The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1913-05-23
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ha b.ilt Prom, the forests near by. A fleet OF nine
vessels was built by him and his mem regt
ment Of Pennsylvania militia covered inc snip
builders while they were at work
The hattie against a superior British squadron
lasted all day, and the Lawrence was dismantled,
SO that Perry had to row through a hail OF snoe
to the Niagara. where he hoisted bis nag again.
AT o'clock he was able to send his famous ais
patch: I'VE have met the enemy and tney are
ours"
Commodore Perry was then twenty-seven years
old
Perry was a Rhode islander by birth. The son
of q naval ohicer and the daughter of an Irish
woman Of unusual attachments, he had the most
careful early training. SO that after Lake Erie
some who knew the family spoke Of It as Mrs.
Perry's Victory" Young Oliver Hazard Perry
was fond Of Plutarch's Lives Shakespeare and
Addison. He was pupil of Count Rochambeau.
At fourteen he was commissioned midshipman.
When the war with England began there was
probably no better orr nance 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 heet.
He also practiced sham battles which taught him
much
Within twenty-four hours after receipt OF Com
modore Chaunceys order to go to Lake Erie ne
had sent on a detachment Of fifty men, and hve
days later he set out himself with his younger
brother Alexander. Travelling chiefly in sieighs
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 keels OF two twenty gun briggs and three
gunboats had already been laid Incredible toll
in the wilderness enabled Perry to collect nine
vessels of 1871 tons with "a guns capable of
throwing broadside OF 9S6 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 were respectable II 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
served up in leather bags.
Perry's force of men 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 500 men, but he had sixty-three cannon
Barclay was 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 distance of mile and
half. By noon the battle began In earnest in
the form Of duel. the heaviest vessel in each
fleet 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 reduced to a hulk
by steady British fire. After two hours only
one gun was left mounted the cockpit was
crowded with wounded and only eighteen un-