Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-09-10
survivor q the Battle.

Survivors Of the Battle.
We know our readers viii be interested in
briei biographical sketches of the following
survivors of the Battle of Lake Erie, who will
take part in the Inauguration Ceremonies,
DIR. Usher Parsons.
DR.. Usher Parsons Is native Of Alfred, Ne.
| He entered the Navy Immediately after the
declaration Of war in 1872 VOLUNTEERED with
the crew Of the John Adams for lake service
was in the flagship Lawrence as assistant sur
| geOn in the battle and in consequence of the
two surgeons being i'll, had sole charge Of the
wounded OF the whole squadron. He served
the following year on the upper lakes, under
Commodore Sinclair, and was at the attack
Of Colonel Croghan on Mackinac He then
served nearly four years in the Mediterra-
mean, under Commodore Perry, in the Java,
and with Commodore McDonough in the
! Guerrero. After ten years service in the
/ Navy he resigned, and settled in Providence
/ in the practice Of medicine and surgery, and
was several years professor in Brown Uniyer
sity and in other colleges. He is author Of
several medical works, and of the Lite of Sir
/ William Pepperrel.
Captain stephen Champlin, U. =. n.
Captain Stephen Champlin was boru in
South Kingston, Rhode Island, on the 18th
November. 1889, of very respectable parents.
I His father, Stephen Champlin, was a native
of the same State, and had formerly served
as a volunteer in the American Reyolution.
! Ills mother was Elizabeth Perry, daughter of
Freeman Perry, Esq, and sister of Christie
| pher Raymond Perry, the father Of COmmo-
dore o. H. Perry.
At the age OF sixteen, his great desire to
become a sailor, and his natural adverson to
farming induced him to leave his paternal
roof and adopt the seaman's life as a profess
sioni which profession he successfully fol-
lowed, passiag through all the grades, until,
after laps Of six years, he found himself in
command OF ship out OF Norwich.
At this period, on the 22d May, 1912, war
about being declared against Great Britain,
he was appointed sailing-master in the navy
by President Madison, and commanded gun
boat, under Commodore 0. H. Perry, at New
port. On the Commodore being ordered to
the lakes, be accompanied him, in command
of draft Of forty men, aud reported to Com
modOre Isaac Chauncey, under whose COM
mand he served at the battles of Little York
and Fort George.
He was then ordered to join Commodore
o. II. Perry at Erie. On his arrival he was
appointed to the command Of the Scorpion,
in which vessel, as will be perceived by ref
erenee TO Maekenzie's Life of Perry, he took
an active part in the battle of Lake Erie, on
the 10th of September, 1913, leading the
van and firing the first gun by the order Of
the Commodore, and the last while in the
pursuit of the Little Belt, which vessel he
was enabled to capture and bring back to the
squadron, at about ten o'clock the same
night. For his gallantry in this action he
was presented by Congress with a sword.
Subsequently to this he was, by CommO-
dore Elliot placed in COMMAND OF the Queen
Charlotte and Detroit, the two prize ships
thatwere left in Put-in-Bay during the win
ter.
In the spring following he was appointed
to the command of the TigriS, under Commo-
dore Sinclair, and served under him during
the summer, by whom he was left with Cap
tain Turner to blockade the port of Mackinac.
In the performance Of this service he was at
tackled by an overwhelming force of one hun
dred sailor and soldiers, and about three hun
dred Indians, having five batteaux and nine
teen canoes. In this engagement he received !
very severe wound in the thigh from a can
lister shot, and was taken prisoner.
In 1916 he was appointed 10 the command |
Of the Porcupine, and ordered to proceed up |
the lake with Colonel Hawkins and Colonel |
Roberdeau, typographical engineers, who had !
been directed to examine the line between |
the United States and Canada, under the |
treaty Of Ghent. Subsequent to this, his |
wound breaking out airesh, he had to sub |
NIT to a evry severe operation, which, how
ever, did not effect the object in view, and he
has ever since been unable to do much active |
service. In 1928 he was ordered to the |
steamship Fulton, at New York, and was
detached from her a short time before she |
blew up. In 1912 he had the command Of |
the rendezvous in Buffalo, and was very sue |
cessful in shipping apprentices for the navy. |
After the rendezvous was discontinued, in |
I845, he was ordered to take the command /
of the steamer Michigan, on Lake Erie, which |
vessel he had charge of for about two and |
a had years. At the time the navy was re- /
formed, few years since, he was put on the
the reserve list, with full pay, and has re-
mained so ever since.