The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-16

bis ships were there and those materials were
the unbcwn timber ot the forest Shipbullders.
sailors naval stores. guns and ammunition had
70 be brought thither from distant points over
roads which were little better than mere trails
Letter after letter be wrote 20 his superiors ln
the East. begging for more men. more supplies
more money more of everything which be would
need II DE were te cope successfully with n
powerful enemy A lesser man than Perry would
have dcspalrcd. but be refused 10 be daunted by
bis handicap2
And so after months of labor. the last of bis
ships we're launched az the mouth % Cascade
creek aud on July 10 1918. be found himself 10
command % the following: the brig Lawrence.
bis flagship - guns the brlg Niagara. - guns
the brig Caledonia. three guns. the schooner
Ariel. four guns the schooner Scorpion two
guns and iwo swlyels; the sloop Trippe. one
gun The schooner Tgrcss. one gun. the schooner
Porcupine. gun. and the schooner Sotnera
one gun.
lie hsd his feet now but not enough sailors 70
man them Think of my situation" be wrote In
one letter. "the enemy In sight the vessels nn.
der my command more than sufficient and ready
70 make sail. aud yet obliged To bite my fingers
with vexatlon Tor want 81 men" But after many
delays the arrival early in August of Capt. Jesse
Duncan Elliott. second Ia command. with loO men
enabled Perry O. venture out into the lake lie
reached Sandusky August u and was met there
by General Harrison who came aboard the Law
renee to confer with Perry on the fall campaign
Then be sailed out into the lake 10 look for the
enemy.
On the morning % September 10. 1913. the
lookout the Lawrence sang out "Sall DO E"
and in the distance OF I'utln.Bay The Americans
saw the long g-awalted British fleet advancing in
faultless battle array. Commanded by Robert
II. BARCLAY. 9ho bad fought with Nelson at Ira.
falgar and lost arm in that historic engage
ment. the enemy consisted OF the ship Detroit.
10 guns, one pivot and two howilzers. the ship
Queen Charlotte. II guns and one howitzer; the
brig Lady Provost. Is guns and one howtzer:
the brig Hunter. 10 guns; the sloop Little
Belt three guns. and the schooner Chippewa
one gun and two swlvels
Ia 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 cabi4s length.
were not near enough for good service. In the
number Of guns the British had 63. the Ameri-
cans. 81. In action at distance, the British.
who had 35 long range guns TO -. had greatly
the advantage; In close action the weight OF
metal would favor the Americans. The British
commander had 80 men from the royal navy.
50 Canadian sailors. and 240 soldiers mostly
regulars. and some Indians making. with their
officers little more than 500 men. OF whom al
least $50 were efficient The American crews
OF which about one-fourth were from Rhode
Island. one-fourth 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. 1l6 were sick.
nearly all OF whom were too weak 10 come on
deck, SO that the efficient force OF the squadron
was little less than 400.
AS the American feet led by the Lawrence ad-
yanced 10 attack, the Detroit opened fire. Its
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 Perry's flagship. Ii was struck many
times before he could get close enough 10 open
fire effectively and even then, with the Niagara
and other ships hanging back. his ship seemed
doomed 10 destruction as the combined British
FIRE raked her
For nearly two hours the battle ragged furi-
ously until the Lawrence lay on the waters a
dlsmantled wreck, her rigging shot away. her
spars battered into spllnters all of her guns but
one dismounted and her decks, slippery with
blood 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