On the morning of 10 September, the
Americans saw [British admiral] Barclay's vessels heading for them, and got under way from their
anchorage at Put-in-Bay. The wind was light. Barclay initially held the weather gauge, but the wind shifted and allowed
Perry to close and attack. Both squadrons were in line of battle, with their heaviest vessels near
the centre of the line.
The first shot was fired, from HMS Detroit,
at 11:45.[21] Perry hoped to get his two largest
brigs, his flagship Lawrence
and Niagara,
into carronade range quickly, but in the light wind
his vessels were making very little speed and Lawrence was battered by
the assortment of long guns mounted in Detroit for at least 20 minutes
before being able to reply effectively. When Lawrence was finally within
carronade range at 12:45, her fire was not as effective as Perry hoped, her
gunners apparently having overloaded the carronades with shot.[22]
Although the American gunboats at the rear of the American line of battle steadily pounded the British ships in the centre of the action with raking shots from their long guns from a distance, Lawrence was reduced by the two British ships to a wreck. Four-fifths of Lawrence's crew were killed or wounded. Both of the fleet's surgeons were sick with "lake fever", (malaria),[23] so the wounded were taken care of by the assistant, Usher Parsons. When the last gun on Lawrence became unusable, Perry decided to transfer his flag. He was rowed a half-mile (1 km) through heavy gunfire to Niagara while Lawrence was surrendered. It is said his personal servant, African American sailor Cyrus Tiffany, accompanied and protected Perry during this journey.
(It was later alleged that Perry
left Lawrence after the surrender, but he had actually taken down only
his personal pennant, in blue bearing the motto, "Don't give up the
ship".)
When Lawrence surrendered,
firing died away briefly.[25] Detroit collided with Queen
Charlotte, both ships being almost unmanageable with damaged rigging and
almost every officer killed or severely wounded. Barclay was severely wounded
and his first lieutenant was killed, leaving Lieutenant Inglis in command. Most
of the smaller British vessels were also disabled and drifting to leeward.[26] The British nevertheless expected Niagara
to lead the American schooners away in retreat.[27] Instead, once aboard Niagara,
Perry dispatched Elliot to bring the schooners into closer action, while he
steered Niagara at Barclay's damaged ships, helped by the strengthening
wind.
Niagara broke through the British line ahead of Detroit and Queen
Charlotte and luffed up to fire raking
broadsides from ahead of them, while Caledonia and the American gunboats
fired from astern. Although the crews of Detroit and Queen Charlotte
managed to untangle the two ships[28] they could no longer offer any
effective resistance. Both ships surrendered at about 3:00 pm. The smaller
British vessels tried to flee but were overtaken and also surrendered.[29]
Although Perry won the battle on Niagara, he received the British surrender on the deck of the Lawrence.
And so it was that O.H. Perry became immortalized by his great victory. It is worth noting, that the flag (the one he flew on Lawrence and transferred to Niagara) carried the words James Lawrence had uttered after his ill-fated (and fatal) meeting with HMS Shannon the year before. That same flag is now on display at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
Although Perry won the battle on Niagara, he received the British surrender on the deck of the Lawrence.
Perry's vessels and prizes were
anchored and hasty repairs were underway near West Sister Island when Perry
composed his now famous message to Harrison. Scrawled in pencil on the back of
an old envelope, Perry wrote:
|
Dear General:
We have met the enemy and they are
ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.
|
Perry next sent the following
message to the Secretary of the Navy, William Jones:
|
Brig Niagara, off the Western
Sister,
Head of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813, 4 P.M.
Sir:- It has pleased the Almighty
to give to the arms of the United States a signal victory over their enemies
on this lake. The British squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one
schooner and one sloop, have this moment surrendered to the force under my
command after a sharp conflict.
I have the honor to be, Sir, very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
O. H. Perry |
And so it was that O.H. Perry became immortalized by his great victory. It is worth noting, that the flag (the one he flew on Lawrence and transferred to Niagara) carried the words James Lawrence had uttered after his ill-fated (and fatal) meeting with HMS Shannon the year before. That same flag is now on display at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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