red to the State
Department that there might be another way of dealing with them, and a
squadron under Commodore Preble was sent to the Mediterranean for the
purpose.

Shortly before he reached there, the U.S. frigate Philadelphia,
commanded by Captain Bainbridge, had gone upon a reef just outside the
harbor of Tripoli and had been surrounded and captured, with all her
crew, by the Tripolitan gunboats. The Tripolitans got her off the rocks,
towed her into the harbor, and anchored her close under the guns of
their forts. They also strengthened her batteries, and prepared her for
a cruise, which could not but have been disastrous to our shipping. It
was evident that she must be destroyed before she got out of the harbor,
and Stephen Decatur volunteered to lead a party into the harbor on this
desperate mission. Commodore Preble hesitated to accept Decatur's offer,
for he knew how greatly against success the odds were, but finally, in
January, 1804, he told him to go ahead.

A small vessel known as a ketch had recently been captured from the
Tripolitans, and Decatur selected this in which to make the venture. He
took seventy men from his own vessel, and, on the night of February 15,
sailed boldly into the harbor of Tripoli. Let us pause for a minute to
consider the odds against him. First there was the Philadelphia with her
forty guns double-shotted and ready to fire; half a gunshot away was the
Bashaw's castle, the mole and crown batteries, while within range were
ten other batteries, mounting, all told, a hundred and fifteen guns.
Between the Philadelphia and the shore lay a number of Tripolitan
cruisers, galleys and gunboats. Into this hornet's nest, Decatur steered
his little vessel of sixty tons, carrying four small guns, and having a
crew of only seventy men.

The Tripolitans saw the vessel entering the harbor, but supposed it to
be one of their own until it was alongside the Philadelphia. Then there
was a cry of "Americanos!" and a rush to quarters, but it was too late,
for Decatur and his men swarmed up the side and over the rail of the
Philadelphia, and charged the dismayed and panic-stricken Tripolitans.
There was a short and desperate struggle, and five minutes later, the
ship was cleared of the enemy.

It was manifestly impossible to get the Philadelphia out of the harbor,
so Decatur gave the order to burn her. Combustibles had been prepared in
advance, and in a moment, flames began to break out in all parts