Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-10-13
MISONt "a a go
From the n. Y. American
OLD KENNEDY TIE QUARTER M. ,sTER.
Pcrry'S Victory OH Luke Erie.

bu', says !. "Nennedy--I think you sale
your draft was bound for the Iakes-whicl
did you go to, Ontario or Eric?" [ was or
both, Sir, says he, afor the war was over; ant
we got as much accustomed TO poking our fly
ing Iib-boom into the trees on them shores
AS ii the sticks was first cousns-which see
| ing as how the ships was built in the woods
wouldn't be much of wonder Par, of ,ba,
ere draft said down on Ontario with the old
commodore, as was watching Sir James. and
part WAS sent up to Erie ] went IN TO Erie
and Joined the Lawrence, Commodore Oliver
IL. perry-and hopes that old Bill Kennedy
need't be called braggart If he says he did
his part IN showing of as handsome fight on
mat same fresh wafer pond as has ever been
done by an equal force on the blue water
"Our gallant young commodore, made as
tight fight Of ii as has ever been nv luck to
be engaged in; and seeing as how half of his
men was down with fever and sger, and not
one in a dozen knew the difference between
the smell Of gunpowder and oil of turpen,ine.
blow me but think it MAS about as well
| done. You see our squadron was lying in a
! bay, as they calls Put-in-Bay-and when the
| enemy first hove IN sight it WAS i'm the morning.
about seven O'Clock. ! knows that that was
the time, because had just been made
Quarter Master, by Captain Perry, and was
The first as seen them thro' my glass. They
was III the nor west bearing down! As soon
| AS we made them out TO be the enemy's feet.
up went the signal to get under wav: ON
ship, the Lawrence, in course, taking the lead.
Well, as we was working slowly to windward
TO clear some small isands-somc of 'em was
Snake island heard Captain Perry come up
10 the master and ask him in low voice,
whether he thought he should be able to work
ri ~
gage OF the enemy; but the master saiJ ns
how the wind was south west, and LIGHT. md
he didn't think he could "Then,n saws The
commodore aloud, swear ship, sir, and 90 TO
leeward, for am determined 10 fight them TO
day"-but just then the wind came round to
The southland and easl'erd and we retained
the weather gage, and slowly bore down up
ON the enemy. They did all they could to
get the wind, but not succeeding hove into
line, heading westward, and calamity waited
Tor us as we came down.
ihere lay their squadron, all light sails TAX
en- III, just like boxer, with his sleeves roll
| cd up, and handkerchief tied about his loins.
ready to make regular stand-up fight, and
! there wasn't Drawer man nor better sailor. in
the British navv,nor that same Barclay, whose
broad pennant hoaied in the van of that sauud-
| ron.
fretty soon, up runs our motto flag, the tlv-
ing words OF our gallant Lawrence-"Doni
give up the ship" and floats proudly from our
nam, and then the central order was passed
down the line by trumpet, Zach ship, lay
your enemy aiongside"-and if you ever seen
flock of wild geese dying sou,ll'rd in the fall
OF the year, you'll have some idea Of us, as
we went down into action. The men was
lu'l OF spirit, and painting for fight, and even
them as was SO sick, as TO be hardly able to
stand, insisted upon taking their places at the
guns. recoilects one in partcular-he was
! a carpenters mate, steady man from New
Port-he crawls up when we beat 10 quarters,
and seats himself upon the head of one of the
pumps, with the sounding rod in his hand.
looking as yellow as if he had Just been drag
gcd out of a North Carolina cypress swamp ::
but one of the officers comes up TO him SIS he
was sitting there, and says-"Y on are too sick
to be here my man-there's no use your be-
ing exposed for nothing-you had better go
below" "H you please, sir,'' says the poor
fellow, vi can do nothing else, can save the
| Time OF better man, and sit here and sound
the pump"
| " ell, sir, rs we bore down, the English oc-
! caSlonally tried our distance by shot, and
when we was within about a mile of 'em. one
comes recochetting across the water, bounds
over the bulwarks, and takes lha, mans head
as clean off his shoulders, as if il had been
done with his own broad axe ! have heorn
say, That "every bullet has its billet" and that
is sartin, that irs no use To dodge a shot, for
II you are destined to fall by shot. Won will
sartain fall by that same shot; and bears in
mind, that an English sailor, one OF our Dr-
soners, told me that in ship of their'n teller.
as skulked in the table tier. during an action
with the French, was found dead, with spcp,
iorty two resting on his neck. The ball had
come In at the stern port-struck one of The
beams ior'ard, and tumblcI right in upon him,
breaking his neck, as he lay enugly coed a.
way in the cable tier. No, no-misfor,ips
and cannon shot is very much alike-thers's
no dodgIng--evcry man mus; stand up 10 his
work, and take his chance-if thew MISSILES
ready when they pipes TO grog-if they hit
F The Purser's book is squared and 10 more
+ charges is scored agin him--Butas was saw
ing, it wasn't long before we began to make
our carronades tell, and then at it we went
r hot and heavy, the Lawrence taking the lead
engaging the Detroit and every vessel as she
came up, obcying orders and laying her enemy
f alongside, i'll right good arrest, except the
Niagara. She hung back-damn herewith
her Jlb bracd up, and her maintopsa to the
f naSt--consequence was, the Charlotte, as wa:
her opponent. avas hegsolfor her distance
runs up close under the starn of the Detroit
and both ships pours in their combined fire in-
to our ship the Lawrence
heard tie master myself and afterwards
two or three Of the other officers, 90 IN to the
Commodore during The action and cali his at
fIVt IL, n 4