Battle of Lake Erie

The '''Battle of Lake Erie''', sometimes called the '''Battle of Put-in-Bay''', was fought on 10 September 1813, in [[Lake Erie]] off the coast of [[Ohio]] during the [[War of 1812]]. Nine vessels of the [[United States Navy]] defeated and captured six vessels of [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain's]] [[Royal Navy]]. This ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] and win the [[Battle of the Thames]] to break the [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] confederation of [[Tecumseh]]. It was one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812. ===1812=== When the war broke out, the British immediately seized control of Lake Erie. They already had a small force of warships there: the [[sloop of war]] [[USS Queen Charlotte (1813)|''Queen Charlotte'']] and the [[brig]] [[HMS Hunter (1812)|''General Hunter'']]. The brig [[USS Lady Prevost (1812)|''Lady Prevost'']] was under construction and was put into service a few weeks after the outbreak of war. These vessels were controlled by the [[Canadian Units of the War of 1812#The Provincial Marine|Provincial Marine]], which was a military transport service and not a naval service. Nevertheless, the Americans lacked any counter to the British armed vessels. The only American warship on Lake Erie, the brig [[USS Adams (1799)|USS ''Adams'']], was not ready for service at the start of the war, and when the American army of Brigadier General [[William Hull]] abandoned its invasion of Canada, the ''Adams'' was pinned down in [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] by the British batteries at [[Sandwich, Ontario|Sandwich]] on the Canadian side of the [[Detroit River]]. The British [[Major-General]] [[Isaac Brock]] used his control of the lake to defeat Hull's army at the [[Siege of Detroit]]. The British took the ''Adams'' when Detroit was surrendered, renaming her HMS ''Detroit''. Together with the brig [[USS Caledonia (1812)|''Caledonia'']], which had been commandeered from the Canadian [[North West Company]], she was boarded and captured near [[Fort Erie, Ontario|Fort Erie]] on 9 October, by American sailors and soldiers led by Lieutenant [[Jesse Elliot]]. The ''Detroit'' ran aground on an island in the middle of the [[Niagara River]] and was set on fire to prevent her being recaptured. The ''Caledonia'' was taken to the navy yard at [[Black Rock, New York|Black Rock]] and commissioned into the United States Navy. Also present at Black Rock were the schooners [[USS Somers (1812)|''Somers'']] and ''Ohio'' and the sloop-rigged [[USS Trippe (1812)|''Trippe'']], which had all been purchased by the United States Navy and were being converted into gunboats. While the British held Fort Erie and the nearby batteries which dominated the Niagara River, all these vessels were pinned down and unable to leave Black Rock. Late in 1812, [[Paul Hamilton]], the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] had received long-time American lake mariner [[Daniel Dobbins]], who had escaped capture at Detroit and brought information on the British forces on Lake Erie. Dobbins recommended the bay of Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania as a naval base on the lake. ("''Presqu'isle''" is French for "[[peninsula]]", literally "almost an island"). Dobbins was despatched to build four gunboats there, although Lieutenant Elliot objected to the lack of facilities. Commodore [[Isaac Chauncey]] had been appointed to command of the United States naval forces on the [[Great Lakes]]. He made one brief visit to Erie on 1 January 1813 where he approved Dobbins' actions and recommended collecting materials for a larger vessel, but then returned to [[Lake Ontario]] where he afterwards concentrated his energies. ===1813=== In January 1813, [[William Jones (statesman)|William Jones]] (the newly-appointed Secretary of the Navy) ordered the construction of two brig-rigged [[corvettes]] at Presque Isle, and transferred shipwright [[Noah Brown]] there from [[Sackets Harbor, New York|Sackets Harbor]] on Lake Ontario to take charge of construction. Other than their rig and crude construction (such as using wooden pegs instead of nails because of shortages of the latter), the two brigs were close copies of the contemporary [[USS Hornet (1805, brig)|USS ''Hornet'']]. The heaviest armament for the ships came from foundries on [[Chesapeake Bay]], and were moved to Presque Isle only with great difficulty. (The Americans were fortunate in that some of their largest cannon had been despatched shortly before raiding parties under Rear-Admiral [[Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet|George Cockburn]] destroyed a foundry at Frenchtown on the eastern seaboard.) However, the Americans could get other materials and fittings from [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]], which was expanding as a manufacturing center, and smaller guns were borrowed from the Army. [[Master Commandant]] [[Oliver Hazard Perry]] had earlier been appointed to command on Lake Erie, through lobbying by the [[United States Senate|Senior Senator]] from [[Rhode Island]]. He arrived at Presque Isle to take command at the end of March. Having arranged for the defence of Presque Isle, he proceeded to Lake Ontario to obtain reinforcements of seamen from Commodore Isaac Chauncey. After commanding the American schooners and gunboats at the [[Battle of Fort George]], he then went to Black Rock where the American vessels had been released when the British abandoned Fort Erie at the end of May. Perry had them towed by draught oxen up the Niagara, an operation which took six days, and sailed with them along the shore to Presque Isle. Meanwhile, [[Commander]] [[Robert Heriot Barclay]] was appointed to command the British squadron on Lake Erie. Another British officer had already endangered his career by refusing the appointment as success appeared unlikely. Barclay missed a rendezvous with the ''Queen Charlotte'' at [[Point Abino, Ontario|Point Abino]] and was forced to make the tedious journey to [[Amherstburg, Ontario|Amherstburg]] overland, arriving on 10 June. He brought with him only a handful of officers and seamen. When he took command of his squadron, the crews of his vessels numbered only seven British seamen, 108 officers and men of the Provincial Marine (whose quality Barclay disparaged), 54 men of the [[Canadian Units of the War of 1812#The Royal Newfoundland Fencibles|Royal Newfoundland Fencibles]] and 106 soldiers, effectively landsmen, from the [[Welch Regiment|41st Foot]]. Nevertheless he immediately set out in the ''Queen Charlotte'' and the ''Lady Prevost''. He first reconnoitred Perry's base at Presque Isle and determined that it was defended by 2,000 Pennsylvania [[militia]], with [[artillery|batteries]] and [[fortifications|redoubts]]. He then cruised the eastern end of Lake Erie, hoping to intercept the American vessels from Black Rock. The weather was hazy, and he missed them. During July and August Barclay received two small vessels which had been constructed at [[Chatham, Ontario|Chatham]] on the [[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames River]] and attempted to complete the ship-rigged corvette [[HMS Detroit (1813)|HMS ''Detroit'']] at Amherstburg. Because the Americans controlled Lake Ontario and occupied the [[Niagara Peninsula]] in early 1813, supplies for Barclay had to be carried overland from [[Toronto, Ontario|York]]. The American victory earlier in the year at the [[Battle of York]] resulted in the guns (24-pounder [[carronade]]s) intended for the ''Detroit'' falling into American hands. The ''Detroit'' had to be completed with a miscellany of guns from the fortifications of [[Amherstburg, Ontario|Amherstburg]]. It was alleged that these guns lacked [[flintlock]] firing mechanisms and matches, and that they could be fired only by snapping pistols over powder piled in the vent holes. (Nevertheless, they were very effectively served during the battle). Barclay repeatedly requested men and supplies from [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[James Lucas Yeo]], commanding on Lake Ontario, but received very little. The commander of the British troops on the Detroit frontier, Major-General [[Henry Procter (British Army officer)|Henry Procter]], was similarly starved of soldiers and munitions by his superiors. He declined to make an attack on Presque Isle unless he was reinforced, and instead he incurred heavy losses in an unsuccessful attack on [[Battle of Fort Stephenson|Fort Stephenson]], which he mounted at the urgings of some of his Indian warriors. ===Blockades of Presque Isle and Amherstburg=== By mid-July, the American squadron was almost complete, although not yet fully manned (Perry claimed to have only 120 men fit for duty). The British squadron maintained a blockade of Presque Isle for ten days from 20 July to 29 July. The harbour had a sandbar across its mouth, with only {{convert|5|ft|m}} of water over it, which prevented Barclay sailing in to attack the American ships (although Barclay briefly skirmished with the defending batteries on 21 July), but also prevented the Americans leaving in fighting order. Barclay had to lift the blockade on 29 July because of shortage of supplies and bad weather. Perry immediately began to move his vessels across the sandbar. This was an exhausting task. The guns had to be removed from all the boats, and the largest of them had to be raised between "camels" (barges or lighters which were then emptied of ballast). When Barclay returned four days later, he found that Perry had nearly completed the task. Perry's two largest brigs were not ready for action, but the gunboats and smaller brigs formed a line so confidently that Barclay withdrew to await the completion of the ''Detroit''. Chauncey had despatched 130 extra sailors under Lieutenant Jesse Elliot to Presque Isle. Although Perry described some of them as "wretched", at least 50 of them were experienced sailors drafted from the [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']], then undergoing a refit in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. Perry also had a few volunteers from the Pennsylvania militia. His vessels first proceeded to Sandusky, where they received further contingents of volunteers from Major General [[William Henry Harrison]]'s [[Army of the Northwest (United States)|Army of the Northwest]]. After twice appearing off Amherstburg, Perry established an anchorage at [[Put-in-Bay, Ohio]]. For the next five weeks, Barclay was effectively blockaded and unable to move supplies to Amherstburg. His sailors, Procter's troops, and the very large numbers of Indian warriors and their families there quickly ran out of supplies. After receiving a last-minute reinforcement of two naval officers, three warrant officers and thirty-six sailors transferred from a transport temporarily laid up in [[Quebec City|Quebec]] under Lieutenant George Bignall, Barclay had no choice but to put out again and seek battle with Perry. ==Battle== [[File:Wpdms battleoflakeerie.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Movements of the squadrons of Perry and Barclay on the morning of 10 September]] On the morning of 10 September, the Americans saw 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. Perry hoped to get his two brigs, his flagship [[USS Lawrence (1813)|''Lawrence'']] and [[USS Niagara (1813)|''Niagara'']], into [[carronade]] range quickly, but in the light wind his vessels were making very little speed and the ''Lawrence'' was battered by the assortment of long guns mounted in the ''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. Astern of the ''Lawrence'', the ''Niagara'', under Elliot, was slow to come into action and remained far out of effective carronade range. It is possible that Elliott was under orders to engage his opposite number, the ''Queen Charlotte'', and that the ''Niagara'' was obstructed by the ''Caledonia'', but Elliot's actions would become a matter of dispute between him and Perry for many years. Aboard the ''Queen Charlotte'', the British ship opposed to the ''Niagara'', the commander (Robert Finnis) and First Lieutenant were both killed. The next most senior officer, Lieutenant Irvine of the Provincial Marine, found that both the ''Niagara'' and the American gunboats were far out of range, and passed the brig ''General Hunter'' to engage ''Lawrence'' at close range. 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 the ''Lawrence's'' crew were killed or wounded. Both of the fleet's surgeons were sick with [[malaria|lake fever]], so the wounded were taken care of by the assistant, [[Usher Parsons]]. When the last gun on the ''Lawrence'' became unusable, Perry decided to transfer his flag. He was rowed a half mile (1 km) through heavy gunfire to the ''Niagara'' while the ''Lawrence'' was surrendered. (It was later alleged that he left the ''Lawrence'' after the surrender; but Perry had actually taken down only his personal pennant, in blue bearing the motto, "Don't give up the ship", the last reported words of Captain [[James Lawrence]] of the frigate [[USS Chesapeake (1799)|USS Chesapeake]].) When the ''Lawrence'' surrendered, firing died away briefly. The ''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. The British nevertheless expected the ''Niagara'' to lead the American schooners away in retreat. 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 the ''Detroit'' and ''Queen Charlotte'' and [[Luffing|luffed up]] to fire raking broadsides from ahead of them, while the ''Caledonia'' and the American gunboats fired from astern. Although the crews of ''Detroit'' and ''Queen Charlotte'' managed to untangle the two ships 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. Although Perry won the battle on the ''Niagara'', he received the British surrender on the deck of the recaptured ''Lawrence'' to allow the British to see the terrible price his men had paid. ==Results== The British lost 41 killed and 94 wounded. The surviving crews, including the wounded, numbered 306. The Americans lost 27 killed and 96 wounded, of whom 2 later died. The vessels 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: {| cellpadding="10" style="margin: 0em 3em 0em 3em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; width: 80%" | 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'' |} Perry next sent the following message to the Secretary of the Navy, William Jones: {| cellpadding="10" style="margin: 0em 3em 0em 3em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; width: 80%" | Brig Niagara, off the Western Sister,
Head of Lake Erie 10, 4 September 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'' |} The British army under Procter had made preparations to abandon their positions even before Procter knew the result of the battle. In spite of exhortations from [[Tecumseh]], Procter began to retreat on 27 September. Lacking supplies, Tecumseh's natives had no option but to accompany him. Once his vessels and prizes were patched up, Perry ferried 2,500 American soldiers to Amherstburg and Detroit which were captured without opposition, while Harrison moved overland with 1,000 mounted troops. Harrison caught up with Procter's retreating force and defeated them on 5 October at the [[Battle of the Thames]], where Tecumseh was killed. The Americans controlled Lake Erie for the remainder of the war. This accounted for much of the Americans' successes on the [[Niagara peninsula]] in 1814 and also removed the threat of a British attack on [[Michigan]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], or Western [[New York State|New York]]. However, an expedition to recover [[Mackinac Island]] on [[Lake Huron]] [[Battle of Mackinac Island (1814)|failed]], and the Americans lost eight of their smaller vessels and prizes. (Four were destroyed when the British captured Black Rock at the end of 1813, and four were boarded and captured in separate incidents on Lake Erie and Lake Huron.) Although the naval engagement was small compared to Napoleonic struggles, the victory had disproportionate strategic import. ==Aftermath== After the war, the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] intentionally sank both the ''Lawrence'' and ''Niagara'' in Misery Bay in Lake Erie; the battle damage they had suffered was too extensive to repair. In 1875, the ''Lawrence'' was raised and moved to [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], where she was displayed at the [[1876 Centennial Exposition]]. Later that year, the ship burned when the [[Pavilion (structure)|pavilion]] that housed it caught fire. Although ''Niagara'' was raised and restored in 1913, she subsequently fell into disrepair. She was eventually disassembled, and portions of her were used in a reconstructed ''Niagara'', which is now on view in [[Erie, Pennsylvania]]. The Perry Monument within [[Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial]] now stands at [[Put-in-Bay]], commemorating the men who fought in the battle. After the war, there was a bitter quarrel between Perry and Elliot over their respective parts in the action, mostly fought at second hand in the press. On the British side, Barclay was exonerated of any blame by a [[court-martial]] but was too badly injured to see service again for several years. ==Reasons for the American victory== Most historians attribute the American victory to what Theodore Roosevelt described as, "Superior heavy metal". Perry's leadership, particularly in the latter stages of the action, is also mentioned as a factor. The British historian C.S. Forester commented, "...it was as fortunate for the Americans that the ''Lawrence'' still possessed a boat that would float, as it was that Perry was not hit." On the British side, William Bell served as constructor and built the ''Detroit'', which was the best-built ship on the lake. However, the ''Detroit'' was built slowly, in part due to Bell's perfectionism, and indeed it was the only purpose-built British warship constructed on Lake Erie during the war. This building imbalance, given the fact that six American ships were built in the same time frame, was another important cause of the American victory (although it might be argued that, even if Barclay had possessed more hulls, he would have been unable to obtain armament and crews for them). The battle itself was close-run. Because of failing winds and Elliot's inaction (perhaps caused by confusion over orders), Perry's superior [[Military unit|squadron]] straggled into action, and as a result, Perry's flagship was forced to fight against unequal odds. A draw might have been possible, though a complete British victory was unlikely. In the event, the portion of the American squadron which had not been engaged in the early part of the action was later able to overwhelm the damaged British ships with their depleted and exhausted crews. ==Order of Battle== Listed in order of sailing: {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#efefef; width:7em;" | '''Navy''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Name''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Rig''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Tonnage''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Crew''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Armament''' ! style="background:#efefef;" | '''Notes''' |- | {{navy|United Kingdom}} | [[HMS Chippeway|''Chippeway'']] | [[Schooner]] |align="right"| 70 [[ton]]s   |   15 | 1 × 9-pounder [[naval long gun|long gun]] | captured |- | align="center"|do. | [[HMS Detroit (1813)|''Detroit'']] | Ship |align="right"| 490 tons   | 150 | 1 × 18-pounder (on swivel)
2 × 24-pounder long guns
6 × 12-pounder long guns
8 × 9-pounder long guns
1 × 24-pounder [[carronade]]
1 × 18-pounder carronade | [[Robert Heriot Barclay|Barclay]]'s flagship; captured |- | align="center"|do. | [[HMS Hunter (1812)|''Hunter'']] | [[Brig]] |align="right"| 180 tons   |   45 | 4 × 6-pounder long guns
2 × 4-pounder long guns
2 × 2-pounder long guns
2 × 12-pounder carronades | Commanded by Lieutenant George Bignall
captured |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Queen Charlotte (1813)|''Queen Charlotte'']] | Ship |align="right"| 400 tons   | 126 | 1 × 12-pounder long gun
2 × 9-pounder long guns
12 × 24-pounder carronades | Commanded by [[Robert Finnis]]; captured |- | align="center"|do. | [[HMS Lady Prevost|''Lady Prevost'']] | Brig |align="right"| 230 tons   |   86 | 1 × 9-pounder long gun
2 × 6-pounder long guns
10 × 12-pounder carronades | captured (lost rudder) |- | align="center"|do. | [[HMS Little Belt (1812)|''Little Belt'']] | [[Sloop]] |align="right"| 90 tons   |   18 | 1 × 12-pounder long gun
2 × 6-pounder long guns | captured |- | Total | 6 warships | |align="right"| 1,460 tons   | 450 | 330 lb shot from long guns
474 lb shot from carronades | captured |- | {{navy|USA|1795}} | [[USS Scorpion (1813)|''Scorpion'']] | Schooner |align="right"| 86 tons   |   35 | 1 × 32-pounder long gun
1 × 32-pounder carronade | Long gun dismounted (overcharged)
commanded by Sailing Master [[Stephen Champlin]] |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Ariel|''Ariel'']] | Schooner |align="right"| 112 tons   |   36 | 4 × 12-pounder long guns | One gun exploded (overcharged) |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Lawrence (1813)|''Lawrence'']] | Brig |align="right"| 480 tons   | 136 | 2 × 12-pounder long guns
18 × 32-pounder carronades | [[Oliver Hazard Perry|Perry]]'s flagship; surrendered but recaptured |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Caledonia (1812)|''Caledonia'']] | Brig |align="right"| 180 tons   |   53 | 2 × 24-pounder long guns
1 × 32-pounder carronade | captured from British 9 October 1812
commanded by Lieutenant [[Daniel Turner (naval officer)|Daniel Turner]] |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Niagara (1813)|''Niagara'']] | Brig |align="right"| 480 tons   | 155 | 2 × 12-pounder long guns
18 × 32-pounder carronades | Commanded by [[Jesse Elliott]] |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Somers (1812)|''Somers'']] | Schooner |align="right"| 94 tons   |   30 | 1 × 24-pounder long gun
1 × 32-pounder carronade | |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Porcupine (1813)|''Porcupine'']] | Schooner |align="right"| 83 tons   |   25 | 1 × 32-pounder long gun | |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Tigress (1813)|''Tigress'']] | Schooner |align="right"| 82 tons   |   35 | 1 × 32-pounder long gun | |- | align="center"|do. | [[USS Trippe (1812)|''Trippe'']] | Sloop |align="right"| 60 tons   |   35 | 1 × 24-pounder long gun | |- | Total | 9 warships | |align="right"| {{nowrap| 1,657 tons  }} | 540 | 288 lb shot from long guns
{{nowrap| 1,248 lb shot from carronades}} | |} ==Further reading== * Axelrod, Alen; Phillips, Charles. ''The MacMillan Dictionary of Military Biography'' (New York: MacMillan, 1998.) p. 343.] * [[George Bancroft|Bancroft, George, 1800–1891;]][http://www.archive.org/details/battlelakeerie00bancrich Dyer, Oliver, 1824–1907. (1891) ''History of the battle of Lake Erie: and miscellaneous papers'' (New York : R. Bonner's sons) 292 pp.] at [[American Library Association]]. *[http://www.archive.org/details/cihm_24310 Barnes, James, 1866–1936 (1898) ''The hero of Erie (Oliver Hazard Perry)'' (microform) (1898) New York: D. Appleton] and [http://www.archive.org/details/herooferieoliver00barn here for other formats]. *[[Tristam Burges|Burges, Tristam (1770–1853)]] [http://www.archive.org/details/battlelakeeriew00burggoog (1839) ''Battle of Lake Erie, with notices of Commodore Elliot's conduct in that engagement'' (Providence, [[Brown & Cady]])] at [[Internet Archive]]. *[http://www.archive.org/details/perrysvictoryce00emergoog Conners, William James, 1857–; Emerson, George Douglas. (1916) ''The Perrys victory centenary. Report of the Perry’s victory centennial commission, state of New York'' (Albany, J.B. Lyon Company, Printers).] * [[James Fenimore Cooper|Cooper, James Fenimore]] (1846) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5euJ0jDxvEEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=james+fenimore+cooper+Lives+of+American+Naval+Officers&source=bl&ots=_zXOk7Qpai&sig=TDjzu74P759aBzGLSCYALmqoSVQ&hl=en&ei=Mq2gTL_DFsuknQfyhdGVDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Perry&f=false ''Lives of Distinguished American Naval Officers''] [[Google Books]] and [http://www.archive.org/details/livesnavalofficers00cooprich here] for [[American Library Association]]. *[http://books.google.com/books?id=0v7UDE1GIXEC Jesse D. Elliot, Address of Com. Jesse D. Elliot, U.S.N., Delivered in Washington County, Maryland, to His Early Companions at Their Request, on 24 November 1843 (Philadelphia: G.B. Zeiber & co., 1844).] *Hickey, Donald R. (1990) [http://books.google.com/books?id=390r2-ayPY0C&pg=PT1&lpg=PT1&dq=Hickey,+Donald+R.+%281990%29+%27%27The+War+of+1812:+The+Forgotten+Conflict%27%27+ISBN&source=bl&ots=UgsiDpbw4N&sig=MMYAyCzMVKbjlIN95qttek43VTE&hl=en&ei=sHTFTNO9DaTfnQed_Kz-CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The War of 1812: The Forgotten Conflict''] [[Urbana, Illinois]]: [[University of Illinois Press]]. [[National Historical Society]] Book Prize and [[American Military Institute]] Best Book Award. ISBN 0252060598; ISBN 978-0252060595. * Hickey, Donald R. (2006) [http://www.press.uillinois.edu/f06/hickey.html ''Don't Give Up the Ship! Myths of the War of 1812''.] (Urbana: University of Illinois Press) ISBN 0-252-03179-2. *[http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Perry%2C+Oliver+Hazard%2C+1785-1819%22 Downloadable resources regarding Oliver Hazard Perry, American Library Association.] *[http://www.archive.org/details/commodoreoliverh00mack Mackenzie, Alexander Slidell, 1803–1848. (1915) ''Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry : famous American naval hero, victor of the battle of Lake Erie, his life and achievements'' (Akron, Ohio: Superior Printing Co.)] *[http://www.archive.org/details/oliverhazardperry01mackrich Mackenzie, Alexander Slidell, 1803–1848 (1840) ''The life of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.'' (New York, Harper) Volume 1], [http://www.archive.org/details/oliverhazardperry02mackrich Volume 2]. *[http://books.google.com/books?id=rPsxhqC9ud4C&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false Niles, John Milton (Bedford, Mass.: Applewood Books, 1830) ''The Life of Oliver Hazard Perry.''] *[http://www.archive.org/details/perryateriehowca01yale Reid, George. (1913) ''Perry at Erie:how Captain Dobbins, Benjamin Fleming and others assisted him.'' (Erie, Pennsylvania: Journal publishing company).] *[http://books.google.com/books?id=SAA05BcoIkgC&lpg=PP1&ots=oPGTA2gh2y&dq=Skaggs%20Oliver%20Perry&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false Skaggs, David Curtis. (October 2006) ''Oliver Hazard Perry: honor, courage, and patriotism in the early U.S. Navy.''] Annapolis, Maryland:[[Naval Institute Press]], 302 pp. ISBN 978-1-59114-792-3; ISBN 1-59114-792-1. *[http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2009-04/perry-triumphant Skaggs, David Curtis. ''Perry Triumphant'' (April 2009 Volume 23, Number 2)] [[Naval History (magazine)|Naval History Magazine]] [[United States Naval Institute]]. *[http://books.google.com/books?id=190DAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA288&dq=Cyclopaedia+of+American+Biography+Oliver+Hazard+Perry&hl=en&ei=oaCeTIjVHsOdnwe37ty6DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false James T. White (1895) p. 288.] [[National Cyclopaedia of American Biography]]. ==External links== {{Commons}} {{Portal box|United States Navy|Erie}} {{wikiquote}} * [http://www.brigniagara.org/log.htm "Log of the Battle of Lake Erie"] by Sailing Master William Taylor * [http://www.brigniagara.org/ US Brig ''Niagara''] * [http://www.ohiohistory.org/onlinedoc/war1812/lake_erie/0000.cfm Barclay's court martial records and correspondence] *[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=HJENS0UDRjgC&source=gbs_similarbooks Battle of Lake Erie Historical Sources] {{Battles of the War of 1812}} {{coord missing|Ohio}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Erie, Battle of}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2011}}