Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-06-13
EzE M4GAeA GazGM10 Acnouc

no built from, the forests near by. feet Of nine
vessels was built by him and his men, A regi-
ment of Pennsylvania militia covered tne snip
builders while they were at work
The battle against a superior BRUSH squadron
lasted all day, and the Lawrence was dismanted'
so that Perry had to row through hail OF shot
to the Niagara where he hoisted his flag again.
At o'clock he was able to send his famous dis
patch: I'VE have met the enemy and they are
ours"
Commodore Perry was then twenty-seven years
old.
Perry was Rhode Islander by birth The son
of a naval officer and the daughter of an Irish
woman of unusual attainments. he had the most
careful early training, so that after Lake Erie
some who knew the family spoke Of 1t as Mrs
Perry's victory" Young Oliver Hazard Perry
was fond of Plutarchs Lives, Shakespeare and
Addison. He pupil Of Count Rochambeau.
At fourteen he was commissioned a midshpman.
When the war with England began there was
probably no better ordnance officer in the Amer
lean navy and in the training of his crews he was
unwearying in personal attention to details. BY
assembling his gunboats occasionally he gained
actual knowledge of the evolutions OF feet
He also practiced sham battles, which taught him
much.
Within twenty-four hours after receipt Of Com
modore Chauncey's order to go to Lake Erie he
had seHt of a detachment of fifty men, and five
days later he set out himself with his younger
he reached Erie on March 81. There he found
Noah Brown shipwright, and Sailing Master Dob
bins awaiting fifty carpenters from Philadelphia
The carpenters were more than five weeks max
ing the wintry journey.
The kees of two twenty gun brigs and three
gunboats had already been laid. Incredible toll
in the wilderness enabled Perry to collect nine
vessels Of 1871 tons with 81 guns capable of
throwing a broadside of 936 pounds Of metal, Of
which 2SS pounds could be fired at long range
Puny figures these seem in this day of dread
naughts. but in 1918 they we're respectable IL not
exactly impressive.
The Lawrence and the Niagara which were
the two twenty gun ships, carried two long
twelve Founders and eighteen thirty-two FOUNDER
carronades The long range guns were the chief
dependents of the Americans. To make his car
ronade fire effective Perry relied grape and
canister shot and favorite American ammunition.
language, which was made out of scraps of iron
sewed up in leather bags
Perry's force of consisted of about 500
landsmen and sailors, many of whom had never
seen salt water On the British side Captain
Barclay had six vessels of 1,460 TONS manned by
nearly 800 men, but he had sixty.thrce cannon
Barclay was one of Nelson's veterans
AS the fleets approached each other at about
II o'clock the bugle sounded from the flagship.
The men of the whole British line gave three
cheers and the long guns of the Detroit opened
on the Lawrence at a distance OF mile and
half BY noon the battle began in earnest in
the form Of duel the heaviest vessel In each
feet confronting the other. Barclay had at first
a manifest advantage The gunners of the Law
renee, depending too much on their carronades
fired too fast and overshotting their stumpy guns
were able only to pit and dent the sides of the
Detroit So the Lawrence was reduced to a hulk
by a steady British fire After two hours only
one gun was left mounted the cockpit was
crowded with wounded and only eighteen I'M