At six o’clock on the morning of the 27th, the Argus, Nautilus, and Hornet stood in, and, anchoring within a hundred yards of the battery, silenced it in three-quarters of an hour.  At the same time the town was attacked on one side by Hamet, and on the other by the Americans.  A hot fire of musketry was kept up by the garrison.  The Greek artillery-men shot away the rammer of their only field-piece, after a few discharges, rendering the gun useless.  Finding that a number of his small party were falling, Eaton ordered a charge, and led it.  Dashing through a volley of bullets, the Christians took the battery in flank, carried it, planted the American flag, and turned the guns upon the town.  Hamet soon cut his way to the Bey’s palace, and drove him to sanctuary to escape being taken prisoner.  After a lively engagement of two hours and a half, the allies had complete possession of the town.  Fourteen of the Christians had been killed or wounded, three of them American marines.  Eaton himself received a musket-ball in his wrist.

The Ex-Pacha had scarcely established himself in his new conquest before Jusuf’s army appeared upon the hills near the town.  Hassan Bey succeeded in escaping from sanctuary, and took the command.  After several fruitless attempts to buy over the rebel Arabs, the Bey, on the 13th of May, made a sudden attack upon the quarter of the town held by Hamet’s forces, and drove all before him as far as the Governor’s house; but a few volleys from the nine-pounders sent him and his troops back at full speed.  Hamet’s cavalry pursued, and cut down a great many of them.  This severe lesson made the Bey cautious.  Henceforward he kept his men in the hills, and contented himself with occasional skirmishing-parties.

After this affair numerous Arabs of rank came over, and things looked well for the cause of the legitimate Pacha.  Eaton already fancied himself marching into Tripoli under the American flag, and releasing with his own hands the crew of the Philadelphia.  He wrote to Barron of his success, and asked for supplies of provisions, money, and men.  A few more dollars, a detachment of marines, and the fight was won.  His answer was a letter from the Commodore, informing him, “that the reigning Pacha of Tripoli has lately made overtures of peace, which the Consul-General, Colonel Lear, has determined to meet, viewing the present moment propitious to such a step.”  With the letter came another from Lear, ordering Eaton to evacuate Derne.  Eaton sent back an indignant remonstrance, and continued to hold the town.  But on the 11th of June the Constellation came in, bringing the news of the conclusion of peace, and of the release of the captives, upon payment of sixty thousand dollars.  Colonel Lear wrote, that, by an article of the treaty, Hamet’s wife and children would be restored to him, on condition of his leaving the Regency.  No other provision was made for him.