132 Naval War of 1812 



lessly down the line and grounded near Crab Isl 

 and; some of the convalescent patients manned the 

 six-pounder and fired a shot or two at her, when 

 she struck, nearly half of her crew being killed or 

 wounded. About the same time the British gun 

 boats forced the Preble out of line, whereupon she 

 cut her cable and drifted inshore out of the fight. 

 Two or three of the British gunboats had already 

 been sufficiently damaged by some of the shot from 

 the Ticonderoga's long guns to make them wary; 

 and the contest at this part of the line narrowed 

 down to one between the American schooner and the 

 remaining British gunboats, who combined to make 

 a most determined attack upon her. So hastily had 

 the squadron been fitted out that many of the 

 matches for her guns were at the last moment 

 found to be defective. The captain of one of 

 the divisions was a midshipman, but sixteen years 

 old, Hiram Paulding. When he found the matches 

 to be bad he fired the guns of his section by 

 having pistols flashed at them, and continued this 

 through the whole fight. The Ticonderoga's com 

 mander, Lieutenant Cassin, fought his schooner 

 most nobly. He kept walking the taffrail amid 

 showers of musketry and grape, coolly watch 

 ing the movements of the galleys and directing the 

 guns to be loaded with canister and bags of bullets, 

 when the enemy tried to board. The British gal- 



