The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-08-15

his ships were there and those materials were
the unhewn timber of the forest. Shipbullders,
Sailors naval stores guns and ammunition had
to be brought thither from distant points over
roads which were little better than mere trails.
Letter after letter he wrote to his superiors In
the East, begging for more men, more supplies,
more money, more Of everything which he would
need Ii he were to cope successfully with a
powerful enemy. A lesser man than Perry would
have despaired, but he refused to be daunted by
his handicaps
And so, after months OF labor, the last OF his
ships were launched at the mouth of Cascade
creek and on July TO- 1873 he found himself In
command of the following: the brig Lawrence,
his flagship 20 guns; the brig Niagara 20 guns:
the brig Caledonia, three guns; the schooner
Ariel, four guns: the schooner Scorpion. two
guns and two swlves; the sloop Trippe, one
gun; the schooner Tigress. one gun. the schooner
Porcupine, one gun, and the schooner Somers,
one gun.
He had his fleet now but not enough sailors to
man them Think of my situation" he wrote in
one letter. THE enemy In sight, the vessels I'M
der my command more than sufficient and ready
to make sail, and yet obliged to bite my fingers
with vexatlon for want OF men," But after many
delays the arrival early In August of Capt. Jesse
Duncan Elliott, second in command, with 100 men
enabled Perry to venture out into the lake. He
reached Sandusky August II and was met there
by General Harrison who came aboard the Law
renee to confer with Perry on the fall campaign.
Then he sailed out into the lake to look for the
enemy.
On the morning of September TO- 1918, the
lookout on the Lawrence sang out sail no I"
and In the distance off Put-in-Bay the Americans
saw the long awaited British fleet advancing In
faultless battle array. Commanded by Robert
ii. Barclay, who had fought with Nelson at Ira
falgar and lost an arm In that historic engage
ment, the enemy consisted of the ship Detroit,
10 guns one pivot and two howtzers; the ship
Queen Charlotte, IL guns and one howitzer, the
brig Lady Provost, 10 guns and one howtzer;
the brig Hunter. 10 guns; the sloop Little
Belt, three guns, and the schooner Chippewa,
one gun and two swivels.
In ships, the British had the superiority, their
vessels being stronger and their forces being
more concentrated. the American gunboats at
the right of the American line, separated from
each~ other by at least a half cables length,
were not near enough for good service. In the
number of guns the British had 3d. the Ameri-
cans, "a. In action at distance, the British,
who had 30 long range guns to 10, had greatly
the advantage, in close action the weight Of
metal would favor the Americans The British
commander had 100 men from the royal navy,
50 Canadian sailors, and $40 soldiers, mostly
regulars, and some Indians, making, with their
officers. little more than 800 men, of whom at
least 450 were efficient. The American crews
of which about one-fourth were from Rhode
Island, onefourth regular seamen American and
cosmopolitan, about one-fourth raw volunteers
from Pennsylvania, Ohio, but chiefly Kentucky
and about one-fourth blacks numbered on the
muster roll 400 but of these, 116 were SICK
nearly all of whom were too weak to come on
deck So that the efficient force Of the squadron
was little less than 400,
as the American fleet Ted by the Lawrence ad-
first shot fell short, but the second went crash
Ing through the Lawrence and before the other
American vessels could come to his support, the
long guns of the enemy were centered with deadly
effect upon Perrys flagship. 1t was struck many
times before he could get close enough to open
fire effectively and even then, with the Niagara
and other ships hanging back, his Ship seemed
doomed to destruction as the combined British
fire raked her
For nearly two hours the battle ragged furi
ousTy untiI the Lawrence lay on the waters
dsmanted wreck her rigging shot away. her
spars battered into splinters all of her guns bur
one dlsmonnted and her decks, slippery with
boed. strewn with the dead and dying The
masts carrying the Stars and Stripes and the blue
flag, bearing the large white letters Don't Give