III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 153 

Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 23, 2013 

Mr. TOOMEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake 

Erie. 

Whereas the 9 vessels in the United States naval fleet on the 

Great Lake of Erie during the War of 1812 were assembled and stationed at Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania; 

Whereas the American forces, under the command of 28- 

year-old Rhode Island native Oliver Hazard Perry, were 

tasked to subdue the enemy fleet on the lake and sever 

its vital supply lines to the northwestern front; 

Whereas the United States fleet met its adversaries a short 

distance from Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on September 10, 1813; 

Whereas during the intense fight that ensued, the flagship of 

Commodore Perry, the U.S. Brig Lawrence, was disabled 

and its crew suffered over an 80-percent casualty rate; 


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•SRES 153 IS 

Whereas Commodore Perry refused to surrender, courageously boarded a small rowboat, traversed a half-mile 

through hostile waters, and transferred his command to 

the U.S. Brig Niagara; 

Whereas the U.S. Brig Niagara steered back into the heart 

of the battle, outmaneuvered its foes, and forced the subsequent surrender of the entire British fleet on Lake 

Erie; 

Whereas 100 sharpshooters from the Kentucky militia stationed on board the flotilla provided devastating covering 

fire throughout the encounter; 

Whereas to communicate the conclusion of the engagement to 

Major General William Henry Harrison, Commodore 

Perry provided the historic and succinct battle summary: 

‘‘We have met the enemy, and they are ours—two ships, 

two brigs one schooner & one sloop.’’; 

Whereas the victory solidified American control of Lake Erie 

for the duration of the conflict, enabling United States 

forces to retake Detroit and win further battles in the 

Old Northwest and the Niagara Valley; 

Whereas the State of Pennsylvania to this day maintains the 

U.S. Brig Niagara as its State ship; 

Whereas the battle flag of Commodore Perry, ‘‘Dont Give Up 

the Ship’’, is preserved in the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland; and 

Whereas the battle is immortalized in the United States Senate by the masterpiece painted by William Henry Powell 

in 1873: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 153 IS 

1 (1) recognizes the 200th anniversary of the 

2 Battle of Lake Erie; 

3 (2) remembers with great pride this significant 

4 victory in the ‘‘Second War of Independence’’ of the 

5 United States; 

6 (3) commends the city of Erie, Pennsylvania, 

7 and the Perry 200 Commemoration Commission for 

8 their efforts to ensure the appropriate recognition of 

9 this historic event; and 

10 (4) expresses its deepest gratitude to all the 

11 sailors and marines who gave their lives in honorable 

12 service to the United States of America on the Great 

13 Lake of Erie 200 years ago. 

Æ 


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