The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-10
TODAY in HISTORY
The Battle Of axe Erie.
SATURDAY. sEpTEMeEe 10. 1910,


historic battle OF Lake Erie in which
the Hs gallant young naval Officer, Oliver
der Barclay. The battle opened at noon
ana for several hours there was an in
4essant roar of artillery, Several Of the
The American flagship, and by 2 o'clock
over two.thlrds OF her two hundred and
thirty men were killed or wounded.
rsnca Ferry , had IN named his lagshp Sns Law
dying words. Don't give up the ship,
had become the motto OF the vessel that
bore bore his name: At length the Law
passed In an open boat In the face OF
the enemy.'s flre, to his next largest yes
cans. taking advantage of this, raked
their decks with murderous fire: but
oniy Tor twenty minutes, when the Brit
Ign raised the white flag and surren-
dcred
Perry'o laconlc dispatch to General
shey are ours,' soon became as famous
as the noble words OF Lawrence, which
he had made his motto, This brilliant
wholly to the Americans. m % rendered the
recovery Of Michigan practically easy
and gave to the young American COM
mander an undying fame.
This brilliant action occurred during
me secono year OF our second war with
Great Britain. General Harrison (after-
wards prenldent), who was put in charge
tleularly anxious 10 secure control OF
Lake Erie. for as long as the British
held IT he could make little headway in
To Perry had been assigned the task
OF securing control of the lake, He la
bored Dor ,nor, for months in preparation for
In getting together nine crude ships,
With armament consisting OF only fifty
four guns, The crews of these vessels
only numbered 800 men, but Perry drilled
them night and day until he felt they
were proficient enough TO cope with the
enemy.
When the British commander saw the
accomplishment OF the swarthy American
he seems to have lost his desire to fight
and wheeled about and fed westward
II; II TOOK , Perry a month to fiqd him final
battle that followed the British lost
double the number of the Americans. and
for the first time. in all history, an
entire English squadron surrendered
And, best of all. the victory was won
by hotila OF ricksty, rough, small
craft, manned largely by farm boys and
loresters; and led by man only 81
Perry sent his famous message TO Har-
rison. scribbled In pencil on the back OF
an old letter; and using his stiff naval
When Perry shifted his command from
the Lawrence TO the Niagara he did so
amid storm OF shot. grape. canister and
musket balls. The British directed all
their available fire on the little boat.
One shot shattered an oar. another went
through the boat, but Perry coolly took
of his uniform coat and stuffed il In the
hole to keep the boat alloat. A line in
an old song goes:
He pulled off his coat. and he plugged
up his boat,
And away, he went sailing In fire and
smoke"
BY cffecting the capture of this en-
tire British squadron Perry became IA
nous in a day.
On September 10 John Smith was elect
ed president of Virginia in 1908; the Ar
cadians were eXiled from Nova Scotia In
1855: Elias Howe received a patent for
the first completed sewing machine In
1886; the fugitive slave bill was passed
In 1859; and the statue to Commodore
Perry was unveiled in Cleveland In 1850
Today is the birthday OF Nicholas Bid
die. the naval officer G750); John J.
Crittenden. United States attorney gen.
sral and governor OF Kentucky d7s)
Sarah Wallis Lee. English writer and
artist O79D; Judge Noah Davis Gs1s)
Joseph Wheeler. southern soldier and
statesman QS36): John Brisben Walker
editor and author QS4D. and Poultney
Bigelow. author Gs55), 1t Is the date OF
the death of William the Conoueror
QOSO; Henrietta Maria (1669), and DR..
Thomas Sheridan. the Irish scholaf
(173s).