They encouraged their naval officers to capture American vessels, and when we sent commissioners to France to protest they were coolly told that outrages upon our commerce would not be stopped until we paid the leaders several hundred thousand dollars in the way of bribes.

Then it was that one of our commissioners made the memorable reply: "Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute." Our representatives were driven out of France and the capture of our vessels by French cruisers continued.

So Congress met, cancelled all treaties with France, formed an army, placed Washington, then an old man, at the head, formed a new navy and told the men-of-war to go out and give the insolent nation a lesson she very much needed.
And France got the lesson.

The fighting on the ocean, beginning in 1798, continued for two years and a half.

The French cruisers succeeded in capturing only one vessel from the American navy, while 84 armed French ships, mostly privateers, mounting more than 500 guns, were captured by our vessels.