Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-05

and sent his sword by Gen. O'Hara.
Washington gave Gen. Lincoln the
privilege of receiving and politely re-
turning the English earl's sword. The
surrender of the British colors was
an impressive scene. Twenty-eight
British captains, each bearing a flag
in its case. drew up in line with twen-
ty-eight American sergeants opposite
them to receive the colors.
Lord North received the intelli-
gence of Cornwallis's surrender at
Yorktown with $4,000 men," said Lord
George Germain at the time. "as he
would have taken a cannon ball In MS
breast, for he opened mis- arms, ex-
claiming, wildly as he paced up and
down the apartment a few minutes,
o God! it is all over" The city Of
London petitioned the king to put an
end to the unnatural and unfortunate
war;" and when Lord North defended
the royal policy in parliament by say
ing it maintained British rights and
was just, Burke, always a friend Of
the colonies, arose from his bench and
exclaimed:
Good God! Are we yet to be told
of the rights for which we went to
war? o excellent rights! o valuable
rights! Valuable you should be, for
we have paid dear In parting with
you. o valuable rights! that have
cost Britain thirteen provinces, four
islands, 100000 men and more than
7O,OO0,OO0 pounds Of money!"
Lake Erie.
The island of Put-in-Bay. O., is at
present q summer resort for excur-
sion boats from Detroit, Toledo and
Cleveland. Thousands of excursionists
who visit the pretty little group of is
lands in Lake Erie Of which Putin
Bay is one probably do not know that
the battle which was to decide the
sovereignty of the Great Lakes and
with 1t that Of the great northwest
fought in the same waters in which
they spend so much time rubber
chuting" from the hot-water tobog-
gans.
On the morning Of Sept. 10, 1913,
Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry, then an
chored with his fleet about him in the
quiet waters Of Put-in-Bay, saw a
number of sails beyond the point. The
lookout on the Lawrence speedily an
nounced the vessels to be British men,
of-war. In twelve minutes the Amer
lean fleet was under way. At the
masthead of the Lawrence was blue
banner with the words of the dying
Lawrence: Don't give up the ship"
The two squadrons under a light
breeze from the south slowly ap-
preached each other. The British
squadron was under the command of
Commodore Robert H. Barclay, who
commanded the victory with Nelson
at Trafalgar. His vessels were the
Detroit, nineteen guns, one pivot and
two howitzers; Queen Charlotte. sew
enteen guns and one howitzer; Lady
Provost, thirteen guns and one howit-
zer; Hunter, ten guns; Little Belt
three guns, and Chippewa, one gun
and two swivels. Capt. Perry's feet
consisted of the Lawrence, twenty
guns; the Niagara, twenty guns; the
Caledonia and the Ariel Of three and
four guns respectively. In addition he
had six smaller vessels Of from one to
two guns each. In all his fleet car
ried fifty-five guns, while Commodore
Barclay mounted sixty three guns. not
including his numerous swivels
The battle was to be for the su-
premacy Of Lake Erie. and in case the
Americans were victorious would
compel the abandonment Of Maiden
and Detroit, the recovery Of Michigan
and the northwest, and besides would
make possible the invasion Of Canada.
Defeat meant that our whole northern
frontier would be open to attack by
the British at any time they chose.
The British guns had a longer range
than those Of the American ships, and
Perry decided to close at once to null
lify this advantage. For the first two
hours of the fight the Lawrence bore
the brunt of the entire British squad
ron's attack until, as a contemporary
account had it, "every brace and bow
line being shot away, she became un-
manageable, Notwithstanding the great
exertion Of the sailing master. In this
situation she sustained the action
within canister distance upward Of
two hours until every gun was render
ed useless and the greater part Of her
crew either killed or wounded.
Taking his flag down from the mast
head, Perry then left his flagship and
made off for the Niagara, leaving the
deck of his former ship fearful scene
of carnage. Commodore Barclay, know
ing that IL Perry reached the Niagara,
which vessel, the stanchest Of the
American fleet, was practically un-
hurt, it might thereupon turn the tide
of battle against him, ordered that
both big and little guns Of his three
frigates should direct their fire at the
little ll1eDOat In WHICH feTTy WAS
standing upright with the pennant
and the banner Of his ship wrapped
about him. Fortune seemed to be with
the young American commander.
Though round shot split the oars of
the boatmen and grapeshot whipped
the water into foam about the frail
little craft and bullets cut through the
boats side, nevertheless not man
aboard her was injured. Fifteen min
utes after leaving the Lawrence Per-
ry reached the deck Of the Niagara,
brought that ship about, ran her
through the English fleet and in eight
more had brought the COL
ors of the English flagship crashing to
deck. All but two of the British fleet
then surrendered. These were pur-
sued by the Scorpion and captured by
Sailing Master Stephen Champlin. 1t
was then that Perry sat down, took
off his naval cap, and resting it on his
knee composed the message which has
gone into history:
I'VE have met the enemy, and they
are ours-two ships, two brigs. one
schooner and one sloop." The Ameri-
cans lost only twenty-seven killed and