew knew very well the great danger of the venture,
and Somers and his officers declared they would not be taken alive.
Somers, before starting, took off a ring he wore and, breaking it into
three pieces, gave one to Decatur, another to Master Commandant Charles
Stewart, his most intimate friends. He kept the third himself. The two
pieces given away were to be preserved as mementoes if he failed to
return. The seamen of the crew disposed of their effects as if facing
certain death.
It was on the night of September 4, 1804, that the attempt was made.
A fog lay low over the water, and a fair wind filled the sails as the
ketch, at 8 o’clock, left the flagship and sailed away silently into
the night.
A little later the _Argus_, the _Vixen_, and the _Nautilus_, all small
cruisers, stood over toward the channel in order to cover the retreat
of the ketch, for three Tripolitan gunboats had anchored there during
the afternoon and were likely to make trouble for the ketch’s crew. The
_Nautilus_ led the way for the guarding fleet, and she held the ketch
in view until so near the channel that there was danger that she (the
_Nautilus_) would be discovered, when she hauled her wind to await the
event of the expedition.
Her crew soon saw the ketch fade away in the night, but so intense was
their interest that many climbed over the rail to get down with their
ears to the water that they might hear the sooner any sound coming from
her.
In the rigging of the _Nautilus_, not far above deck, Midshipman
Ridgeley was able, with the aid of a powerful glass, to follow the
ketch into the channel. He saw her glide as a shadow between the
gunboats there. At this moment a signal gun was fired from the shore.
It was followed by the rapid firing of every cannon on that side of the
harbor. Immediately there was a commotion among the three gunboats in
the channel, and at that the light of a lantern in the hands of one who
ran was seen passing along the deck of the ketch.
[Illustration: The Explosion of the _Intrepid_.
_From an old engraving._]
This light paused over the midship hatch to drop out of sight an
instant later, and then a hell of flame burst up to the sky, where the
light had disappeared.
A shock followed that made the ships beyond the bar quiver until tiny
waves spread away over the smooth water. And with the shock came a roar
that deafened. And then, as the echoes of the roar died away among the
distant hills, the patter and splash of shells and splintered timbers
were heard on every side, while cries as of fear and distress arose
from the city--cries that were followed by absolute silence.
All night long the Americans cruised to and fro about the channel,
firing guns and rockets at intervals, hoping against despair to find
a survivor. When morning came to give a fair view of the harbor, one
of the enemy’s gunboats was missing, and the Tripolitans were hauling
three others, badly shattered, out on the beach. The ketch and all who
sailed in her--the “men, whose names ought to live in the recollection
and affections of a grateful country, and whose conduct ought to be
regarded as an example to future generations”--had been blown to pieces.
Richard Somers, finding that his venture was discovered, and the crew
of a Tripolitan gunboat coming on board, had deliberately fired the
mine, and, Samson-like, had destroyed himself with the enemy.
Fragments of the wreck and a number of bodies of white men were picked
up in the harbor. The bodies were viewed by Captain Bainbridge, but
none was definitely recognized.
Other attacks on the city followed. The Congress gave Preble a gold
medal, each of his officers and midshipmen a sword, and all others of
the crew a month’s pay because of their good work there. The force
was increased by other ships until there were five frigates, a brig,
three schooners, a sloop, and a dozen or so gunboats and bomb barges in
the fleet, making the most powerful squadron that had ever assembled
under the flag. For that day and place it was an impressive display of
the sea power. In the meantime a formidable uprising had taken place
in the Bashaw’s dominions, and the capital of his chief province was
captured by the leader of the revolt with the aid of the Americans.
So the Bashaw became alarmed and eventually offered to deliver up all
prisoners for a ransom of $60,000 and to agree never again to trouble
American commerce. This offer was accepted, and peace followed. The
fleet then sailed to Tunis, whose ruler, stimulated by the British
consul-general, had expelled the American agent. To him terms of peace
were dictated under the muzzles of the guns of the fleet. And that
was a matter of wonder to the nations of Europe, for never had such a
thing been done before. So closes the story of the American navy’s work
during the period between the Revolution and the War of 1812.
[Illustration: Preble’s Medal.]
As it appears in the perspective of a hundred years, that was in many
ways a most important epoch. It was, first of all, the time in which
the ruling policy of the American navy, as regards the construction of
ships, was formed--the policy under which it was determined to build
only as many ships as might be necessary to defend the nation and
its commerce from aggressors, but each ship to be the most powerful
possible for its size. Every device and model that seemed likely to add
to the efficiency of these vessels was tried, regardless of expense.
The eager enterprise of the new nation and the ships this enterprise
set afloat excited endless derision from the British officers of that
day. The _Constitution_ was called “a pine box” by some Englishmen who
inspected her. They had to learn by hard experience their error.
The foreign commerce of the nation, through the influence of this
new fleet, was not only freed from the evils which the Mediterranean
pirates had brought upon it, but also from those for which the French
anarchists were responsible. Indeed, that commerce grew until the
increase of the tariff collected from imports amounted to several
times the cost of the whole American navy.
But valuable as were these gains, they were, perhaps, together of
less importance than was the effect of the deeds of the naval heroes
upon the people of the new republic. In the war of the Revolution
we had, indeed, won liberty, but we still dragged the slave-chains
of colonists. Without having known what it was to be freemen we had
established a government of and by the people and we found ourselves
in unfamiliar quarters. We had placed ourselves, so to speak, on the
quarterdeck without having mastered the art of navigation, and while
quartered in the cabin, we had the manners of the forecastle and
smelled of bilgewater. Our new uniforms did not fit us well, but there
was no form of training that could so quickly swell the muscles until
they would fill the garments of liberty as a righteous foreign war. The
war with the Barbary pirates was of all wars most righteous. It stirred
the indignation of the most sluggish patriot to read of the deeds of
these black hounds of the sea, while the signal valor of those who
fought under the American flag leavened the spirit of the whole nation.
As the stories of the deeds of those who fought afloat for liberty had
prepared the way for manning the new fleet which aggression compelled
us to build, so the stories of the deeds of the heroes of the new navy
nerved the nation for the conflict that was already at hand. Small as
were the numbers of the crews who carried the flag overseas in this
epoch, it is safe to say that they, and they alone, strengthened the
heart of the people until it was possible to resist the shock of 1812.