“We have met the enemy and they are ours,” exclaimed Oliver Hazard Perry, who died AUGUST 23, 1819.
British ships seized American sailors and impressed them into their navy. This escalated into the War of 1812.
In 1813, British ships on Lake Erie were trying to resupply the starving troops at Fort Malden in Amherstburg, Ontario, but were blocked by U.S. Navy Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry’s ships at Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
On September 10, 1813, Perry, with many of his sailors being free blacks, confronted the British squadron of six vessels, commanded by the one-armed Commodore Robert Barclay, who helped defeat Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Strong winds prevented Perry from getting in a safe position, and long-range British cannons crippled his flagship, USS Lawrence, killing most of his crew.
Faithful to his battle flag, “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP,” the 28-year-old Perry and his remaining men courageously rowed a half mile through heavy gunfire to the USS Niagara.
The wind suddenly changed directions and Perry sailed directly across the British line, firing broadside.
After 15 minutes, the smoke cleared to reveal that all of Barclay’s ships had been disabled.
This was the first time in history that an entire British naval squadron had surrendered.
As a result, the British abandoned Fort Malden.
U.S. General William Henry Harrison was then able to recapture Detroit and defeat the British, with their Indian ally Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, at the Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813.
The Northwest Territory was now secure for America.
To the sailors on deck Captain Oliver Hazard Perry remarked:
“The prayers of my wife are answered.”
In his dispatch to the Secretary of the Navy, Captain Oliver Hazard Perry wrote:
“It has pleased the Almighty to give 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 of my command after a sharp conflict.”
William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage.
To learn more about the author please visit William Federer
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