p. At
half-past 1 o'clock, having made the necessary arrangements for
the attack, wore ship and stood towards the batteries. At 2
signal made to cast off the boats; at a quarter-past 2 signal for
bombs and gunboats to advance and attack the enemy. At half-past
2 general signal for battle. At three-quarters-past 2 the bombs
commenced the action, by throwing shells into the town. In an
instant the enemy's shipping and batteries opened a tremendous
fire, which was promptly returned by the whole squadron within
grape-shot distance; at the same time the second division, of
three gunboats, led by the gallant Captain Decatur, was
advancing, with sails and oars, to board the eastern division of
the enemy, consisting of nine boats. Our boats gave the enemy
showers of grape and musket balls as they advanced; they,
however, soon closed, when the pistol, sabre, pike and tomahawk
were made good use of by our brave tars. Captain Somers, being in
a dull sailer, made the best use of his sweeps, but was not able
to fetch far enough to windward to engage the same division of
the enemy's boats which Captain Decatur fell in with; he,
however, gallantly bore down with his single boat on five of the
enemy's western division, and engaged within pistol shot,
defeated and drove them within the rocks, in a shattered
condition, and with the loss of a great number of men. Lieutenant
Decatur, in No. 2, was closely engaged with one of the enemy's
largest boats of the eastern division, which struck to him, after
having lost a large proportion of men, and, at the instant that
brave officer was boarding her to take possession, he was (p. 139)
treacherously shot through the head by the captain of the
boat that had surrendered, which base conduct enabled the
poltroon (with the assistance he received from the other boats)
to escape. The third boat of Captain Somers' division kept to
windward, firing at the boats and shipping in the harbour; had
she gone down to his assistance, it is probable several of the
enemy's boats would have been captured in that quarter. Captain
Decatur, in No. 4, after having, with distinguished bravery,
boarded and carried one of the enemy of superior force, took his
prize in tow, and gallantly bore down to engage a second, which,
after a sever