Newspaper Page Text
* HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., DEC. *, I*7*,
JR*. Fourth Part Os An HHJ Series
L Oliver Perry Given Task Os
. Defending Lake Erie Area
Oliver Hazard Perry
At the same time he
offered his services to
Commodore I. Chauncey,
who had command of the
lakes. Perry's persistance
at this time for an op
portunity "to meet the
enemy” is remarkable.
Having learned that the
Government is about to
increase the navy by
several I ine-of-battle
ships, frigates, and
sloops, he writes anxiously
to Captain Morris and
hints, "I despair of getting
to sea very shortly, unless
1 should be fortunate to get
the Hornet." Then again he
devoted himself to the task
of obtaining accurate
information as to ship
building capabilities of his
own State. He submitted
the result in tabular form,
showing the quantity of
suitable ship-timber,
mines of iron ore, numbers
of.-smelting forges, trip
hammers, ship carpenters,
jojners, rope and sail
makers, and other artisans
engaged in the con
struction of a ship. In
cidentally he mentions the
fact that a number of
mechanics are out of
employment, and would
wgrk for low wages.
*th January, 1813,
Lieutenant Allen was given
command of the brig
/srgus. Perry stood at the
head of the line for the first
i vacant command, and
considered that he had
bfeen unjustly treated. He
Wrote to the Secretary of
tt»e Navy protesting, and
atso to Congressman J.B.
HOwell, soliciting his aid to
have the matter righted,
Silaining that he
sesses an "ardent
ire to meet the enemies
. of my country." February
1,1813, he received a letter
I Make Us Your
Gift Headquarters j/ |
For Christmas r 7^ —I f
Jantzen Sportswear
Leisure Suits - Ties - Jewelry -
P Toiletries - Belts - Socks - Shirts
Ve have the widest selection of men’s
ar in this area.
IFT CERTIFICATES
WRAP FOR MAILING
Edwards-HarperV2^|l
Downtown Perry yv /y
“The Crossroads Village”
from Commodore
Chauncey, who states that
he has made application to
the Secretary of the Navy
to have Perry ordered to
the lakes for service. In the
letter the Commodore pays
Perry the following
compliment: "You are the
very person that I want for
a particular service, In
which you may gain
reputation for yourself and
honor for your country." A
few days later he received
word from his friend
Rodgers that the Com
modore's request had been
granted, and that he was to
be ordered to Lake Erie
with a detachment of the
best men at Newport.
His mission was to be to
build two heavy brigs on
the lake to meet the force
which England was
already mobilizing there.
February 17th Perry was
elated to receive orders to
proceed to Sackett's
Harbor with all the best
men in his command. That
same day he sent fifty men
on their way to the ren
devous, two days later
another fifty, and on
February 21st a third in
stallment of fifty men. His
object in thus dividing
them was to increase their
chances of securing
lodging and conveyance
over his flotilla to his next
in command, started for
Sackett's Harbor.
He arrived at his
destination March 3, and
although he was anxious to
begin with his work on the
squadron on Lake Erie, he
was detained by the
Commodore until March
16, owing to the fact that an
attack was expected on
Sacketts' Harbor, with the
purpose of destroying the
shipping. Finally he
PAGE 11-A
received the necessary
orders, and proceeded to
Lake Erie, arriving at
Buffalo March 24, and
continuing his journey
toward Erie in a sleigh on
the ice. He arrived at the
village of Erie March 27.
Here he found that the
keels of two twenty-gun
brigs had been laid, and
three gunboats were in
course of construction, but
to his astonishment he
discovered that none of the
guns with which the ships
were to be equipped had
arrived, and also that
there was not a musket or
a cartridge in the village
with which to defend the
property against attack.
The work was progressing
slowly, as fifty carpenters
who had been sent from
Philadelphia four weeks
before had not yet arrived.
Perry's own men had been
left at Sackett's Harbor,
and so he at once sent a
messenger to Buffalo after
forty seamen and muskets
and cartridges.
An idea of the arduous
nature of the task which
confronted him may be
gathered from the fact that
nearly everything needed
had to be brought a
distance of 500 miles
through a thinly settled
country, with extremely
poor transportation ac
commodations. For the
iron work on these ships,
1,000 pounds of iron was
brought from Buffalo, and
the balance was picked up
in the shape of scraps of all
sorts in the neighboring
smithies. After many
delays and the most
strenyous exertions, the
three gunboats were
finally launched and
equipped, and the brigs
were well along toward
completion.
At this time an incident
took place in Perry's
career which amply
demonstrated that his
desire to see action was no
empty boast. When at
Sackett's Harbor he had
been informed by Com
modore Chauncey that an
attack was soon to be made
upon Fort George, and the
young captain had then
extorted a promise from
the Commodore that he
would send for him and
allow him to take part in
the attack unless other
duty prevented. On the
evening of May 23, Perry
received the welcome
tidings that Chauncey had
proceeded to Niagara, and
that the attack would be
made in a day or two. It
was after sunset when he
received this information,
yet he determined to set
out at once.
In a four-oared open
boat, the night dark and
squally, and buffeted by
headwinds, Perry, with his
little crew, reached Buf
falo the following night,
and then proceeded again
by boat, part of the time
within musketshot of the
enemy's lines. At
. •' !
% there's a shopping Jl
j|| bonanza right here Jjp
W in your own M
It backyard W
*
Strawberry Point he was
warned that forty men
occupied Grand Island for
the purpose of intercepting
boats, and he was com
pelled to proceed with
more caution. Arrived at
Sclosser, a terrific
downpour of rain began.
He was unable to secure a
horse, and proceeded on
foot for two and a half
miles, when the storm
became so violent that he
took shelter in a farm
house.
In the meantime his men
had captured a horse on
the town commons and
rigged up a bridle from a
rope, and borrowed a
saddle that was without
stirrup, girth, or crupper.
The sailors pursued him
with this sorry animal,
came up with him, and
proudly presented the
steed. He then pushed
forward through the rain
and arrived at camp the
evening of May 25.
The following morning
Perry was given command
of 500 marines and seamen
and general charge of the
debarkation of the troops
that were to storm Fort
George. That he per
formed his share In the
conflict, which resulted in
the capture of the fort, is
shown by the official
report of Commodore
Chauncey, who, in relating
the services of Perry,
says: "He was present at
every point where he
could be useful, under
showers of musketry, but
fortunately escaped
unhurt."
After the fall of the fort,
the British evacuated the
whole frontier along the
Niagara, and this made it
possible to move five small
vessels which had been
detained at Black Rock,
into Lake Erie. It was an
arduous task, oxen and
men being employed to
drag the vessels against
the strong current of the
Niagara, but it was finally
accomplished under the
direction of Perry. June 14
he sailed with this little
squadron from Buffalo for
Erie.
At that moment the
British had a force on Lake
Erie fully six times as
formidable as that which
Perry was conducting, and
the greatest vigilance and
tact was necessary to get
past the enemy. As Perry
was entering the harbor of
Erie in safety on the
evening of June 18, the
British flotilla hove in
sight, showing how narrow
was his escape. Following
this, sickness fell upon his
men, and out of the 110
which he had at this time,
but thirty were fit for
service.
It was with the greatest
difficulty that he was able
to get more men sent on to
him. His own
men sent from Newport
has been for the most part
detained with Commodore
Chauncey, who ap
preciated their ability and
wished to retain them on
his ships. The fate of
General Harrison and his
army, which was at this
time engaged in trying to
regain possession ot the
territory of Michigan,
depended practically upon
the success of the
American squadron upon
Lake Erie, and while
several orders were sent to
Perry urging haste,
no men were sent to
him, and he had recruited
a force of soldiers, boys,
and negroes, and finally,
on July 30, with meager
reinforcements, he
mustered 300 officers of
men, many of debilitated
and sick.
This was the force he had
to man two twenty-gun
brigs and eight smaller
vessels of total fifteen
guns. Commodore Bar
clay, in command of the
British squadron, a man of
experience, who had
fought under Nelson at
Trafalgar, had In the
meantime been reinforced
with a new and formidable
ship, the Detroit. With the
materia! at hand, poor as it
was, Perry worked in
defatlgably, exercising the
men at the guns and
making them as near
perfect as possible in every
branch of the work that
was to be required of them.
He had named the brig
which he himself was to
command, the Lawrence,
in memory ot that noble
soul whose last words,
"Don't give up the ship,"
had sent a thrill through
every heroic heart. The
other brig was named the
Niagara.
Before daylight on the
morning of August 6 Perry
started out with his
squadron in search of the
enemy. After cruising
about twenty-tour hours he
returned to the anchorage
of Erie. Hambleton in his
journal at this time says of
Perry: "His officers are
few and inexperienced,
and we are short' 1 of
seamen. His repeated and
urgent requests for men
having been treated with
the most mortifying
neglect, he declines
making another." On
August 10 Lieutenant
Elliott, with several of
ficers and eighty-nfne
seamen, arrived. This
addition to his forcds
electrified Perry, and he
was more eager than ever
to seek the enemy