the harbor and destroy the Philadelphia. Some delay ensued, as
our squadron was driven by severe gales from the Tripolitan
coast; but at last, in January, 1804, Preble gave orders to
Decatur to undertake the work for which he had volunteered. A
small vessel known as a ketch had been recently captured from the
Tripolitans by Decatur, and this prize was now named the
Intrepid, and assigned to him for the work he had in hand. He
took seventy men from his own ship, the Enterprise, and put them
on the Intrepid, and then, accompanied by Lieutenant Stewart in
the Siren, who was to support him, he set sail for Tripoli. He
and his crew were very much cramped as well as badly fed on the
little vessel which had been given to them, but they succeeded,
nevertheless, in reaching Tripoli in safety, accompanied by the
Siren.

For nearly a week they were unable to approach the harbor, owing
to severe gales which threatened the loss of their vessel; but on
February 16 the weather moderated and Decatur determined to go
in. It is well to recall, briefly, the extreme peril of the
attack which he was about to make. The Philadelphia, with forty
guns mounted, double-shotted, and ready for firing, and manned by
a full complement of men, was moored within half a gunshot of the
Bashaw's castle, the mole and crown batteries, and within range
of ten other batteries, mounting, altogether, one hundred and
fifteen guns. Some Tripolitan cruisers, two galleys, and nineteen
gunboats also lay between the Philadelphia and the shore. Into
the midst of this powerful armament Decatur had to go with his
little vessel of sixty tons, carrying four small guns and having
a crew of seventy-five men.