Edward Preble Edward Preble ( 15 August 1761 – 25 August 1807 ) was a United States naval officer who served with great distinction during the 1st Barbary War , leading American attacks on the city of Tripoli and forming the officer corps that would later lead the U . S . Navy in the War of 1812 . Early life and Revolutionary War . Preble was born at Falmouth , Eastern Massachusetts , now Portland , Maine , 15 August 1761 , the son of General Jedediah Preble . As a boy , his home was destroyed in the burning of Falmouth by British Naval Commander Henry Mowatt . It is said that this action compelled Preble to join the Navy . It also contributed to his terrible temper later in life . In 1779 he was appointed to the Massachusetts State Navy , becoming an officer in the 26 gun ship " Protector " . Becoming a British prisoner when that ship was captured in 1781 , he was held for a time in the infamous prison ship " Jersey " . On his release , he served in the Massachusetts Navy sloop " Winthrop " and led a boarding party to cut out a British brig at Castine , Maine . At the opening of this action , the " Winthrop " passed by the enemy ship so quickly that only Preble and 14 of his 45 - man boarding party managed to get aboard . As " Winthrop " came back around to make another pass , " Winthrop " ' s captain , George Little , asked Preble if he wanted more men . Preble , realizing that he would lose the element of surprise if he disclosed his far weaker position , coolly replied , " No . We have more than we want . We stand in each others ' way ! " Going below with pistols in hand , he caught a portion of the crew still in their hammocks . Preble then announced that all were prisoners and that any resistance would be in vain . As British soldiers on shore began firing , Preble worked his prize out to sea while the " Winthrop " turned to deliver a broadside in reply before making her escape . United States Navy service . Fifteen years of merchant service followed his Revolutionary War career and , in April 1798 , he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy . In January 1799 , he assumed command of the 14 gun brig " Pickering " and took her to the West Indies to protect American commerce during the Quasi - War with France . Commissioned as a captain in June of 1799 , he took command of the 32 gun frigate " Essex " in December and sailed from Newport , Rhode Island in January 1800 for the Pacific to convoy home a group of East Indiamen . Upon his return , Preble announced to the Secretary of the Navy that he intended to retire from the Navy due to his health . Not wanting to lose such an experienced and capable officer , the secretary decided to put Preble on indefinite sick leave until a good post could be found for him . During this time , the United States was engaged in naval warfare with the city - state of Tripoli , whose corsairs were causing havoc amongst American merchantmen in the Mediterranean . The U . S . Navy had sent squadrons under two commanders , Richard Dale and Richard Valentine Morris , to protect American interests in the region . While Dale ran an effective blockade of Tripoli , the endless routine bored his officers . Upon his return , Dale left the Navy over a promotion dispute . The tenure of Richard Valentine Morris , on the other hand , was an utter fiasco , as Morris was neither an effective commander nor a very smart one . Morris spent most of his time socializing in Gibraltar and Malta , and he managed to be taken hostage by the Bey of Tunis , who felt that the American did not give him an adequate farewell ( the ransom was paid by the American and Danish consuls ) . When he finally did arrive at Tripoli , he tried to play diplomat and sue for peace , which destabilized the strong negotiating position the Americans had been building up to that point . When Morris returned home , he was stripped of his commission by President Thomas Jefferson without so much as a court - martial . With Morris ordered home , President Jefferson needed a new officer to command the Mediterranean Squadron . Bypassing several senior officers , Preble was asked to travel to Boston and ready USS Constitution for duty in the Mediterranean . He accepted , and was given a promotion to Commodore along with his new ship . He sailed on August 14 , 1803 . To the Mediterranean . On September 10 , " Constitution " was approaching Cadiz on a black , moonless night . Suddenly , the dim silhouette of a warship loomed out of the hazy darkness close aboard . Preble immediately ordered Constitution cleared for action . Taking his speaking trumpet , he asked the stranger , " What ship is that ? " The unknown ship returned the question , to which Preble responded , " This is the United States frigate " Constitution " . What ship is that ? " The other ship then asked again , " What ship is that ? " Preble identified himself again with " This is the United States frigate " Constitution " . What ship is that ? " " What ship is that ? " Preble , whose roaring temper had a very short fuse , then told the other ship to stop playing games in no uncertain terms : " I am now going to hail you for the last time . If a proper answer is not returned , I will fire a shot into you . " " If you fire a shot , I ' ll return a broadside , " replied an Englishman on the other ship . Preble demanded , " What ship is that ? " " This is His Britannic Majesty ' s 74 - gun ship of the line " Donegal " , Sir Richard Strachan commanding . Heave to and send a boat . " Simply put , an 74 would crush a mere frigate within a broadside or two . Surely the " old man " would have to back down . But the Commodore wasn ' t having any of it . Leaping up to the mizzen shrouds , Preble roared , " This is the United States Ship " Constitution " , 44 guns , Edward Preble , an American Commodore , who will be damned before he sends his boat on board any vessel ! " As he turned , staring flinty - eyed down the spar deck at the spluttering slow - burning fuses held by the gunners , he told his men , " Blow your matches , boys ! " A few minutes later , a British lieutenant came aboard from the other ship . He told Preble that the ship he had been arguing with wasn ' t the 74 - gun ship of the line that the British had claimed ; rather it was the 32 - gun frigate " Maidstone " . Nevertheless , the story that Commodore Preble stood up to a British ship of the line was galvanizing , and it spread quickly throughout the Mediterranean . After signing a peace treaty with Morocco , Preble established a blockade off Tripoli . Stephen Decatur , William Bainbridge , Charles Stewart , Isaac Hull , Thomas Macdonough , James Lawrence , and David Porter served under his command at Tripoli . While commanding in Tripoli , Preble masterminded the burning of the USS " Philadelphia " by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur on February 16 , 1804 , preventing the captured frigate from falling into enemy hands . Had Tripoli gained the use of the " Philadelphia " , the entire blockade would have been wasted . Stephen Decatur and his younger brother , James Decatur , led the actual operation . James Decatur was killed in the fighting later that year aboard one of the squadron ' s attack craft . Over the course of his career , Preble helped establish many of the modern Navy ' s rules and regulations . Described as a stern taskmaster , he kept high discipline upon the ships under his command . He also dictated that his ships be kept in a state of readiness for any action while under sail , something many US naval officers at the time did not insist upon . Future sea captains such as Decatur , Lawrence , and Porter took his procedures to heart at a time when the US Navy was highly unregulated . Many of Preble ’ s procedures became doctrine after the establishment of an official US Navy . The officers serving under him during his career also went on to become influential in the Navy Department after his death , and together they proudly wore the unofficial title of " Preble ' s Boys " . ( When Preble took over command he discovered that his oldest officer was 30 and the youngest 15 years old . He therefore grumbled the Secretary of the Navy had given him " just a pack of schoolboys " . ) Preble ' s Mediterranean cruise led directly to the US government ' s firm anti - negotiation stance . Many Mediterranean states , including Tripoli , had been pirating American shipping vessels , ransoming the sailors , and demanding tribute to prevent future pirate attacks . The tribute rose after each successful payment , as did the brutality and boldness of the attacks . End of career . In September 1804 , Commodore Preble requested relief due to a long time illness . He returned to the United States in February 1805 and became engaged in the comparably light duty of shipbuilding activities at Portland , Maine . By Congressional resolution in March , 1805 , a gold medal was struck and presented to Commodore Preble for the " gallantry and good conduct " of himself and his squadron at Tripoli . President Jefferson offered him the Navy Department in 1806 , but Preble declined appointment due to his poor health . He died in Portland of a gastrointestinal illness on 25 August 1807 . He is buried in Eastern Cemetery , Portland , Maine . In fiction . Preble appears as a character in the science fiction novel " Time for Patriots " , ISBN 978 - 1 - 60693 - 224 - 7 , performing much as he did historically .