Concluding Operations 145 



W.N.W. 15 leagues, a ship was made out, on the 

 Majesties weather-bow, standing S.E. 2 This ship 

 was the unlucky President. On the evening of the 

 1 4th she had left her consorts at anchor, and put out 

 to sea in the gale. But by a mistake of the pilots 

 who were to place boats to beacon the passage the 

 frigate struck on the bar, where she beat heavily 

 for an hour and a half, 3 springing her masts and 

 becoming very much hogged and twisted. 4 Owing 

 to the severity of her injuries the President would 

 have put back to port, but was prevented by the 

 westerly gale. 5 Accordingly, Decatur steered at 

 first along Long Island, then shaped his course to 

 the S.E., and in the dark ran into the British squad 

 ron, which, but for his unfortunate accident, he 

 would thus have escaped. At daylight, the Presi 

 dent, which had hauled up and passed to the north 

 ward of her opponents, 6 found herself with the Ma 

 jestic and Endymion astern, the Pomona on the 

 port, and the Tenedos on the starboard quarter. 7 

 The chase now became very interesting. 8 During 

 the early part of the day, while the wind was still 

 strong, the Majestic led the Endymion and fired oc- 



s Letter of Captain Hayes, January 17, 1815. 



3 Letter of Commodore Decatur, January 18, 1815. 



4 Report of Court-martial, Alex. Murray presiding, April 

 20, 1815. 



5 Decatur 's letter, January 18. * Ibid. 



7 James, vi, 529. 8 Letter of Captain Hayes. 



VOL. X. G 



