They eagerly welcomed the chance of winning glory.

To them the war with Tripoli offered the very opportunity for which they longed.
Among these was William Bainbridge, who was born in 1774 and died in 1833.

He began life as a sailor at the age of fifteen, and was in several engagements before he was appointed to the navy in 1798, during our war with France.
Another was Stephen Decatur, born in Maryland in 1779 and killed in a duel with Commodore Barron in 1820.

His father was a gallant officer in the Revolution, and his two sons were among the bravest officers who ever trod the quarter deck.

Both entered the service in 1798, and Stephen is generally regarded as the best type of the young American naval officer during the early years of the present century.
Still another was Charles Stewart, born in Philadelphia in 1778, and, like those whom I have named, he entered the navy as lieutenant in 1798.
It will always be one of my pleasantest recollections that I was well acquainted with Stewart, and spent many hours talking with him about the stirring scenes in which he took part.