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 quarter-deck. 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, etc. 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 brig's and schooners to take them in tow. Old Ironsides then took the game into her own hands, to cover the retreat, and may be said to have fought Tripoli single-handed. She ranged along within two cables’ length of the rocks, and opened with round and grape on thirteen of the Turkish galleys and gun-boats, which had just been pretty closely engaged with the American. For a few minutes the good old craft was a perfect blaze of fire, and she soon sunk one boat, drove two more ashore to keep from sinking, and scattered all the rest. Not satisfied with this, on went the frigate, until she got off the Mole, and within musket shot, when she hove to and sent ten broadsides into the different works. Three hundred round shot alone were fired, to say nothing of large quantities of grape and canister. After having been warmly engaged for near an hour the flotilla being by this time out of danger, the gallant frigate herself filled and hauled proudly off the land, disdaining to fire any longer than she chose to engage.

Such work as this ought not to have been done by any single ship that ever floated, without her being cut to pieces. Nevertheless Old Ironsides was not really hulled; or if hulled at all, it was in a way so slight and peculiar as to induce Preble to report her as not having been hulled. Not a man on board her was injured, though grape was sticking in her side, and had passed through her sails in considerable quantities: Three lower shrouds, two spring-stays, two topmast back-stays, and the tresses, chains and lifts of the main-yard were all shot away, the running rigging suffered materially, and several round shot went through the canvas, but not a man was hurt. An anchor stock was shot away, and the larboard bower cable was cut. We think it probable that this last shot was the one which hit her figure-head. As Preble reports she was not hulled, meaning doubtless struck fairly in her main body by a round shot, and both an anchor stock and a cable were hit, it follows that the shot or shots which did this mischief must have passed ahead. Owing to the manner in which the ship lay exposed to guns at different points, nothing was more likely to occur than this.