The Springfield herald., 1913-05-23
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be built from the forests near oy meet VI ~
vessels was built by him and his men. regs-
ment of Pennsylvania militia covered 'he 'AAp7
builders while they were at work.
The battle against superior British squadron
lasted all day. and the Lawrence was dismant,ea.
so that Perry had to row through hail OF shot
IN tho Niagara where he hoisted his flag again
At o'clock he was able to send his famous ois
patch: I'VE have met the enemy and they are
ours"
old.
Perry was Rhode Islander by birth. The son
of a naval ofacer 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 ana
Addison. He was pupil of Count Rochambeau.
At fourteen he was commissioned midshpman.
When the war with England began there was
probably NO better ordnance ofacer in the Amer
lean navy. and In the training of his crews he was
unwearying in personal attention to details. by
assembling his gunboats occasionahy ne galhea
actual knowledge of the evolutions of heet
He also practiced sham battles. which taught him
much :, c,,,-
within twentyfour hours after receipt OF Com
modore Chaunceys order to go to Lake Erie ne
had sent of detachment of fifty men, and hve
days later he set out himself with his younger
brother, Alexander. Travelling chiefly in sleighs
he reached Erie on March a. There he found
Noah Brown, shipwrght, and Sailing Master Dob
DlnB awaiting MY CaIPoutoio iAoAAA
The carpenters we're more than nve weeks max
ing the wintry journey.
The keels 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 broadside of 936 pounds of metal of
which 288 pounds could be fred at long range
Puny figures these seem In this day of dread
naughts but in 1873 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
canister shot and favorite American ammunition
language. which was made out of scraps OF iron
sewed 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 400 tons, manned by
nearly 500 men, but he had sixty-three 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 distance of mile and
half By the battle began in earnest in
the form of duel. the heaviest vessel In each
manifest advantage. The gunners of the Law
renee. depending too much their carronades,
fired too fast, and overshottng their stumpy guns
were able only to pit and dent the sides of the
Detroit So the Lawrence reduced to hulk
by steady British fire. After two hours only
gun left mounted. the cockpit was
crowded with wounded and only eighteen un-