USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania, from its first settlement > Part 21
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Island, and the little craft made good her escape to the Canada shore. The squadron being under way at the time, working up to the islands, had a full view of the chase.
" The fleet on the 17th sailed to the mouth of Sandusky Bay, and on anchoring fired three guns, waited ten minutes, and fired three more, which was the signal previously agreed upon by letter between Capt. Perry and Gen. Harrison. Col. Gaines the same evening came aboard the Lawrence with a number of officers and Indians, and reported Gen. Harrison twenty-seven miles distant with an army of eight thousand militia, regulars, and Indians. Boats were sent to bring the General and his suite ; the party arrived late in the evening, and consisted of Generals Cass and McArthur, Col. Gaines, Maj. Croghan, with his numerous staff, and twenty-six chiefs of the Shawnee, Wyandot, and Delaware Indians. Among these were three highly influential ones, Crane, Blackhoof, and Capt. Tommy ; the Indians were brought that they might inform their friends among the British of the great force of the Americans. On the morning of the 20th a salute was fired in honor of the General's visit. Gen. Harrison not being ready to advance at this time, Capt. Perry resolved immediately to pursue the enemy and offer battle. Gen. Harrison and the Commodore spent the day in reconnoitering, and concerted a plan for re- moving the army to this point when it should assemble, previous to invading Canada. On the 21st the General re- turned to his camp, and Capt. Perry proceeded to Put-in-Bay and stood out for Malden, where he discovered the British squadron within Bar Point. At Put-in-Bay Gen. Harrison had furnished Capt. Perry with a reinforcement of thirty-six volunteers, which, after deducting a few deaths, carried the total of his muster roll to four hundred and ninety souls. Of the reinforcement a small number were river boatmen, and were mostly to serve as marines. Many of them were militia from Kentucky, and men who had volunteered from a love of adventure, having never seen a vessel until their arrival at Sandusky, and their astonishment and curiosity knew no bounds. They unceremoniously visited every part of the ship, from the masthead to the bottom of the hold, and ex- pressed themselves in rapturous and enthusiastic terms.
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Dressed in the favorite Kentucky hunting-shirt of blue linsey- woolsey fringed, they themselves were a curiosity to most of the officers and men, some of whom had never before seen a backwoodsman. After being allowed to indulge their curi- osity, Com. Perry stated to them their duties, which they cheerfully undertook to perform. On their return from Malden, a few days were profitably employed in teaching the ill-assorted crews their duty, and in training them in their various evolutions preparatory to battle. They had returned to Put-in-Bay, as the wind was not favorable to their entering Malden ; and they could here watch the enemy's movements. They had also much sickness aboard. Capt. Perry had been attacked with bilious-remittent fever; but owing to his strength of constitution it had not assumed a malignant form. His surgeon, clerk, and brother were also seriously ill. Dr. Usher Parsons, the assistant surgeon, though himself out of health, was obliged to prescribe for the sick of the Lawrence, as well as the small vessels. In the Commodore's case strong remedial measures were successfully applied. "On August 28, Dr. Parsons himself became affected with the prevailing fever and though unable to walk, with a humane self-devotion he continued at the bedside of the sick, to which he was carried ; this was not only in the Lawrence, but the small vessels-being lifted on board of them in a chair, and the sick brought on deck for his prescription." By September 1, Capt. Perry was able again to be on deck ; in the meantime the British had rigged and equipped their new vessel, the Detroit, and he was compelled to abandon all hopes of meeting the enemy on an equal footing.
Capt. Perry received two letters at this time from the Secre- tary of the Navy, one begging him to retain the command on Lake Erie (which he had resigned in consequence of some misunderstanding), with many soothing and complimentary expressions ; the other full of fault-finding and bitterness, which was wholly unmerited. In Capt. Perry's reply, he vindicated himself in a mild and respectful manner from all charges.
On the 6th of September the Ohio, under command of Sailing-master Dobbins, was dispatched to Erie for stores and
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ammunition (where she had been the 22d of August on the same errand), and was enjoined to make every exertion to return with all practicable speed. Some citizens of Malden, as well as the family of Capt. Brevoort, who resided in Detroit, informed Capt. Perry as to the force of the enemy, and also that they were short of provisions and must engage our squadron to open the way to Long Point. Their force con- sisted of the new, strongly-built ship Detroit, 19 guns, 298 tons ; the Queen Charlotte, 17 guns, 260 tons ; the Lady Prevost, 13 guns, 96 tons ; the brig Hunter, 10 guns, 71 tons ; sloop Little Belt, 3'guns, 60 tons ; schooner Chippewa, 1 gun, 35 tons- making an aggregate of sixty-three guns, thirty-five of which were long. The squadron was commanded by Capt. Robert Herriot Barclay, a skillful and experienced seaman, who had served with Nelson at Trafalgar ; the second in command was Capt. Finnis, also a brave officer. The whole British force numbered thirty-two officers and four hundred and seventy seamen-in all five hundred and two. Of the American vessels, the Lawrence and Niagara were each 260 tons, with 20 guns ; Capt. Perry commanded the Lawrence and Capt. Elliot the Niagara ; the Caledonia, 3 guns, 85 tons, Lieut. Turner ; the Ariel, 4 guns, Lieut. Packet ; the Scorpion, 2 guns, Sailing- master Champlin ; the Somers, 2 guns, 65 tons, Sailing-master Almy ; the Trippe, 1 gun, Lieut. Holdup (Stevens) ; the Tigress, 1 gun, Lieut. Conklin ; the Porcupine, 1 gun, Mid- shipman Smith-in all nine vessels, with fifty-four guns. The whole force of officers and men, four hundred and ninety ; of these, one hundred and sixteen were on the sick list, seventy-eight being cases of bilious fever. The Somers, Trippe, Tigress, and Porcupine were dull sailers. The officers of the squadron were mostly young men from Rhode Island, and the sailing-masters were fellow-townsmen of Capt. Perry, taken from the merchant service. The superiority of the enemy in physical force must have brought to mind an ad- monition of Com. Chauncey to Com. Perry, "never despise your enemy" ; yet he thoroughly understood himself, and felt armed in having a just cause.
On the 6th Perry sailed for Malden, and finding the British still at their moorings, returned to Put-in-Bay. He then sig-
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nalled all the commanders to the Lawrence, and furnished them with corrected instructions for their government during the battle. The battle-flag, which had been privately pre- pared by Mr. Hambleton before leaving Erie, with the last words of the lamented Lawrence, " Don't give up the ship," in white letters on a blue ground, was produced, and its hoist- ing at the main-royal mast of the Lawrence was to be the signal for action. Capt. Perry stated to them his intention to bring the enemy from the first to close quarters, in order to get the benefit of his carronades. His last injunction to theni was, in case of difficulty to follow the advice of Lord Nelson : " If you lay your enemy close alongside, you cannot be out of your place." The men had now become familiar with their weapons, and every preparation seemed complete. The sick- ness continued, and on the 8th the other medical officers ceased to perform duty, leaving Dr. Parsons, though but half recovered, in sole charge of the sick of the whole squadron.
CHAPTER XVI.
British Vessels appear-Com. Perry Remodels his Line, and other Preparations-A brief Description by Dr. Parsons of the Battle of September 10-The Vessels return to Erie with the wounded Prison- ers-Capt. Perry promoted-His Reception at Erie --- A Remark of Mckenzie-President Madison-Congress-Prizes.
AT sunrise of September 10, from the masthead of the Lawrence, the British fleet was discovered on the north west- ern board, standing for Put-in-Bay. The fact was immedi- ately reported by the officer of the deck, who ordered the signal made, " Enemy in sight," "Under way to get." Soon the whole squadron was moving out of the bay with a light southwest breeze. The wind was very unsteady, and at ten o'clock, having made little progress, Capt. Perry addressed his sailing-master, Mr. Taylor, as to the time in his opinion it would require to weather the islands. Mr. Taylor's reply caused Capt. Perry to order the master to run to leeward of
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the islands. Mr. Taylor replied, " they would then have to engage the enemy from the leeward." Capt. Perry said. "to windward or leeward they shall fight to-day." The signal was made accordingly ; but before it could be executed they were relieved by the wind shifting to the southeast, which enabled them to engage the enemy to windward, as they much preferred. The newly-painted British vessels, with their un- folding banners in the morning sun, were an imposing and gallant sight.
Com. Perry remodeled his line, as he found Com. Barclay had placed the Chippeway in the van ; second in the line, the Detroit; the Hunter third ; Queen Charlotte fourth ; Lady Prevost fifth ; and Little Belt sixth. Capt. Perry placed the. Lawrence so as to encounter the Detroit, with the Scorpion ahead, and the Ariel on his weather bow. The Caledonia came next, to encounter the Hunter; the Niagara next, to be opposite the Queen; the Somers, Porcupine, Tigress, and Trippe in the rear, to encounter the Lady Prevost and Little Belt. It was now ten o'clock, and they were distant five or six miles from the enemy, with a light wind from the south- east, so that the advance was at the rate of three knots ; and Capt. Perry having called the crew about him elevated the burgée, exclaiming, "My brave lads, this flag contains the last words of Capt. Lawrence ! Shall I hoist it ?" "Ay, ay, ay, sir !" resounded from all quarters of the ship, and the flag was swayed to the main-royal masthead. As the flag unfurled and became visible to the other crews, hearty and enthusiastic cheers responded throughout the line. A luncheon was now served, and Perry carefully examined his battery, gun by gun, to see that all was in order, exchanging a pleasant or encour- aging word with all. Seeing some of the Constitution's, he said to them, "Well, boys, are you ready ?" "All ready, your honor !" was the brief reply, with a general touch of the hat or handkerchief, which some had substituted. To another group, "But I need not say anything to you ; you know how to beat those fellows." Again, with a smile of recognition, " Ah ! here are the Newport boys ! They will do their duty, I warrant !"
A silence of an hour and a half succeeded, during which the
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squadron was slowly nearing the enemy ; this was spent in various ways, as the cares and consciences of the men about to engage in deadly combat might dictate. In the event of his death, Capt. Perry gave Mr. Hambleton directions how to act with regard to his private affairs, and a leaded package to Dr. Parsons, with instructions from government and letters from Mrs. Perry, to be thrown overboard.
At length a bugle was heard to sound from the Detroit, a mile and a half distant, and loud cheers followed throughout the British squadron. Soon after, at a quarter before twelve, a single shot was fired from the enemy's flag-ship at the Lawrence, which did not take effect. Signal was now made for each vessel to engage her opponent as previously desig- nated. The dull sailers among the small vessels were a little out of their stations astern, so that our line overspread that of the enemy one thousand feet ; besides this, the inferior size of our vessels gave the enemy a greater superiority than even his nominal one. A brief description of the battle, by Dr. Parsons, an eye-witness of high character and intelligence, is as follows : "Perry made more sail, and coming within canister distance, opened a rapid and destructive fire upon the Detroit. The Caledonia, Lieut. Turner, followed the Lawrence in gallant style, and the Ariel, Lieut. Packet, and the Scorpion, Mr. Champlin, fought nobly and effectively.
"The Niagara failing to grapple with the Queen, the latter vessel shot ahead to fire upon the Lawrence, and with the Detroit, aimed their broadsides exclusively upon her, hoping and intending to sink her. At last they made her a complete wreck, but, fortunately, the Commodore escaped without injury, and stepping into a boat with his fighting flag thrown over his shoulder,1 he pushed off for the Niagara, amid a shower of cannon and musket balls, and reached that vessel
1 In a letter dated Providence, June 28, 1861, Dr. Parsons says : "I yester- day visited the naval school, in Newport, on board the Constitution, and was delighted to see once more the identical flag, 'Don't give up the ship,' which Perry hoisted on board the Lawrence on going into action, and took with him to the Niagara when he had fought his own ship to the last. The flag was immediately sent to Washington by Lieut. Forest, and has ever since been preserved-of late years in the naval school-and is exhibited only on particular occasions. The sight of it created such emotions and reminiscences of the past that I could not refrain from shedding tears over it."
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unscathed. He found her a fresh vessel, with only two, or, at most, three persons injured, and immediately sent her com- mander to hasten up the small vessels. Perry boarded the Niagara when she was abreast of the Lawrence, and further from her than the Detroit was on her right. The Lawrence now dropped astern and hauled down her flag. Perry turned the Niagara's course toward the enemy, and crossing the bows of the Lawrence, bore down, head foremost, to the enemy's line, determined to break through it and take a raking position. The Detroit attempted to turn so as to keep her broadside to the Niagara and avoid being raked, but in doing this she fell against the Queen, and got entangled in her rigging, which left the enemy no alternative but to strike both ships. Perry now shot farther ahead, near the Lady Prevost, which, from being crippled in her rudder, had drifted out of her place to the leeward, and was pressing forward toward the head of the British line to support the two ships. One broad- side from the Niagara silenced her battery. The Hunter next struck, and the two smaller vessels, in attempting to escape, were overhauled by the Scorpion, Mr. Champlin, and Trippe, Lieut. Holdup, and thus ended the action after three o'clock. " Let us now advert for a moment to the scenes exhibited in the flag-ship Lawrence, of which I can speak as an eye- witness. The wounded began to come down before she opened her battery, and for one, I felt impatient at the delay. In proper time, however, as it proved, the dogs of war were let loose from their leash, and it seemed as though heaven and earth were at loggerheads. For more than two hours little could be heard but the deafening thunder of our broadsides, the crash of balls dashing through our timbers, and shrieks of the wounded. These were brought down faster than I could attend to them, further than to stay the bleeding or support a shattered limb with splints and pass them forward upon the berth deck. When the battle had raged an hour and a half, I heard a call for me at the small skylight, and stepping toward it I saw the Commodore, whose countenance was as calm and placid as if in ordinary duty. 'Doctor,' said he, 'send me one of your men'-meaning one of the six stationed with me to assist in moving the wounded. In five minutes the call
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was repeated and obeyed, and at the seventh call I told him he had all of iny men. He asked if there were any sick or wounded who could pull a rope, when two or three crawled upon deck to lend a feeble hand in pulling at the last gun.
" The hard fighting terminated about three o'clock. As the smoke cleared away the two fleets were found mingled to- gether, the small vessels having come up to the others. The shattered Lawrence lying to the windward was once more able to hoist her flag, which was cheered by a few feeble voices on board, making a melancholy sound compared with the bois- terous cheers that preceded the battle.
"The proud, the painful duty of taking possession of the conquered ships was now performed. The Detroit was nearly dismantled, and the destruction and carnage had been dread- ful. The Queen was in a condition little better-every com- mander and second in command, says Barclay in his official report, was either killed or wounded. The whole number killed in the British fleet was forty-one, and of wounded ninety-four. In the American fleet, twenty-seven killed and ninety-six wounded. Of the twenty-seven killed, twenty-two were on board the Lawrence; of the ninety-six wounded, sixty-one were on board the same ship, making eighty-three killed and wounded out of one hundred and one reported fit for duty in the Lawrence on the morning of the battle. On board the Niagara were two killed and twenty-three wounded, making twenty-five ; and of these twenty-two were killed or wounded after Perry took command of her.
"About four o'clock a boat was discovered approaching the Lawrence. Soon the Commodore was recognized in her, who was returning to resume the command of his tattered ship, determined that the remnant of her crew should have the privilege of witnessing the formal surrender of the British officers. It was a time of conflicting emotions when he stepped upon the deck. The battle was won and he was safe, but the deck was slippery with blood, and strewed with the bodies of twenty officers and men, some of whom sat at table with us at our last meal, and the ship resounded with the groans of the wounded. Those of us who were spared and able to walk met him at the gangway to welcome him on
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board, but the salutation was a silent one on both sides-not a word could find utterance.1
"And now the British officers arrived, one from each vessel, to tender their submission, and with it their swords. When they approached, picking their way among the wreck and carnage of the deck, with their hilts toward Perry, they ten- dered them to his acceptance. With a dignified and solemn air, and with a low tone of voice, he requested them to retain their side arms ; inquired with deep concern for Com. Barclay and the wounded officers, tendering to then every comfort his ship afforded, and expressing his regret that he had not a spare medical officer to send them, that he only had one on duty for the fleet, and that one had his hands full.
"Among the ninety-six wounded there occurred , three deaths : a result so favorable was attributable to the plentiful supply of fresh provision sent off to us from the Ohio shore ; to fresh air-the wounded being ranged under an awning on the deck until we arrived at Erie, ten days after the action, and also to the devoted attention of Com. Perry to every want.
"Those who were killed in the battle were that evening committed to the deep, and over them was read the impressive Episcopal service.
"On the following morning the two fleets sailed into Put- in-Bay, where the slain officers of both were buried in an appropriate and affecting manner. They consisted of three Americans : Lieut. Brooks and Midshipmen Laub and Clark ; and three British officers : Capt. Finnis and Lieut. Stokes, of the Queen, and Lieut. Garland, of the Detroit. Equal respect was paid to the slain of both nations, and the crews of both fleets united in the ceremony. The procession of boats, with two bands of music ; the slow and regular motion of the oars, striking in exact time with the notes of the solemn dirge; the
1 In Dr. Parsons' address at Cleveland, on the 10th of September, 1860, is the following interesting item : "Perry walked aft, when his first remark was addressed to his intimate friend Hambleton, then lying wounded on the deck. 'The prayers of my wife,' said he, ' have prevailed in saving me.' Then, casting his eyes about, he inquired, 'Where is my brother?' This brother was a young midshipman of thirteen years. He had during the battle acted as aid in running with orders to different parts of the ship-for you must know that in the din and uproar of battle orders can hardly be heard at three feet distance. We made a general stir to look him up, not without fears that he had been knocked overboard, but he was soon found in his berth asleep, exhausted by the exercise and excitement of the day."
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mournful waving of flags and sound of minute-guns from the ships, presented a striking contrast to the scene exhibited two days before, when both the living and the dead now forming in this solemn and fraternal train were engaged in fierce and bloody strife, hurling at each other the thunderbolts of war."
On the eighth day after the action, the Lawrence, with the wounded on board, was dispatched to Erie, where they were cordially welcomed and most kindly cared for. Soon after the British prisoners arrived in the Detroit and Queen Char- lotte, and after the wounded of their number had been care- fully attended, they were removed to Pittsburg for greater security from desertion. Immediately after the battle, Capt. Perry joined Gen. Harrison as a volunteer. The remainder of the vessels conveyed the army to Malden ; here the enemy, under Gen. Proctor, had made a hasty retreat, but were pur- sued and captured.
Capt. Perry was promoted to the rank of post-captain, and leave granted him, according to his request, to return to his family ; he was to resume also the command of the Newport station until a suitable ship should be provided for him. As the British were checked in the Northwest, Gen. Harrison re- ceived orders to repair with a part of his army to Fort George, and embarked with Capt. Perry on the Ariel ; Com. Barclay, who was on parole, and on his return homeward as far as Buffalo, was also of the party.
On the morning of October 22, the Ariel was descried by the citizens of Erie, and preparations were immediately set on foot for an appropriate and enthusiastic reception of the hero, the magnitude of whose services they could better appreciate than others. Though Com. Perry expected to land unobserved, a large concourse of citizens with joyful acclamations met him at the beach at the foot of French Street, and two field pieces fired a national salute. The party, consisting of Com. Perry, Com. Barclay, with his surgeon, and Gen. Harrison, with Col. Gaines, came on foot up the steep hill to Duncan's tavern (which is still standing, though in ruins), on the corner of Third and French streets. In the evening the town was illuminated and a torch-light procession marched through the streets, bearing transparencies with the following devices :
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"Com. Perry, 10th September, 1813"; on another, "Gen. . Harrison, 5th of October, 1813" ; on a third, " Free trade and sailor's rights " ; on a fourth, "Erie" ; cannon in the mean- time being discharged at intervals of three minutes. During the afternoon, the Niagara arrived ; and the next day the Ariel, with its distinguished party, left for Buffalo, the com- mand at Erie devolving on Capt. Elliot. Capt. Perry's journey to the East was one succession of enthusiastic demon- strations, and the cities vied with one another in expressions of joy and gratitude for one who had restored tranquillity to the frontier and whose modesty or bravery they knew not which most to admire.1 It has been said, "Nelson triumphed over Frenchmen and Spaniards ; Perry was called on to meet the conquerors of these, led, moreover, by a veteran formed in the school of Nelson, and bearing upon his person the marks of Nelson's greatest victory. The battle of Trafalgar was won by the whole British fleet over a part of that of the allies ; the battle of Lake Erie was over the whole British squadron by only a part of ours."
President Madison, in his message, calls it a victory never surpassed in luster, however much it may have been in mag- nitude.
Congress passed a vote of thanks to be presented to Capt. Perry, and all the officers and men of the squadron, for the decisive and glorious victory over a British squadron of superior force. The President of the United States also pre- sented gold medals to Capt. Perry and Capt. Elliot, bearing an emblematical device of the action between the two squad-
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