By Sydney Hitchcock

Transcript:  

Sydney: Not many people when asked about the War of 1812 could tell you why the war was fought, who was involved, or about any of the key battles. Some may recall that the White House was burned and that at some point in our country’s history the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner must have been written, but few could tell you that both of these events occurred during this War. The War of 1812 was the United States of America’s first chance to flex its newly independent muscles. Tired of being pushed around by the British in the Atlantic and to the North, the United States wanted to make it clear - the British were no longer welcome on their soil. It is no surprise that most people who are not historians have never learned about the Battle of Lake Erie, which is known as the turning point of the War of 1812. Fought between the British and the U.S. over control of Lake Erie, this battle was the first major naval victory the U.S. had ever won against the Royal Navy. Control of Lake Erie meant the U.S. no longer had to fear invasion by British forces from the North and could prevent the British from penetrating the ever-expanding middle of the country. This gave the U.S. more control over communication and trade during the remainder of the war, which allowed an eventual victory. Take that King George, this will teach you not to mess with an independent country – you power hungry tyrant! My name is Sydney Hitchcock and I will be your host for today’s Hurstories podcast on the Battle of Lake Erie.  

Sydney: The Battle of Lake Erie began at daybreak the morning of September 10th, 1813. The battle took place between the United States Navy, under the command of Captain Oliver Hazard Perry and the British Royal Navy, under the command of Captain Robert H. Barclay. The two fleets met in Put-In-Bay Ohio, where the battle was fought.

Sydney: That morning, the American fleet which consisted of nine vessels in total and 416 crew members fit for duty set sail towards the approaching six British vessels. Perry commanded a squadron that consisted of three Brigs, the Lawrence, the Niagara, and the Caledonia, five schooners the Ariel, Scorpion, Somers, Porcupine, and Tigress, and one sloop called the Trippe. The British squadron was made up of six vessels, two ships the Detroit and Queen Charlotte, one brig the Hunter, two schooners the Lady Prevost and Chippeway, and one sloop the Little Belt.[1] Despite the United States having more ships,  the British had the advantage of having more experienced commanders.[2] Barclay who was commander of the Detroit had the best guns, which were more accurate when hitting their target.[3] During this period the strength of the Royal Navy was known throughout the world. Their experience having been perfected over centuries spent colonizing foreign lands and controlling overseas trade routes.

Sydney: Before the battle began Perry’s, strategy was to pair each of his vessels to a British ship; for example, the brig Niagara was supposed to mainly fight against Britain’s Queen Charlotte. Depending on Barclay’s tactical formation, Perry would change the American battle line so his ships would stay with the ships he had assigned them to fight against.[4]

Man voice: “At daylight discovered the Enemy’s fleet in the NW. Made the signal immediately to the Squadron to get underway-“[5].

Sydney: As the fleets sailed towards each other the Detroit was the first to fire, shooting a long 24 which missed Perry’s advancing ships. Their second fire was more successful than the first, hitting its mark which was Perry’s brig, the Lawrence. The Lawrence in response fired her long 12’s and carronades at the British fleet but was unsuccessful in hitting her intended targets. [6] Naval vessels during this period were outfitted with different types of cannons, which were mounted on their decks and poked out of windows that looked like eyes on the sides of the ship so that they could fire cannon balls toward their enemies. The “longs” were more slender cannons, and shot different weight cannon balls like 12 and 24 pounds, but were not very accurate. The carronades were squat and able to shoot heavier cannon balls capable of doing more damage because they were more accurate.  (maybe dramatic pause)

Sydney: As the battle progressed, the Lawrence continued to take the majority of the hits from the enemy, while Perry’s other Brig the Niagara commanded by Captain Jesse D. Elliott, stayed out of fighting range. The Niagara only shot long range shots towards its assigned ship the Queen Charlotte, refusing to come closer. Confused by this tactic and unable to get into range to hit the Niagara, the Queen Charlotte turned her focus to helping the Detroit battle the Lawrence. The Lawrence was now taking an even larger number of shots and still had yet to hit the British forces. It took the Lawrence twenty minutes until it successfully hit one of the British vessels.[7] Not known for their maneuverability, it often took hours for the captains to get these vessels into good positions to fight. This was often made even more difficult by weather conditions. You can only imagine how chaotic this scene must have been and how fearful you would be if you were a soldier on one of these ships. Fighting vessels bobbing around like bath toys on the lake, huge explosions accompanied by bursts of fire and loud noises, as cannon balls either connected with a target – not necessarily the one they were aiming at – or landed with loud splashes in the water around the battle.

Sydney: By 12:20 the Lawrence had moved into close proximity of the British vessels fighting in closer range. Despite having Commander Oliver Perry as their captain, the Lawrence could not make up for the fact the American crews were less experienced than the British. Because of their inexperience they overloaded their carronades sometimes causing them to overheat or burst. Too much weight on one side of the ship would also cause the ship to become off balance, meaning its cannon’s aim would become even less accurate. At the end of the battle line, long range action took place between the Somers, Tigress, Porcupine, and Trippe all on the American side, while the Lady Prevost fought against them on the British side. The Lady Prevost was suffering a great amount of damage from the long guns of the American forces, causing her to fall leeward. Supporting the Lawrence at the front of the battle was the Scorpion, Ariel, and Caledonia fighting in close quarters with the Detroit, Queen Charlotte, Hunter, and Chippeway. Both sides were taking heavy hits and great losses. The Lawrence took the most number of hits and lost over four fifths of its crew, being either wounded or killed.[8]

Male voice: “every brace and bowline was shot away, and the brig almost completely dismantled; her hull was shattered to pieces, many shot going completely through it, and the guns on the engaged side were by degrees all dismounted”.[9]

Sydney: Yet, Commander Perry refused to surrender, determined to win against the British and take control of Lake Erie.

Sydney: Noticing that the Niagara had yet to engage in the fight and was practically unharmed, Perry decided to abandon the Lawrence and use the Niagara as his relief ship.[10] Before leaving the Lawrence, Perry took down his private flag which read Don’t Give up the Ship, which he took with him onto the Niagara.[11] The Niagara had yet to fire her carronades, so Perry sent Elliott back to bring up the three schooners and turned the Niagara towards the British fleets.[12]

Sydney: At 2:45 the schooners that Perry had sent Elliott back to bring up had caught up with the Niagara and together the vessels broke through Barclay’s line.[13] As the Niagara sailed passed the Lady Prevost, captain Perry witnessed the crew of the Lady Prevost run below deck from fear of the Niagara, while their brave commander Lieutenant Buchan remained on deck. He had been shot through the face, Perry seeing this immediately ceased fire at the Lady Prevost.[14]  

Sydney: The Detroit and Queen Charlotte by this point had very little left to fight against the practically new Niagara. On the opposite side of the Niagara the America’s Caledonia and schooners fired at the other sides of the Detroit and Queen Charlotte.[15]

Sydney: By 3pm with nothing else that they could do, the British raised their flag and surrendered to Perry. The Chippeway and Little Belt began to flee the battle but were captured by the Trippe and Scorpion forcing them to surrender as well, ending the battle of Lake Erie.[16]

Sydney: That evening Perry would write one of the most famous lines from the Battle of Lake Erie in his after-action report:

Male Voice: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”[17] 

Bibliography

Dudley, William S. The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History. Edited by Dean C Allard . Vol. 2. Washington, D.C. , Washington, D.C. : Naval Historical Center Department of the Navy , 1992.

History.com Editors. “The Star-Spangled Banner.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, September 28, 2017. https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/the-star-spangled-banner.

Roosevelt, Theodore. The Naval War of 1812. United States: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1882.

Skaggs, David Curtis. “Creating Small Unit Cohesion: Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie.” Armed Forces & Society (0095327X) 23, no. 4 (Summer 1997): 635–68. doi:10.1177/0095327X9702300406.

Taylor, William V. “Sloop of War Lawrence Journal.” July 31, 1813 and September 1813. Erie Maritime Museum.

Transcribed from The Weekly Messenger. Vol. 3.  No. 29. Friday, May 6, 1814. Boston. published by James Cutler.

[1] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812 or The History of the United States Navy During the Last War with Great Britain (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1882), 260-261.

[2] David Curtis Skaggs, “Creating Small Unit Cohesion: Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie,” Armed Forces & Society (0095327X) 23, no. 4 (Summer 1997): 635–68. doi:10.1177/0095327X9702300406.

[3]. Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812 or The History of the United States Navy During the Last War with Great Britain, 264.

[4] David Curtis Skaggs, “Creating Small Unit Cohesion: Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie”.

[5] William V, Taylor, “Sloop of War Lawrence Journal,” July 31, 1813 and September 1813, Erie Maritime Museum.

[6] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 263.

[7] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 263.

[8] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 263-265.

[9] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 265-266.

[10] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 266.

[11] William V, Taylor, “Sloop of War Lawrence Journal.”

[12] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 266.

[13] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 267.

[14] The Weekly Messenger, Vol. 3, No. 29. 

[15] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 267.

[16] Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812, 267.

[17] William S. Dudley, The Navy War of 1812: A Documentary History, Edited by Dean C Allard, Vol. 2. Washington, D.C. , Washington, D.C. : Naval Historical Center Department of the Navy , 1992.