He sent out the two ships named, and, on the night of January 14, 1815, when the blockading squadron had been driven to the south by a gale, he sailed down the Narrows, hoping to get to sea before it returned.

There was good reason to expect success, but misfortune speedily came.

The beacon lights had been removed and early in the evening the pilot ran the ship aground just before reaching Sandy Hook.

It required two hours of the hardest kind of work to get her off.

The _President_ was not very seaworthy at the start, and the efforts to reach deep water so injured her that it was necessary to return to the city for repairs, but the strong contrary wind prevented and she was driven over the bar.
Meanwhile the blockading squadron had come back and, early the next morning, Decatur had four of them in full pursuit.