Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-11-13
Battle of Lake Erie Celebration.

/ III AAkG 6flC OeAeDEaE1Ous
A neat pamphlet of fifty pages has been
printed by Messrs. H D. Cooke d Co., San
dusky, entitled can account of the organiza-
ton and proceedings of the Battle of Lake Erie
Monument Association; and Celebration of the
45th Anniversary of the Battle Of Lake Erie,
at Put-in-Bay Island, on September Tenth,
1883" Copies may be obtained gratuitously
By such as want to peiuse and preserve record
of the proceedings of the Monument Associa-
ton, and of the Celebration of 1858, at this
office.
Many of the incidents of the Battle of Lake
Erie were thrilling. DR.. USHER PARSONS, OF
Rhode Island, was the Surgeon of Perry's little
feet, and from his discourse delivered before the
Historical Society of that State we extract the
following passages giving a graphic descnp-
ton of what was going on in the lawrence
WecOpy from The pamphlet before US:
Among those early brought down was Lieu
tenant Brooks, son of the late Governor OF
Massachusetts,, most accomplished gentle
man and officer; and renowned for personal
beauty A cannon-ball had struck him in the
hip, he knew his doom, and inquired how long
he shodld live; l told him few hours. He in.
quired two or three times how the day was 60
ing, and expressed hope that the Commodore
would be spared But newcomers from deck
brought more and more dismal reports, until
finally it was announced that we had struck
In the wailings of despair among the wounded,
some of whom were for sinking the ship, lost
sight of poor Brooks for q few minutes, but
when the electrifying cry was heard that the
enemy's two ships had struck, rushed on deck
to see if it were true, and then to poor Brooks
to cheer him; but he was no more,-he was too
much exhausted by his wounds to survive the
confusion that preceded this happy transition.
When the battle was raging most severely,
Midshipman Laub came down, with his arm
badly fractured; applied a splint, and request
ed him to 90 forward and lie down. As he
was leaving me, and while my hand was on him,
a cannon ball struck him in the side, and dashed
him against the other side of thereon, instantly
terminating his sufferings. Another person was
killed, and one wounded in the Surgeons room,
and six cannon balls passed through this room
in line of ten feet, and all of them between
three and four feet from the floor.
There were other incidents less painful to
witness. The Commodore dog had seated
himself in the bottom of the closet containing
all our croekery. A cannon ball passed through
the closet and smashed croekery and door, COW
ering the floor with fragments. The dog set up
a barking protest against the right OF such an
invasion of his chosen retirement.
Lieut.. Yarnalll had his scalp badly torn and
came down below the blood streaming over his
face Some lint was hastily applied and con
| fined with a large bandanna, with directions to
report himself for better dressing, after the bat
tle,as he insisted on returning to the deck The
cannon-balls had knocked to pieces the ham
mocks slowed away on deck, and let loose their
contents, which were reed or flag tops, that
foated IN the air like feathers and gave the ap-
pearlnee of a snow storm. These lighted on
Yarnalrs head covered with blood, and coming
below with another injury, his bloody face COW
cred with cat-tails, made his head resemble that
of a huge owl Some the wounded roared out
with laughter, That the Devil had come for
U.s." At halfpast o'clock, out of one hundred
and one sound men, wherew with the Lawrence
had gone into action, twenty-five were killed,
and sixty-one wounded, slaughter unpreeeden-
ted in naval warfare Her rigging was shot
away-her spars were splintered, her sails torn
to pieces, her guns dismounted; she lay help.
less wreck on the water Capt Perry had him.
self just assisted to fire her last gun. He or.
dered the boat to be lowered; and saying to his
first Lieutenant, Mr.. Yarnall-who though Sc
verely wounded refused to stay beIow,-'I leave
to your discretion to strike or not-5ut the
American colors must not come down over my
head to-day" he took the battle flag upon his
shoulder, and descended into the boat. A few
minutes later the Lawrence was compelled to
strike her colors
As the American colors went down, there
went up from the British ships shout of tri
umph. To one Wilson Mays, on board the
Lawrence, the Master, Mr.. Taylor, sai1-"Go
below, Mays, you are too weak to be here" 'I
can do something, sir" "What can you do ~
81 can sound the pumps, sir, and let strong
man go to the guns" and when the fight was |
ended there he was found with ball through |
his heart