Andrew Sterret, captain of the Enterprise, won the first American victory of the war.  On August 1, 1801, Sterret captured Rais Mahomet Rous' 14-gun corsair Tripoli.  The Enterprise inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy without suffering a single loss.  However, because the United States Congress had not formally declared war with Tripoli, Sterret could not take the Tripoli as a prize and instead threw its guns overboard and released the ship.  Sterret returned to Baltimore where he and his crew were celebrated as heros.  Sterret's victory is commemorated in the 1801 poem &quot;Sterret's Sea Fight&quot;: 