Andrew Bertubin
HST 400
Dr. Rees
10/22/13
The War of 1812 The war of 1812 was a war that many people have forgotten. However it is a war that has shaped our country to what it is today. There are many variables to take into consideration when breaking down the war and how each positive and negative action has impacted our country. Importantly enough, the battles that took place on the Great Lakes significantly determined control over the Lakes and easy access for the British from the north. One battle in particular was the battle at Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry was able to lead a fleet of ships against the giant Royal Navy. Throughout this paper I will discuss the buildup of tension on the lakes, hardship of building the fleets, recruiting manpower and supplies, and the infamous battle at Put-In-Bay. All of these events have a monumental impact on how the rest of the war could have played out. During the war of 1812 America wasn’t the only country having conflict with Great Britain. Great Britain was dealing with the Napoleonic wars lead by none other than Napoleon of France. This is important because this took heavy amounts of tension off the Americans because Britain was fighting a war back home. Okay, now we turn our path to Lake Erie. Early on in the war the United States didn’t put much emphasis on the importance of Lake Erie. Not up in till a couple of events took place on the lakes did the Americans pay closer attention to the lake. The first beginning with General James Winchester, as he was sent out to Fort Wayne to take command of an army being raised by General William Henry Harrison to give aid to the Detroit. As Winchester is in route he stops at Frenchtown to relieve his men where they make camp for the night. Upon being woken up at five o’clock in the morning from a freighting image of the British and Indians battling holes in the skulls of his men with tomahawks. The second event that turned heads for attention of Lake Erie especially with the president was when fresh water captain Daniel Dobbins was taken prisoner by the British. Dobbins was fortunate enough to escape during a sudden violent Lake Erie thunderstorm. He was able to obtain an old canoe and crossed the lake to the United States shoreline. Dobbins made his way to Washington where he relayed the message of the catastrophe in the West. Baffled by the news, President Madison gave him commission and some funds to start building at Presque Isle harbor. Meanwhile a seasoned sailor was being summoned to Lake Erie. This sailor was twenty-seven year old Oliver Hazard Perry from Rhode Island. While residing in Newport, Rhode Island, Perry was commander of a gunboat fleet. William S. Rodgers an acquaintance of Perry wrote him a letter stating that he believed the government would push the war to Lake Erie and believed this would be an opportunity to distinguish himself. Furthermore, Perry was assigned to Lake Erie by Commodore Chauncey. He was directed to be bring 100 men and to build two brigs. Earlier Chauncey wrote to Perry that he was “the very person I want for a particular service.” Commodore Perry began his navel career on the U.S. Frigate General Green, commanded by his father in 1799. Perry served in the Barbary Wars between 1801 and 1806 along with commanding several gun boats and the 12-gun schooner Revenge. The downfall of all these accolades was Perry had zero combat experience. Being a member of the highly regarded navel family, Perry always took the role in command presence. Perry had an uncanny ability to “command ship” that others tried to imitate his voice and manner. Furthermore, he kept his distances from the sailors he commanded, and often times was known to get excitable losing his temper mainly from poor performance. Thus being said, Perry was always seen as a calm and collected individual though, self-taught in mathematics, literature, writing, and reading. By the time Perry was twenty-one he was ranked lieutenant and commanded his own ship two years later. After receiving orders in the middle of winter Perry met up with his commanding officer Issac Chauncey, and they traveled together up the Mohawk River Valley to Sackett’s harbor on Lake Ontario before Perry pressed on to Black Rock on the Niagara River. After visiting Black Rock Perry observed that he was in the vicinity of British soil and would not make a suitable location for an American shipyard. Therefore, Perry had all materials routed to Presque Isle where Dobbins was construing four gunboats, and where Navel contractor Noah Brown had started building on two twenty-gun brigs.
Building these ships in 1812 was no easy task. During this time vehicles, rail locomotives, and steamships were not sufficiently developed or well known, and airplanes and radios did not exist till the future. This left muddy pathways and battered dirt roads as their means of transportation routes most of which were impassable due to the melting snow. They started out using horse-drawn sleighs traveling across the thin sheets of ice. This was highly dangerous as the ice wasn’t reliable as the end of winter approached. In some cases horses would puncture the ice and fall through. One factor that made Erie a favorable location was Presque Isle Peninsula. Starting about six miles west of the city, the semi-peninsula, very sandy and quite heavily timbered, juts out from shore and curves in a north-easterly direction for about five miles, almost touching the shoreline on the eastern side of the city. This was the only natural harbor on Lake Erie and served as windbreak for ships. The most important feature of the harbor was the bar and channel. The bar was about a mile wide and was usually about six feet in depth and some cases was lowered to about 4 feet making it remarkably hard for even a skilled pilot to pass through. The British could see the progress being made but was unable to pass through the bar and could not obtain a distance to attack the navel yard. All of these cases on Lake Erie made this location an unfavorable place for the navel yard. The only benefit was the unlimited supply of timber of the untouched forests surrounding the town. This meant that materials and supplies had to come from outside the town and this brought on a hardship itself. Buffalo which was approximately one hundred miles away contributed to a limited amount of supplies however beneficial. Just two miles away from Buffalo was a small village of Black Rock. Supplies were shipped from Albany and Sackett’s Harbor were accumulated here. Some of these supplies, plus five ships converted from traders to armed vessels, ultimately reached Erie, however, for the bulk of the necessary materials for the Erie fleet, sources had to be found elsewhere. One location that had an abundance of supplies and materials was Pittsburg. It was a town that was industrialized far beyond any other town during this time. It offered foundries, cotton and fulling mills, ropewalks, glassworks, shops for many types of metals, steam engine works, steam mills for grinding and sawing, shipyards, and numerous others. These locations were beneficial to the project at Presque Harbor but the underlying question was how to get these materials transported to the place of use. There were three viable options for transportation. The first being land routes which connected the town of Pittsburg and Meadville to the south, and Buffalo to the east. Secondly, there was Lake Erie which served as a convenient means of exchange with Buffalo, and through Buffalo with the East. The third possible avenue of supply was the Allegheny River-French Creek waterway from Pittsburg to Waterford, just fourteen miles distant from Lake Erie. Overland hauling was unsatisfactory for one simple reason.
“Although western Pennsylvania was covered by a network of roads by 1812, it cannot be said that they provided satisfactory avenues for travel and transportation. In general the roads… were not constructed; they were merely ‘opened’- that is, the tress were cut down and stumps were grubbed out. Sometimes a little digging was done on side hills and in passes, swampy places were filled with logs laid crosswise with a little dirt on top of them, and crude wooden bridges were constructed over some of the smaller streams. Little effort appears to have been made to avoid steep inclines, and culverts were practically unknown. Road maintenance consisted merely of the removal of fallen trees and the dumping of dirt into mudholes and washouts…. A trip over almost any of the roads with wagon or carriage was difficult and hazardous experience, especially in the winter or spring. In the wet season, parts of the main roads appeared to be bottomless, and it is reported that wagoners sometimes spent three successive nights at the same tavern while working their wagons through a boggy section.”
Virtually all hauling was done via four-wheeled vehicles knows as Conestoga wagons. They were built with high front and backs to prevent accidents in extreme situations of high grade climbs or downhill slopes. The length of the vehicle was around sixteen feet were the overall length was around twenty-four feet. The use of this wagon was beneficial as that it could carry up to one or two tons depending on the conditions of the roads. A special breed of horses were used, specifically black and gray horses. They were slow but enormously power for this task. The easiest mode of transportation was Lake Erie. With high winds the trip hauling supplies took less than a day. However, Lake Erie is a dangerous body of water. Storms approach without any warning making the water choppy and lowering the level of the water. Only skilled and experienced sailors could travel with a sense of safety. By November or December the lake became risky to travel mainly because ice had already formed on the lake. The most suitable waterway for travel was the Allegheny River-French Creek system to Waterford, from Pittsburg. Originally used by the Indians, this means was adopted by the first white man as the best practical route between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The distance from Pittsburg and Waterford were greater but posed as an easier route with larger loads being transported. This route more than made up the distance they had to travel. The men that stood out in the leadership of this project were Oliver Hazard Perry, Henry Eckford, Noah Brown, Daniel Dobbins, and Ebenezer Crosby. By the age of twenty-four Dobbins had been considered the best navigator on the lake. In 1803, Dobbins was master of his own ship and had made numerous trips over Lake Erie and Lake Huron, carrying salt, whiskey, furs, and other home and food products. Dobbin’s downfall to being a skilled navigator was he had little experience building vessels. This however did not stop him from his duty. He traveled far to find supplies he was short on and hired labors when available. Fortunately for Dobbins, more assistance accumulated over time. At Black Rock, Dobbins found a shipwright capable of taking charge of the shipyard and workmen, and five months after beginning work, a master shipbuilder arrived from New York. Eventually Perry reached Erie and relieved Dobbins as the supervisory of the whole project. Dobbins continued as an advisor, and supply and purchasing agent. He was so familiar with the land that we was in charge of routing materials to the navel yard. Moreover, when skilled pilots were needed Dobbins was the man for recruiting them. Ironically, the person responsible for the success of the project did not participate in battle at Lake Erie. Perry shipped the Ohio, in which Dobbins commanded, to get food, guns, and other ammunitions. While Dobbins was fulfilling this duty, the battle occurred. The shipwright Dobbins hired was Ebenezer Crosby. Crosby helped with the shipyard duties that were shared with Dobbins. He helped with the actual physical design and building of the vessels. Dobbins wrote to Lieutenant Angus, “I would have sent you a draft [of the gunboat] but Mr. Crosby has been so busy he has had no time to draw’em. He has Drawn one to work by which looks well and I think will answer the purpose well.” At the end of December Captain Isaac Chauncey along with Henry Eckford visited Erie for an inspection. Their stay consisted of only a day but this meant many modifications on the ongoing project. Many of these changes came from Eckford. Eckford was born in Irvine, Scottland and by sixteen moved to Quebec, Canada. While in Canada he studied ship designing and building under his uncle. Within five years he took his skills and headed to New York City. Eckford’s reputation grew as his designing innovations and rigging arrangements were surpassing rival ship builders in the aspects of stability, speed, and capacity. With these accolades, Eckford soon became Chauncey’s right hand man. Eventually, Eckford became the chief designer and constructor. During the war, Eckford handled accounts for ships, supplies, and payrolls to a value of several million dollars. Eckford is also credited with designing four of the six vessels at Lake Erie. Another important figure of this project was Noah Brown. Born in Salem, New York, Brown was undoubtable responsible for the physical work on the vessels at Lake Erie. Up to and including the first year of the war the Browns built, repaired, and converted numerous boats for the United States Navy and private owners. Brown took the position of superintendent of construction and pushed the project at a rapid pace.
He and Dobbins formed a perfect team, complementing each other admirably. Under Brown’s skilful direction, items in short supply were replaced by materials that was on hand. He seldom failed to have a remedy of a sort for each emergency. Also, the personality that so quickly pleased Dobbins was as effective with the workers. Long hours and bad working conditions were accepted with unbelievable grace, as Brown was a man for whom the men enjoyed working. Still another important contribution by Brown was the construction of “camels”. These camels provide the means whereby Perry was able to get the two brigs out of the harbor, across the bar, and into the lake.
With the timber and frames coming together the hunt for manpower and supplies was of equal difficulty. In order for the ships to come together they needed an adequate supply of carpenters and tools. Chauncey requested for supplies and men to be sent to Erie to construct the vessels. His list entailed:
3 Blocks Makers and Tools
2 Good Blacksmiths and Tools
5 Good Shipjoiners and Tools
5 good Caulkers and Tools
40 good Carpenters and Tools
2 Boat Builders
5 pair Sawyers and Saws
George Harrison was in charge of recruiting personal quickly upon the request of Chauncey. He hired as many people as he could from Philadelphia and sent them off to Erie in late February. On March 7, Brown wrote to Chauncey informing him that no personal had arrived at Erie. The whole month passed and still no workers had arrived. Perry himself traveled to Pittsburg and there he found the workers, which he brought back with him upon his return. Harrison was unable to fulfill the number of men Chauncey had asked for. With permission Harrison asked Oliver Ormsby, the navel agent at Pittsburg, to recruit men at his place. Ormsby however was only able to recruit four or five men for the task at Lake Erie. When Perry received his orders to head to Erie he had sent one hundred and fifty men to Erie. Most of which were experienced in the construction and outfitting of gunboats. One of the contributing factors of the location of the harbor was there was never a lack of axemen, chippers, and sawyers. Most of the residents living in the community could wield an axe or saw. By May, 1813, there was a sufficient amount of workers to push the project at rapid speed.
A carpenter’s wage depended on his skill or rating. Crosby was the highest paid- drawing two and half dollars plus “good lodgings and board” and one-half pint of whiskey per day. Ship carpenters received $1.75 and $1.50 each day while the remuneration of regular carpenters was $1.25 or $1.00. In March, when men were still urgently needed, Jones authorized Harrison to have Ormsby at Pittsburg pay as high as $2.00 per day for carpenters of any kind.
Upon the arrival of workers to Erie most stayed in a barn-like structure which would harbor around two hundred men, and other facilities around fifty. By mid-June, the construction of the vessels were completed, only the outfitting and rigging need to be done to complete them. By the end of July, the guns and cannons were mounted and rigged on all the vessels which consisted of:
3 32 lb. long carronades
40 32 lb. short carronades
5 24 lb. long carronades
2 18 lb. long carronades
15 12 lb. long carronades
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The ammunition obtained for battle most likely came from buffalo when Chauncey ordered the powder and guns be shipped together sent to buffalo from Sackett’s harbor. On August 29, three and a half tons of ammunition was brought to Erie from Buffalo. The majority of shot that was used during battle was supplied by a Pittsburg factory. By this time all of the ships had crossed the bar and been cruising the lake to gain familiarity. As the time for battle drew near Perry had his men stalking the British at Put-In-Bay. Perry was waiting for the perfect moment to engage in battle. Throughout the whole month of August he cruised the lake, training, instructing his men, instilling within them the will to conflict and the confidence of preparation and drill. General Harrison inspected the ships at Sandusky and more importantly sent a hundred sharpshooters to aid in battle. Their sole job was to pick off the enemy as soon as they were within reach. Their job turned the war from defeat into victory on the lake. The maneuvering of the vessels was key to victory. Perry had to utilize his superior firepower by making useful the weather gauge. If Perry chose not to use the weather gauge he would have put his men in an unfavorable battle position. Although the American fleet maintained a three-to-two advantage in long-gun weight-of-metal, the British long-gun numerical superiority of thirty-five to fifteen would come into play. Perry was no fool and new he had to cut into the wind and headreach the enemy fleet.
“Shouted orders resonated across the placid waters: “Man the braces,” “Helm alee,” “Mainsail haul,” “Let go and haul.” Under the watchful eyes of officers, guided by petty officers and assisted by experienced seamen, confused landsmen and solider heaved at the rough hemp braces. Men tripped and fell over each other, across gun tackle, and atop bundles of line piled beneath the pinrails, stumbled about in muddle, and smashed into other sweaty bodies in the cramped and unfamiliar closeness of the crowded gun deck. Blisters formed on hands rubbed raw and bloody by coarse line as perspiration poured from straining bodies, giving the word pain a new definition as the salty sweat seeped into broken blisters.”
As you read the conditions of the seamen navigating were horrendous. With the luck of Lake Erie the wind changed directions in favor of the Americans. This was a critical moment that helped Perry only to an extent. The wind was unfavorable for the British now but was barely enough to propel a brig. This left the British the chance at long distance attacks and the Americans out of reach to retaliate. However, this was not the case as Barclay had to abandon his original course of action as the wind picked up again boosting the American ships around Rattlesnake Island. The crucial factor for the battle was the formation of the Americans and the British. The British line was arrayed with the Chippawa in the van, followed by the Detroit, General Hunter, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost, and Little Belt. “At this point Perry reorganized his line of battle, placing the Ariel and Scorpion off this weather bow and realigning the Caledonia, Niagara, Somers, Porcupine, Tigress, and Trippe to follow the Lawrence, in that order. Undoubtedly, Jesse Elliott was disappointed. Originally the Niagara was designated to the American van, a place of honor, but Elliott watched in dismay as his ship not only lost that opportunity but also the serendipitous chance to engage the enemy’s flagship. Even though he knew Perry would in all probability make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the Lawrence would face the Detroit, Elliot nonetheless must have felt pangs of regret while watching the Lawrence and probably the Caledonia glide past, leaving his brig astern.”
Perry’s alteration of his formation was criticized on two accounts. The first being he reduced his ability to direct battle from the middle, the angle of which the Americans approached the British, the Lawerence would be in the fight before any of the trailing vessels. This position would hinder the effectiveness of commanding his fleets as if he were in the center. Secondly, and for whatever reason, Perry allowed Barclay’s alignment to dictate that of the American squadron. One flaw however for Barclay was he failed to do live fire training with his new cannonades. The Americans lit off slow match to touch off their big guns and the British had no means off denoting the cannon. They turned to desperate measure and Barclay had his men loading pistols and firing them into the vents of the cannon to set them off.
“On the ships of both sides, powder monkeys hurried below to fill their cylindrical leather pouches with prepared cartridges. Decks were sanded to provide secure footing and to soak up blood. Buckets of water were placed near each gun to quench the raging thirst of sailors in battle and to extinguish fires. Beneath each gun muzzle was another bucket of water into which the sponger plunged his sponger/rammer before swabbing the gun barrels. Caches of cutlasses, pikes and boarding axes were readied for instant use; either to board or to repel boarders.”
By this time the men were well equipped and ready for the task that lay at hand. A large amount of officers asked friends to take care of their affairs in the event of a tragedy. During this time Perry was reviewing his wife’s letters. He put them and his official dispatches into a lead-lined bag that he gave to Dr. Pearson, demanding him to throw the bag over board should the worst happen. The time had come were the sailors were getting antsy.
“Every sailor who had ever been in a close quarters engagement knew what to expect, and those who had not could vividly imagine the carnage that awaited. They were aware that a navel fight embodied more terror than a land battle ever could. It was not just cannonballs they feared, though these were bad enough. They were afraid of splinters, because when a cannonball plowed into the side of a wooden ship, showers of wood splinters, anywhere from the size of a fingernail to that of a boarding pike, scoured the decks. They were afraid of grape shot, canister, chain shot, bar shot, langridge, and anything else that could belch from the muzzle of a smoothbore cannon. They were afraid of being raked, where a single artillery round carried death the entire length of an open-decked ship. They were afraid of the marksmen on the enemy ship, their long-barreled muskets belching one-ounce lead balls. They were afraid of being boarded, of the personal bloodletting and mutilation perpetrated with pistol, cutlass, musket, bayonet, boarding ax, pike, dirk, belaying pin, sponge rammer, handspike, and even the hands and feet if necessary. They were afraid of muzzle flashes or sparks igniting dry wood or canvas, fire always being the sailor’s nemesis. They were afraid of being forced into the water; most sailors never having learned how to swim. But most of all they were terrified of being wounded and having to face the dank horror of the orlop deck, where the surgeon waited in his butcher’s apron with probes, lancets, scalpels, and bone saws, with the only anesthetic a shot of whiskey and a thick leather strap on which to bite.
As the sailors await the ever so brutal fight, Commodore Perry presents a navy blue banner. Embroidered in white letters was the phrase “Don’t Give Up The Ship.” He reminds his crew that phrase was the brave and dead Captain Lawrence’s last words. Minutes after hoisting the banner the Americas hear a band playing on the Detroit, “Rule Britannia.” Then a bugle sounded from the Detroit, and simultaneously followed by the splash of a 24-pounder missing the Lawrence. Within five minutes the Lawrence received its first blow from a 24-pounder, flying splinters killed and wounded American sailors. Perry was out of reach to return fire so he commanded the Scorpion to fire its long 32-pounder, while shouting orders for the Arial to do the same with her four long 12-pounder. Ibid. The battle for control of Lake Erie was finally underway. With Commodore Perry still too far out to fire his 32-pounders, the wind picked up and he headed right for Detroit. Perry’s luck once again held up as the British seemed to be incapable to hit the Lawrence with consistency. For almost a half hour the Lawrence sustained damage but noting terminally. Finally at noon, Perry eased into range and rained down on the British his massive 32-pounder cannons. This began a slugfest that lasted for over two hours. When one considers that the typical engagement between wooden sailing warships lasted considerably less than one hour, the extent of time the two flotillas engaged is extraordinary. Exchanging of blows continued to last between the two ships with neither side letting up. The two vessels became almost at point blank range, about 330 yards apart for a 32-pounder carronades. Firing at close range the sailors could not see the enemy due to heavy smoke; however the range was so close it was virtually impossible to miss their intended target. On both sides it came down to not aiming just fire. The damage the Lawrence received was remarkable. As Barclay focused on the Lawrence, the Royal Navy continued to pelt the Americans and gradually reducing the firing capacity of the Lawrence. The cannon balls would strike enemy cannon’s and send them into pieces. These pieces of cast iron fragments practically wounded an entire gun crew. One man was filled full of little pieces of cast iron, from his knees to his chin, some not bigger than the head of a pin, and none larger than a buck shot. Bunnell was one of the only crew members that was capable of operating the only single gunner remaining. He ran out of ammunition so he improvised. He found a crowbar and jammed into the bore of the cannon sending it flying into the Detroit. Foolishly enough the crowbar drilled the main rigging, severing three shrouds. Another time he grabbed a swivel gun and dropped it into the cannon firing at the flagship. Later on Barclay claimed that the Americans “did not fight like men, but like tigers”; along with they defied the laws of nations by firing such ungentlemanly projectiles. By this time it was evident the Lawrence could no longer continue. This was a notorious turning point in the young commandant’s career. Perry was unwilling to surrender and was ready to see this battle through to the very end. Perry placed Yarnall in command of the Lawrence and Perry jumped ship in a small cutter boat heading for the Niagara. Barclay observed this action and directed his men to fire upon the small boat moving toward the Niagara, incredibly enough the British never found its target. Upon arrival to the Niagara, Perry had a brief discussion with the captain, Jesse Elliot.
“I am afraid the day is lost,” said the commodore. “Two-thirds of my men are either killed or wounded and the Lawrence can provide no further assistance. The damned gunboats have ruined me.” “No!” said Elliott, “I can save it!” “I wish to God you would,” said Perry. “Take charge of my battery [the guns on the Niagara] while I bring the gunboats into close action, and the day will yet be ours.”
As the cries of “Sink the ship,” and “Let us all sink together,” from the Lawrence the British broke out into cheer believing they had one the battle. About fifteen minutes after Perry boarded the Niagara, Elliot was on a small boat heading to reform the smaller boats. As Elliott reached the smaller gunboats he ordered them to cease fire on the smaller gunboats and heard astern the Detroit. Boarding the Somers, he shortened her sail, and with four gunboats abreast, blasted away the sterns of the Detroit and Queen Charlotte. As the heavy 32-pounder carronades blasted away this was a devastating and demoralization blow to the British. As the Detroit was retreating, turning lethargically and painfully, the Queen Charlotte lead by inexperienced Robert Irvine was following the lead of the Detroit. While trying to maneuver Irvine misjudged the Detroit and rammed her head booms directly into the Detroit’s tangled mizzen rigging. Now the ships were locked together helplessly sitting in the bay. As the Niagara approaching, and as the two American long-boats blasting away at the vessels already, Perry settled into range in the center of the British line.
“With three British ships to starboard and three more to larboard, the American commodore unleashed both of the Niagara’s double-shotted broadsides with devasting effect. Two by two the Nigara’s guns fired as she glided past the Detroit to starboard and the Lady Prevost and Little Belt to larboard. Twin flashes rippled down the Niagara’s gunports; the ship shuddered in an effort to absorb simultaneous recoils from opposite sides. Acrid, dirty white gunsmoke soon enshrouded the flagship, while the mind-numbing blasts furrowed Lake Erie’s waters as the deadly cannonballs sped upon their destructive mission. Niagara’s crammed gun deck appeared disorganized and confused, but it was disciplined chaos, each and every man performing a specific, designated task to keep the big guns firing. On and on it continued, the gun captains shouting themselves hoarse repeating the gun drill: “Sponge!”… “Load!”… “Fire!”… “Sponge!”… “Load!”… “Fire!” By the time the British were able to untangle the vessels it was already too late. With dozens of holes in the Detroit and the continuing pounding being poured on by the Americans the Detroit had no hope. The Detroit, with her imposing ensign nailed to the mast to symbolize Barclay’s determination not to surrender, signaled her capitulation by firing a gun off her disengaged side. Not long after did a white flag rise from the Queen Charlotte, and the Lady Prevost and Little Belt fell into sequence. Elliott was the first American to step foot on the Detroit, who was brought alongside by the Somers. As he boarded the deck, he lost his footing from the blood that stained the deck. With blood and body parts surrounding him, and as the black bear that Barclay had brought upon the ship to serve as their celebration was lapping up blood from the dead bodies, Elliott made his way below to see Captain Barclay. Upon confronting the Captain, Barclay rendered his sword, however Elliott refused. Ibid Elliott obtained the flag and surrendered it to Perry but kept the nails for himself. Ibid. Returning to the Niagara covered in blood, Perry greeted him and asked if he was wounded and with the astonishing answer negative the commodores was amazed of his heroic efforts. Perry expressed his gratuity by replying, “I owe this victory to your gallantry!”
“At first the silence, after three hours of earsplitting pandemonium, was startling; slowly Perry began to grasp the enormity of his success. General Harrison and Secretary Jones must be informed. Finding an old Letter, Perry hastily scribbled a note in pencil on the back of an envelope.
Dear General: We have met the enemy and they are ours: Two ships, two Brigs, one Schooner, and one Sloop. Yours, with great respect and esteem, O. H .Perry” In conclusion the events that took place from preparation to the battle itself brought hardships upon the Americans; however they persevered and were victorious. Finding out the importance of controlling the lakes early was a crucial factor that helped prepare for war. Dobbin’s information and accounts of the British on the lake opened up the eyes of President Madison to supply more man power on the lake, which in turn started the preparation of building ships and recruiting adequate men to serve at Lake Erie. As you read this task wasn’t easy. The conditions of transporting materials were horrendous. With no motor vehicles, or any modern day transportation, this took an ample amount of time to transport materials. With roads almost impassable or make-shift, they found ways to make it possible. With net-working skills from Dobbins, and Perry’s dedication to see this through they strived to find the best workers and crew members to build and design ships to withstand that of the Royal Navy. Commodore Perry knew this was a time to distinguish himself as a seasoned sailor and master ship commander. The young commodore made inexperienced mistakes but luck was on his side. With the turn of events he was able to oust the British on the lake just when the British thought they had one. The Americans used uncanny fighting tactics opposed to the British and with heroic courage they vowed never to surrender. With the will and dedication of a gruesome three hour slugfest the Americans withstood the British and ultimately forced surrender upon them. It must be noted of Perry’s personality and achievements during the construction period meant to the project can best be understood from the words of Harm Jan Huidekoper. “The public never knew the worth of that man. They have known him only as the victor of the English fleet on Lake Erie, and yet this was by far his smallest merit. Hundreds might have fought that battle as well as he did, and at all events hundreds did share with him in the honors of the victory. But to appreciate his character, a person must have seen him, as I did, fitting out a fleet of six new vessels of war,… at some hundreds of miles from the sea cost, and in a district where, except the green timber growing in the woods, not one single article necessary for the equipment of a vessel could be obtained that was not subject to a land transportation of some 120 to 400 miles through roads nearly impassable. I have seen him, when neglected and almost abandoned by his country, with less than a hundred sailors under his command, and half of those on the sick list, toiling to fit out his fleet, working from morning till evening, and having not men enough to row at night a single guard boat, while the enemy were cruising off the harbor, and might have sent any night their boats and burned the fleet. I have seen him, with his reputation as an officer thus liable to be blasted forever at any moment, without the power of averting it, and without anyone to sympathize with him, persevere unshrinkingly in his task, and evincing a courage far greater than what was required to fight the battle of the 10th of September.”