“I think they must be, Judd; doesn’t seem like anyone’s too anxious about ‘em.” I shot a glance past him at our flagship where there seemed to be no unusual activity or signals.
“Oh, thank God! Look! They wouldn’t be doing that if they were about to attack us. There! You see? One of ‘em’s showing signal lights aloft.” Judd pointed at the barely visible flicker of white light showing high up in the larger of the two vessels.
Sure enough, answering lights winked in the Constitution’s rigging and then in each of the others’ in turn, ours included. We made our way aft to see what was afoot.
“That’ll be Argus comin’ back. And from the look of things, I’d say she’s bringin’ us some help! Cracked on, they are, too!” Lieutenant Morris held a night glass to his eye, studying the approaching ships.
As they drew nearer, the signal book showed that the lights on the larger belong ed to the frigate John Adams. Word of her arrival spread through the schooner and the fleet quickly.
“Reckon another frigate’ll be some useful here.”
“Teach them piratical bastards a lesson, we will now, I’d warrant. Finish this business right quick, now.” Bosun Anderson’s voice rose above several others. He echoed the excitement we all felt at this new arrival.
The two ships sailed in company with us throughout the night, reducing sail to keep pace as ribald and joyful comments were hurled across the water between them and the others in the squadron close enough to be heard.
At daybreak, the captains were ordered to repair aboard the flag, and we waited, hove to, with breathless anticipation for Decatur’s return and how Preble would use his new asset. It was not to be.
We were called to the deck upon Decatur’s return, and he wasted not a moment before he dashed our hopes for the future.
“You all saw John Adams join last evening in the company of the Argus brig. She brought out to us all manner of supplies which have been sorely needed for many months. And additional shot and powder.” This brought forth a murmur of relief and joy from each of us, as well as several of the warrants and petty officers who stood nearby to hear what they might of the captain’s words.
He went on. “Unfortunately, in order to carry those so urgently needed equipments, she had to off-load most of her gun carriages to another of the ships which will be arriving from the United States directly. Indeed, a notable force, including the frigates President, Congress, Constellation, and Essex are on their way; they were supposed to have left Norfolk only a week or so after John Adams did.” Decatur paused while we offered subdued huzzahs to this happy news. For some reason, Decatur did not smile in spite of the prospect of this desperately needed augmentation to our squadron and what it would mean to our efforts against the pirates. We soon discovered the reason.
“John Adams also brought orders. Commodore Preble is to be relieved by Commodore Samuel Barron as quick as ever the force of frigates arrives here. Barron is in President and will assume responsibility for the furtherance of our cause once here. Commodore Preble is to return home once he has turned over command.”
The silence was complete. Each of his previous pronouncements had resulted in comment, cheers, or at the least, smiles; now the whole of us was stony-faced and reflective. Preble was a hard man, a driver. But he was fair to a fault, a fine sailor and a brilliant strategist who was committed to achieving victory in this endeavor. Now he was to be nipped in the bud, short of triumph and glory; that would fall to another, the beneficiary of our efforts to date. We had wreaked havoc on this land and its barbaric ruler with a force short of that which should have been assigned, at some considerable cost to us. Now, in light of this news, it appeared the additional force would finish it and a new commander in chief would reap the harvest.
As one, the officers gave voice to questions, comments, and their opinions of this unpleasant turn of events. Even Judd and I joined in, though in notably more subdued tones, indeed, our voices were barely audible, even to us. The captain let us continue to vent our feelings for a moment or two, then he raised his hands for silence.
“It is Commodore Preble’s intention to offer a final salute to the town, the Bashaw, and his corsairs before the squadron from the United States arrives. We will return to the North African coast directly, off-load the supplies from John Adams, and augment our crews and boats with her seamen and small craft since, without her battery, that ship will be unable to participate in any action we take. Tomorrow one of our squadron will have a look into the harbor at Tripoli and following that, a plan will derive to attack the fortress and castle yet again.” This time there was no restraint in the huzzahs that issued forth from, not only the officers and warrants, but also from the throng of men who now, having heard what was acting, had joined the group.
In the middle of the afternoon, as Judd Devon stood with me on the quarterdeck—I had the watch with Mister Hobbs—we discussed the sorrow of this turn of events.
“It truly is a pity, Oliver, that Preble won’t be the one to finish this. When I think back to the others who acted as commodore, Morris and Dale, I can only believe that there’s some political axe-grinding afoot. Preble’s done more in one week than both of them did for their whole tour! I can scarce understand why Congress would relieve him now when we are making our presence felt so keenly.” Judd shook his head and looked aloft at our straining sails as we raced back to the coast of Tripoli. “You’re shivering aloft there, Oliver. Mains’l. Have a look. Hobbs is expecting you to notice it!”
I glanced at the compass in the binnacle; we were right on the course Decatur wanted. I looked again at the sails; the fore tops’l needed to be braced around some, also.
“You there! In the waist. Man the fore tops’l braces and have a hand on the main sheet. Mister Cartee, the wind appears to have veered around some. See to our sails, if you please. Helm, hold to the course you were given.”
We watched in silence as the hands heaved around to adjust the set of our vast amount of canvas. With the fair breeze still east-northeast, the commodore had lost not a moment in turning the squadron and heading back to the south to finish, if he could, what he so desperately wanted to finish. With some luck, the wind would hold until we arrived and then work itself into a southerly quarter.
“I could not imagine, Judd, that anyone at home could possibly know what is acting here; consider that we only made our first attack barely one week ago. And while the business with the Philadelphia was surely splendid and daring,” I smiled in spite of myself as I recalled my first blooding in battle and the words of Admiral Nelson about it, “they have known about that a long time. Maybe they thought the commodore wasn’t doing enough.”
“Well, I’d reckon even those landsmen in Congress know that operations can not be accomplished during the winter and spring. And even in the summer, the weather at times can be damn difficult! It wasn’t that Preble didn’t want to attack sooner than last week; we couldn’t. You were here. You recall how many times we were blown offshore just as we were getting ready to attack.” Judd was getting some worked up.
Not wanting to upset him further, I nodded in agreement, muttering something like, “Aye, I was there too,” and, noticing the quartermaster retrieving his chip log, walked to the slate to record our new speed. Judd stood at the rail for a moment, then made his way to the hatch and disappeared below.
When we made the coastline, it was nearly full dark, and the commodore signaled all ships to shorten sail and wait out the night in company. At first light, he signaled Argus to perform a reconnoiter of the harbor upon which Captain Hull embarked at once.
“Did you hear that? Sounded like cannon fire. Listen!” Lieutenant Hobbs and I once again ruled the domain of the quarterdeck, and he stood there listening, his head cocked to one side as he strained to hear again what he had just called my attention to.
“Yes, sir. I thought I heard something. Perhaps it was thunder, or merely the pirates practicing; they could certainly use it!” I was being
incautious in my remarks to Hobbs, but our continual pairing on watch had opened an easy comradeship between us and caused me, at times, to offer more candor than I might with another.
“There. There it is again. I know that’s cannon fire. I wonder if Argus is having a hot time in there.” He stopped and looked around us. “Oliver, go tell the captain what we think might be actin’ yonder an’ see if . . . well, just tell him. He’ll know what to do.”
I was back in mere minutes, Captain Decatur close astern in his shirtsleeves and hatless. Now the cannon fire was more frequent.
“Quartermaster, signal to the flag, if you please. ‘Firing in the harbor. May I investigate?’ Quickly now.” Decatur paced the deck, one hand smacking into the other and the old fire back in his eyes. Every so often he shot a glance at Constitution.
“There! There’s our answer.” He stopped pacing and stood impatiently in front of the quartermaster as he looked up the signal flying from the flagship’s cro’jack yard.
“Sir, the flagship says ‘Enterprise and Vixen to investigate and assist if necessary.’ Shall I respond?”
“A simple acknowledgement will answer nicely. Mister Hobbs, make your course west a quarter south and call the hands to quarters, if you please.” Decatur looked aloft, studied the sail we had set, then added, “And we’ll have tops’ls fore and main and the outer jibs as well.”
I passed Lieutenant Lawrence as we went to our action stations, his on the quarterdeck and mine at the forward battery. He shot me a quizzical look, clearly caught unawares by our sudden call to action. I said nothing, figuring the captain would tell him all quick enough.
“Sail! Sail headin’ this way. Point off the leeward bow. Looks like a brig.” The lookout pointed to the sail that had only then made an appearance from behind the rocks east of the harbor. Since Bradford had our guns well in hand, powder and shot out, and his crews working to ready them, I jumped into the foreshrouds to see what I could of the approaching ship.
“Sir! Mister Lawrence! It is Argus. And she’s low in the water!” I shouted immediately what I observed and received a wave from Decatur, too deep in conversation with the first lieutenant to even glance my way.
The lookout, perched on the tops’l yard well above me, cried out again. “Deck there. Deck! Looks like Argus got some corsairs comin’ after her.” Indeed, there were two row galleys under sails and oars following the American from a range I took to be just beyond the reach of Captain Hull’s stem chasers.
Enterprise bore off, sheets were started, and we picked up some speed as we closed to help our comrade. Vixen followed, sailing some lower so as to pass Argus between us. As we got closer, we could see clearly that the ship was riding lower than she should, and there appeared to be two steady streams of water shooting out from the deck, streams as thick as a man’s thigh. Something was desperately wrong! I came down to tend to my guns, though I sorely wanted to remain aloft to watch the action.
“Stand by your matches, lads! Take the first of the pirates.” Lawrence’s voice blew forward as clear and strong as if he had been right with us. Vixen would deal with the other.
“FIRE! FIRE AS YOU BEAR!” Lawrence bellowed as the schooner eased her head down some, opening our windward battery. Bradford sighted the first gun, glanced at me and nodded.
“Fire as you will, Bradford.” The words had barely cleared my lips when the sailor shoved his glowing slow match into the touch hole, and the twelve-pounder erupted in thunder, jumping backward as it belched out fire and a great pall of lavender-tinged smoke. It was followed immediately by at least three others. After that I could hear little and had not a spare second to watch what the others might be doing. We fired steadily, creating a great cloud of acrid, sulphurous, eye-searing smoke that blew back over us. The men hacked and choked, spitting and wiping their eyes, but never hesitated in working the guns.
“That’ll do it, lads. Hold your fire. Looks like they aren’t interested in playing today!” Lawrence’s joviality carried forward as well as his command. Indeed, the galleys, both of them, had hauled their wind and were making for the safety of the mole and the guns of the fortress. Cheers, hoots, and ribald epithets issued from our sailors and were echoed by the men of Vixen as both the American schooners put about to accompany the slogging brig.
“You figure Hull run her onto the hard, Oliver? I can’t think what might make her start her seams like she must have done to take all that water.” Judd watched as the two streams continued undiminished from the vessel. We had easily caught up to her and, under now reduced sail, kept a station on her weather quarter while Vixen stayed comfortably to leeward. Judd and I stood in the schooner’s bow and studied the other ship.
I was suddenly aware of another presence beside me and looked up to find Captain Decatur stepping onto the bulwark at the shrouds, a speaking trumpet in hand.
“Isaac! What has happened? And what can we do to help?” Decatur shouted to his friend on the quarterdeck of the brig.
“Took a heavy ball just below the waterline, Stephen. Couldn’t get a sail fothered over it fast enough. Got her stuffed with everything we can find below and slowed it down a good deal. Reckon the pumps can keep up now. Got a bit dicey for a moment there. Chased two of the bastards off; didn’t have a taste for taking any more of my iron than they did, but then those other two showed up. I was startin’ to think we were in a right pickle until you and Smith showed.” He pointed over his shoulder to Vixen. “Thanks for the help. Guess they didn’t fancy taking on both of you!” Hull waved his hat and returned his attention to his stricken ship.
By the time we returned to the fold of our fellows sailing off and on to the east of the city, Captain Hull had managed to actually get more water out of Argus than came in. While not dry, or seaworthy for that matter, she was no longer in danger of foundering. He sailed his vessel carefully onto a strand of beach while the tide was about half out and set men to repairing what turned out to be substantial damage to the planking. Though there was no hole through and through, the water could flow freely in should the hasty repairs made during the fight fail. By morning, Argus was refloated and ready to resume her role in our attack.
That attack was delayed by a signal, which we spied flying from the French consulate ashore; it requested a boat and officer to come ashore.
“I believe we may have gotten the bastard’s attention; ‘pears he wants to treat with us.” Hobbs seemed saddened by this turn of events. I knew he craved more action and hoped the captain would put him in command of a gunboat for the next attack. Let Lawrence, still dealing with his wounds, stay aboard the schooner!
We watched as Nautilus sailed close to the harbor entrance and then sent a lieutenant from Constitution ashore in a boat bearing a white flag.
“I’d warrant he’s carrying an offer of some kind for the Bashaw, and maybe some letters for Cap’n Bainbridge.” Hobbs watched through the glass as the cutter made the mole and the lieutenant was met and escorted toward the castle.
Letters! I should have had one ready for Edward. He certainly knows we’re here, but he has no way of knowing that I am still in sound condition. I will pen something suitable to keep on hand in case there is another opportunity! I berated myself for the failure, not giving ear to Mister Hobbs’ commentary on the progress our man was making ashore.
Judd and I were eating supper when the word moved through the schooner like a breeze rustles the leaves in the fall that the boat had returned to Nautilus and the latter was heading back to rejoin. We left our fare where it sat and raced up the ladder to see whatever we might. I secretly held the hope that the officer might have brought letters from Bainbridge and others. No sooner had the officer been returned to the flagship when flags broke out from the mizzen gaff, “Captains repair aboard.”
By the time Decatur returned, it was full dark of a moonless night. Had the boat bearing him not carried a lantern, they could have made our side quite unobserved, to the likely chagrin of Mister Morris who held t
he watch with my colleague from the cockpit. At midnight, I arrived to relieve Judd while Hobbs took over from Morris.
“Decatur had a whole packet of papers when he came back, Oliver. Maybe he brought you something from your brother. I reckon we’ll know in the morning.” Then Judd proceeded to tell me the information necessary to the watch and left me thinking, waiting in hopeful anticipation, that his words might be prophetic. The minutes dragged by; with each utterance from Hobbs, I hoped for orders to “go and tell the captain this” or “fetch up the captain, Mister Baldwin,” but the words never passed his lips. Perhaps the captain would just appear as he frequently did during the night.
It was not to be; the watch passed quietly in uneventful boredom. When Mister Lawrence relieved us an hour and more before the dawn, there was little of consequence to offer him by way of information. For me, I went to bed tired enough to sleep, having convinced myself that, had the captain brought a letter from Edward, he would have sent it to me. Obviously, the officer sent to the castle brought only words for the commodore, and likely only from the Bashaw.
“Gentlemen,” Captain Decatur greeted us as we gathered on deck at his request in the morning. “Yesterday, the commodore sent the Bashaw an offer— quite generous, I thought—for the release of the prisoners and an end to this affair. The Bashaw rejected it out of hand, sending back the exact same demand he had made some six months back. As a result, we will continue to attack his city, the fortress, and his castle with vigor in the hope of bringing the man to his senses before his domain is reduced to rubble. Enterprise will not immediately participate in the first of our renewed attacks tomorrow night, as Mister Lawrence will be taking her to Syracuse for fresh water, vegetables, provisions and ball and powder. As you may have heard from Mister Wakefield, some of the men have begun to show early signs of scurvy, which, if left untreated, would result in serious reductions to our force.” He paused as a rumble of comment passed among us.
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