fill up, and get her sails bent, in order to send a party in, also, in order to cut her out! It was too late, however, as the Sally could not be, and would not be detained, and Hull proceeded.

There have been many more brilliant exploits than this of the Constitution, in sending in a party against the Sandwich, but very few that were more neatly executed, or ingeniously planned. The Sally arrived off the port, at the appointed hour, and stood directly in, showing the customary number of hands on deck, until coming near the letter of marque, she ran her aboard forward, and the Constitution's clambered in over the Sandwich's bows, led by Hull in person. In two minutes, the Americans had possession of their prize, a smart brig, armed with four sixes and two nines, with a pretty strong crew, without the loss of a man. A party of marines, led by Capt. Cormick, landed, drove the Spaniards from a battery that commanded the anchorage, and spiked the guns. All this was against law and right, but it was very ingeniously arranged, and as gallantly executed. The most serious part of the affair remained to be achieved. The Sandwich was stripped to a girt line, and the wind blew directly into the harbor. As it was unsafe for the marines to remain in the battery any time, it was necessarily abandoned, leaving to the people of the place every opportunity of annoying their invaders by all the means they possessed. The battery was reoccupied, and the guns cleared of the spikes as well and as fast as they could be, while the Americans set about swaying up topmasts and yards and bending sails. After some smart exertion, the brig got royal yards across, and, at sunset, after remaining several hours in front of the town, Hull scaled his guns, by way of letting it be known they could be used, weighed, and began to beat out of the harbor. The Spaniards fired a few shot after him, but with no effect.

Although this was one of the best executed enterprises of the sort on record, and did infinite credit to the coolness and spirit of all concerned, it was not quite an illustration of international law or of justice in general. This was the first victory of Old Ironsides in a certain sense, but all men must regret it was ever achieved, since it was a wrong act, committed with an exaggerated, if not an altogether mistaken notion of duty. America was not even at war with France, in the more formal meaning of the term, nor were all the legal consequences of war connected with the peculiar hostilities that certainly did exist; but with Spain she had no quarrel whatever, and the Sandwich was

entitled to receive all the protection and immunities that of right belonged to her, anchored in the neutral harbor of Portau-Platte. In the end not only was the condemnation of the Sandwich resisted successfully, but all the other prize-money made by Old Ironsides in the cruise went to pay damages. The reason why the exploit itself never received the public commendation to which, as a mere military achievement, it was so justly entitled, was connected with the illegality and recklessness of the enterprise in its inception. It follows that this, which may be termed the Constitution's earliest victory, was obtained in the face of law and right. Fortunately the old craft has lived long enough to atone for this error of her youth by many a noble deed achieved in defence of principles and rights that the most fastidious will not hesitate to defend.

The Constitution returned to Boston in Aug. 1800, her cruise being up, not only on account of her orders, but on account of the short period for which men were then enlisted in the navy, which was one year. On the 18th Nov., however, she was ordered to sail again for the old station, still wearing the broad pennant of Talbot. Nothing occurred of interest in the course of this cruise; and, early in the spring, orders were sent to recall all the cruisers from the West Indies, in consequence of an arrangement of the difficulties with France.

It is certain that the good fortune of Old Ironsides did not appear in the course of this, her original service. While Nicholson had her, she does not seem to have captured any thing; and, in Goldsborough's list of armed French vessels taken during the years 1798-9, and 1801, a period of near three years, during quite two years of which the ship must have been actively on her cruising grounds, he gives but four to the Constitution. These four vessels-La Tullie and L'Esther, two small privateers, the Sandwich and the Sally-the last of which, by the way, was an American, seized for illegal intercourse with the enemy.

By the peace establishment law, approved March 3d, 1801, all the frigates regularly constructed for the service were permanently retained in the navy. Old Ironsides enjoyed an excellent character among them, and was kept, of course, there being no other use for such a craft, indeed, in the country, than those connected with a military marine. Our frigate, however, was paid off and dismantled at Boston, where she remained unemployed from the spring of 1801 until the summer of 1803, rather more than two

now appeared, was the Maidstone 36, Captain Burdett. The delay in answering arose from a wish to gain time to clear for action, and get to quarters, Old Ironsides having got alongside so quietly that she had been taken by surprise.

After passing the time mentioned, in the vicinity of the Straits, the Constitution sailed in quest of declared enemies. She left Gibraltar on the 13th November 1813, and proceeded first to Algiers, where she landed Colonel Lear, who had come out as Consul General. On the 20th she left Algiers, and on the 24th, while standing up the Mediterranean, on her way to Malta, she spoke an English frigate, which communicated a rumor, that the Philadelphia had run ashore, off Tripoli, and had fallen into the hands of the enemy. On reaching Malta, the 27th, while lying off the port, the unpleasant rumor was confirmed. The ship stood on without anchoring, and arrived at Syracuse next day.

Here, then, was Old Ironsides, for the first time, in the centre of the Mediterranean, and with something serious to do; more, indeed, than could easily be accomplished in a single ship. Her commander was as active a seaman as ever undertook an enterprise, and the career of the good ship, for the next seven months, though she did not fire a shot in anger during the whole time, was probably as remarkable as that of any vessel which ever floated, and which encountered neither enemies, shipwreck, nor accident of any sort.

The Constitution lay until the 17th December at Syracuse, when she sailed for Tripoli to look at her enemy, and to communicate with the unfortunate commander of the Philadelphia. On the 23d the Enterprise, Lieutenant Decatur, which was in company, captured a Tripolitan ketch, called the Mastico, or Mistico, with seventy Turks of one sort and another on board her, the prize being sent in. While lying off Tripoli, on the 26th, it came on to flow fiercely, and the stout ship had need of all her excellent qualities to claw off shore. Her escape was somewhat narrow, but she went clear, and returned to Syracuse.

February 3d, 1804, Preble sent the Mastico, now named the Intrepid, to Tripoli, on the well-known expedition to cut out the Philadelphia. All the connection our ship had with this successful and brilliant exploit, arose from the fact that her commander ordered it, and four of her midshipmen were of the party. These young gentlemen were Messrs. Izard, Morris, Laws, and Davis, all of whom returned safely, after their victory, to the

steerage of Old Ironsides. Mr. Morris was shortly after promoted for being the first man on the Philadelphia's decks, as was Mr. Izard, for other good and sufficient claims. The last of these officers resigned about six years later, when first lieutenant of the old craft, and we shall have occasion hereafter to speak of Morris's service on board her, in the same character.

Having effected this important preliminary step, Preble set the ship in motion, in good earnest. On the 2d of March she sailed for Malta, arrived on the 3d, and returned on the 17th. On the 20th she sailed again for Tripoli, where she arrived in time to send in a flag on the 27th; a day or two later she sailed for Tunis, encountering a heavy gale on the passage, and anchored in the bay on the 4th of April. She left Tunis on the 7th, it blowing a gale from the northwest at the time, and reached Malta on the 12th; sailed for Syracuse on the 14th, and arrived on the 15th. All these movements were made necessary, in order to keep Tunis quiet, ascertain the state of things at Tripoli and obtain supplies at Malta. Business detained the ship at Syracuse until the 20th, when she was again off. On the 29th the busy craft again touched at Malta, having scoured along the enemy's coast, and on the 2d of May, less than a month from her appearance, the Bey of Tunis had the equivocal gratification of again seeing her in his harbor. War had been menaced, but peace succeeded this demonstration, and next day the ship was off for Naples, where she arrived on the 9th. The slow movements of the Neapolitans kept the active vessel ten days in that magnificent gulf, when away she went for Messina, with an order to get some of the king's gun-boats on board her. On the 25th she was at Messina, and on the 30th she left that place, going round to Syracuse, where she anchored next day. On the 4th of June, the Constitution was away once more for Malta, where she anchored on the 6th, and on the 9th she went to take another look at Tripoli. A flag was sent in on the 13th to know the Bashaw's ultimatum, but that dignitary refusing to accede to the terms offered, the Constitution got her anchor next day, and went to Tunis the third and last time, accompanied by two of the small vessels, as a hint to the Bey to remain quiet. The demonstration succeeded, and having reached Tunis on the 19th, the ship left it on the 22d for Syracuse, touched at Malta on the 24th, and reached her post on the 25th. On the 29th,. away the frigate went again for Messina, arriving the 1st July, and sailing again

on the 9th for Syracuse and getting in the same day.

Here was an activity almost without a parallel. Nor did it end here. On the 14th the good old craft lifted her anchor and went to sea; was in Malta on the 16th; left Malta on the 21st, and appeared off Tripoli, in company with all the force that had by this time been collected, in readiness to commence the war in earnest. We know very well that Preble's extraordinary energy was at the bottom of all these ceaseless movements; but the good old ship must come in for all that share of the credit, which properly belongs to a most admirably constructed machine. If the reader will recur to our dates he will find what was really done. Between the 2d March and the 25th July, there are 145 days, or less than five months. Between these dates, Old Ironsides left port eighteen times, without counting visits to different places where she did not anchor. The distances run were necessarily short, in some instances quite so, but the Mediterranean Sea was actually crossed in its entire breadth twice, and several of the passages were hundreds of miles in length. The ship that is in and out of port three times a month-and four times would be nearer the true proportion of the Constitution's movements cannot be called idle; and our good craft, on all occasions, did her part of the duty admirably well.

It was not favorable weather for anchoring until the 28th, when Preble fetched up with all his squadron, which now consisted of fifteen sail, of one sort and another of fighting craft, with Old Ironsides at their head. The good frigate lay about a league from Tripoli, and the parties had now a good opportunity of looking at each other. The same day, however, a gale came on, and sent every thing out into the offing again; and it was August 3d before Preble brought his force in again.

It

The 3d August, 1804, will ever be memorable in American naval annals. was the day on which Preble first attacked the batteries of Tripoli, and on which Decatur made his celebrated hand-to-hand assault on the gun-boats, that had ventured to take up an anchorage outside the rocks. It does not come within the scope of our plan to give the particulars of the whole of this desperate engagement, and we shall confine ourselves principally to the part that was borne in it by the subject of our sketch. The battle itself began at threequarters past two P. M., but it was a little later before Old Ironsides took a part in the fray. It ought to be mentioned here, that this ship had taken on board six long twenty-sixes at Syracuse, which had

the quarter-deck and forecastle, and the six twenty-sixes just mentioned.

The manner in which the Constitution went into action that day has often been the theme of praise. As she stood down to range along the rocks and batteries, and a harbor filled with armed craft, her people were aloft rolling up the light canvas as coolly as if about to come to in peaceable times, nor was a gun fired until as near the rocks as was deemed prudent, when she let the Turks have her larboard broadside, sending the shot home as far as the Bashaw's Castle. That was the first shotted broadside that Old Ironsides ever discharged at an enemy. As she was launched Sept. 20th, 1797, it follows that the good craft was just six years, ten months, and fourteen days old, ere she fired what may be called a shot in anger. No occasion had occurred on her previous service to bring the vessel herself alongside of an enemy, and here she was now commencing the brilliant part of her career, on the coast of Barbary, the very service for which she had been originally designed, though against a different prince. The ship kept ranging along the rocks, mole and batteries, often as near as within two cables' length of the first, and three of the last, silencing every thing that she could get fairly under her guns, so long as she lay opposed to it. The flotilla within the rocks, in particular, was the object of her attentions, and she made great havoc among its people by means of grape. It was when tacking or wearing, that the Constitution was most exposed, having no vessel of any size to cover her. It will be remembered that Tripoli mounted one hundred and forty-five pieces of heavy ordnance, behind stone walls, in addition to a large number of guns she had afloat, many of which were of as heavy calibre as any possessed by the Americans. At half-past four, the smaller vessels began to retire, covered by a blazing fire from the Constitution; and a quarter of an hour later, the frigate herself hauled off the land, and went out of action. In this, which may be termed her début in active warfare, our favorite ship escaped singularly well, considering the odds with which she had to contend, and the circumstances under which she fought. In all that service before Tripoli, she fought at great disadvantage, being held at precisely

the distance that batteries wish to keep ships, by the rocks, within which it would have been madness for a single frigate to enter. The nearer a vessel can get to batteries the better; not only on account of the greater effect of their shot on walls, but on account of the advantages it gives by placing them within her range of fewer guns.

Although Old Ironsides was two full hours under fire, on the 3d August, time enough to have cut her into splinters, at the distance at which she was fought, and the number of guns that were brought to bear on her, had the Turkish gunnery been better than it was, she suffered very little, and not at all in her hull. One twenty-four pound shot passed through the centre of her mainmast, thirty feet above the deck; her main-royal-yard was shot away altogether; two lower shrouds and two back-stays were also shot away; and the running rigging, and sails generally, were a good deal cut. One heavy shot, supposed to have been a thirty-two, entered a stern port as the ship was wearing, and when she was most exposed, passed quite near to Preble, some accounts say actually beneath his leg, as he stood with it raised on the port sill, struck the breech of one of the quarter-deck twelves, which it damaged materially, and broke into fragments, that flew forward into the waist, along a deck crowded with men, of whom only one was injured. Here was the old ship's luck!-a good fortune or a providential care, as men may choose to regard the spirit of providential interferences, that has more or less attended the craft in all her subsequent battles and adventures. The man who was first wounded in battle, on the deck of Old Ironsides, deserves to have his name recorded. It was Charles Young, a marine, who had his elbow shattered by one of the fragments of the shot just mentioned. On this occasion, both Mr. Dent and Mr. Robinson were out of the ship. The former had been transferred to the Scourge, but commanded one of the bombketches in the attacks; while the other, who had succeeded, as acting-captain of the frigate, commanded the other. Charles Gordon was now the first lieutenant, and did duty as such in the action, while Jumping Billy handled Old Ironsides under fire as he would have handled her in an American port.

The Constitution herself had no particular agency in the affairs which occurred between the 3d and the 28th August, though many of her officers and people were engaged. On the 7th, she lifted her anchor and stood in with an intention to mingle in the combat, but the wind

coming out from the northward, it was thought imprudent to carry her as near the rocks as would be necessary to render her fire efficient, since the loss of a mast might have thrown her ashore. The 7th was the day on which Caldwell was blown up. Although the ship herself did not fire a shot that day, many of her people were in the thickest of the fight. The gun-boats and ketches received crews from the other vessels whenever they went into action, and that day, besides having her boats out in numbers, the Constitution put Mr. Wadsworth in No. 6, Trippe's boat, as her commander. The lateen yard of this boat was shot away in the action. Although the frigate did not engage, she kept so close in, directly to windward, as to overawe the Tripolitan flotilla, and keep them within the rocks. On the evening of the 7th, Chauncy joined from America, in the John Adams, armed en flute. The 28th was intended to be a day of special attack. All the boats of the squadron were manned and armed and sent to remain by the small vessels, in case the flotilla, which had shown some signs of a determination of coming to close quarters again, should put the intention in execution. To supply the places of those who left the ship, Chauncy joined her with several officers and about seventy seamen of the John Adams, and did duty as Preble's captain. Lieut.-Com. Dent also came on board-the ketches not engaging and took charge of the quarterdeck. Izard, too, then a lieutenant on board the Scourge, which was not engaged, came on board his old ship. Wadsworth continued in No. 6, and Gordon took charge of No. 2, for the occasion. These changes made, the vessel was ready to engage.

The 28th was the day, when the attack commenced early in the morning; before it was light, indeed. For this purpose the American flotilla went quite close to the rocks, and began their fire through the openings. The brigs and schooners kept under way, near at hand, to cover them against any assaults from the enemy's boats, galleys, &c. All the Constitution's boats went in with the gun-boats, and were under fire from the first. As the day dawned, Old Ironsides weighed anchor, and stood in towards the town. Her approach was in the most admirable style, and Fort English, the Bashaw's Castle, the Crown, and Mole Batteries, all opened upon her, as soon as she came within range. The signal was now made for the gun-boats to withdraw, and for the brigs and schooners to take them in tow. Ironsides then took the game into her own hands, to cover the retreat, and may be

Old