Things You Didn't Know About Oliver Hazard Perry-- Part 5: 'Don't Give Up the Ship'

Perry is known for his "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag, which serves even to this day as a rallying cry for the U.S. Navy.

As a tribute to his dying friend Captain James Lawrence of the USS Chesapeake, killed in a June  1813 battle in Boston Harbor.  Lawrence had issued a plea to his crew during his clash with the HMS Shannon as he lay dying.  (Sadly, they did surrender.)

Perry had a group of women in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was building his fleet.  The flag became a symbol of victory and perseverance when it flew over Perry's flagship, the USS Lawrence, at the Battle of Lake Erie.  When his ship was so battered that it could no longer fight, Perry transferred himself and that flag to the USS Niagara, continued the fight and won dramatically.

--Brock-Perry  (The Perry in my signoff is for Oliver Hazard Perry.)

Oliver Hazard Perry & the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 4

Instead of striking his colors, much to the surprise of the British, Perry lowered his flag on the USS Lawrence and rowed across the water to the USS Niagara, which was still in the fight.   He then raised his colors, a flag with the inscription "Don't Give Up the Ship," the last words of his friend James Lawrence.  He then continued the fight.

He forced the British to surrender.

His victory at the Battle of Lake Erie was a decisive turning point of the War of 1812.  The American people had something positive to cling to and celebrations in dozens of cities took place.  Now there was hope that the momentum of the war would shift.

And it sure did.

Today, Perry's legacy lives on, and perhaps most symbolic of this is the Victory and International Peace Memorial, which was built in 1936  in Put-In-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  This dedication to Perry represents lasting peace between Canada, the United States and Great Britain, which in turn created stability and made it possible for surrounding  areas such as Trumbull County to thrive and grow.

--Brock-Perry

Standing Tall on Lake Erie-- Part 4: 'Don't Give Up the Ship'

At 7:00 am, Perry ordered his two largest ships, the USS Niagara and the USS Lawrence, to set full sail and proceed directly toward the British line.  But the Great  Lakes' notorious winds put up a long resistance.  Despite Perry's wishes, the wind wouldn't back his ships.  

Nonetheless, at 10:00, just as he was readying to steer his ships away, the tricky wind suddenly shifted, situating itself directly behind the Americans.

Commanding the British vessels was Commander Robert Heriot Barclay, an experienced Royal Navy officer from Scotland, who ordered his ships to go with the wind, taking the British vessels into battle.

The British ship HMS Detroit crippled the American flagship USS Lawrence, forcing Perry to transfer his men to the USS Niagara.  He made sure to bring his battle flag --  emblazoned with the words "Don't Give Up the Ship," the dying words of his friend James Lawrence, who had been killed earlier in the war.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812

From the June American Battlefield Trust calendar.

JUNE 6, 1813

**  Engagement at Stoney Creek.

JUNE 18, 1812

**  U.S. declares war on Great Britain.

JUNE 22, 1807

**  The HMS Leopard fires on the USS Chesapeake.

JUNE 22, 1812

**  A mob in Baltimore destroys the printing offices of an anti-war newspaper.

JUNE 22, 1813

**  Battle of Craney Island.

JUNE 1, 1813

**  The USS Chesapeake captured by the British frigate HMS Shannon.    Captain James Lawrence of the Chesapeake dies days later.  He is the person who gave the U.S. Navy the "Don't Give Up the Ship" motto.

--Brock-Perry

Saving the USS Constitution-- Part 2: Thanks for the Poem, Mr. Oliver

The USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides" was once saved as well.

On September 16, 1830, a young doctor in Boston, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.  read in his newspaper that the USS Constitution, that legendary frigate from the War of 1812 was going to be sold for scrap.  He immediately dashed off an indignant poem that many of us had to learn in elementary school and sent it to the paper.

I was one of those kids who had to memorize it, which I did in either 4th or 5th grade.  I can see you, if you are of a certain age (I don't think they make kids memorize anymore), mouthing the words right now.  You know:  "Aye, tear her tattered ensign down/Long has it waved on high."

In case you're wondering, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was the father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr..

That poem went viral.  Children all over the United States sent in their pennies.  Adults followed suit.  Enough money was collected to save her.  Today, she is berthed in honored glory at Pier One  of the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, the world's oldest commissioned warship

After all, the Navy's official motto is "Don't Give Up the Ship."

Talk About a Great U.S. Navy Duty Station!!  --Brock-Perrry

Dueling Frigates-- Part 3: It's the HMS Shannon vs. USS Chesapeake

Two broadsides were exchanged between the two ships.  When the two ships became entangles, Broke order his men to board the Chesapeake.  What ended was a huge loss for the Americans.  With more than a third of her crew killed or wounded and its commander, James Lawrence mortally wounded and taken below for treatment, the ship struck her colors just 15 minutes after the engagement had begun.

Captain Lawrence reportedly uttered these famous words as he was being taken below, "Don't Give Up the Ship."

The Chesapeake became the first American frigate lost during the war

--Brock-Perry.

Joseph G. Swift-- Part 1: First USMA Graduate

From Cullom's Register.

Joseph Gardner Swift was the first graduate of the USMA.

Born December 31, 1783, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.  He was one of the original cadets at the USMA in October 12, 1802, when he became second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.

From 1802-1804, he was superintending engineer during the construction of  Fort Johnston, North Carolina.  This fort was at the mouth of the Cape Fear River by Wilmington.  Part of it still remains.

Promoted to 1st Lt., Corps of Engineers, Captain October 30, 1806.

he was at West Point 1804-1807.

--Brock-Perry

The Real, Shameful Story Behind 'Don't Give Up the Ship'-- Part 6

The carnage from these broadsides was enormous.  In less than fifteen minutes the Chesapeake had lost 40 killed and 90 wounded.  Meanwhile, on the Shannon there were 34 killed and 56 wounded.  The Chesapeake's headsail and wheel were quickly shot away and the Chesapeake now drifted helplessly downwind towards the Shannon which continued firing.

Sharpshooters in the Shannon's fighting tops fired down on American targets on the Chesapeake's decks.  One shot felled James Lawrence who was taken below for treatment.  It was below decks where he allegedly uttered those famous words.

--Brock-Perry

The Real, Shameful Story Behind 'Don't Give Up the Ship!'-- Part 1

From the Mat 19, 2013, Boston Globe" by Tom Halsted.

On June 1, 1813, a few miles north of Boston, a mortally wounded Captain James Lawrence, as his crew was locked in a vicious hand-to-hand combat,  was taken below deck and allegedly uttered those faomus words, "Don't Give Up the Ship."

These words were published a few weeks later in a Baltimore newspaper and it went on to become the unofficial motto of the U.S. Navy.  This predated the famous slogans "Remember the Maine" and "Remember Pearl Harbor."

Later that year, Oliver Hazard Perry had a flag with those words on his flagship, the USS Lawrence at the Battle of Lake Erie.

But, those words did not mark a historic or heroic moment.

Not So Don't.  --Brock-Perry

The Enduring Journey of the USS Chesapeake-- Part 2

Charles Dickon is an Emmy-winning public radio and television producer based in Virginia.  His book "The Enduring Journey of the USS Chesapeake is available on Amazon for $22.

The 1813 battle of the Chesapeake versus the HMS Shannon was a big boost to British morale, proving that one of their frigates could beat a United States frigate in one-on-one battle.  It also provided the U.S. Navy with its "Don't Give Up the Ship" slogan.

After the battle, the Chesapeake served in the British Navu as the HMS Chesapeake.  It was broken up in 1820 and its timber eventually used in an English mill.

There is not only an account of the book at  theusschesapeake.com site, but you can get a lot of information by clicking across the top of the page.  There is more information on people, places, the mill, book notes and links.

Well Worth a Look.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Chesapeake's Legacy-- Part 1 "Don't Give Up the Ship"

From Wikipedia.

**  Captain James Lawrence's last words, "Don't Give Up the Ship" has become a rallying cry for the U.S. Navy.

**  In September 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry named his flagship the USS Lawrence.  At the Battle of Lake Erie, he flew a broad blue flag with the words "Don't Give Up the Ship" on it.

**  The USS Lawrence's blood-stained, bullet-riddled flag was sold at auction in 1908 and purchased by William Waldorf Astor (American-born, but moved to Britain).  It is now at the Britain's National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, along with her signal book.

--Brock-Perry

Fort McHenry Stamp-- Part 5: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Maryland native Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer, witnessed the massive display of firepower from the deck of an American flag-of-truce vessel.  he had just completed negotiations with the British for the release of an American prisoner confined aboard a ship in the British fleet.

On the morning of September 14, Key realized that the bombardment had been a failure when he saw the British squadron withdrawing downriver.  The garrison flag was run up over the fort at 9:00 a.m., confirming the post was still in American hands.

Key was so moved that he wrote "The Defence of Fort McHenry" to the tune of an old English song, and it quickly gained wider recognition under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Actually, I always heard he was on a British vessel during the battle and that he wrote it as a poem that someone put to the tune.

--Brock-Perry

Lawrenceville, Georgia's War of 1812 Connection

From the February 24, 2016, Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Flashback Fotos: Historic Lawrenceville."

Lawrenceville is located in Gwinnett, County, Georgia, established in 1820 and named for War of 1812 naval commander Captain James Lawrence, best known for his dying words, "Don't Give Up the Ship."  he is not believed to have had any direct connection to Lawrenceville.

In addition, there are four streets surrounding the downtown square named for people connected with the War of 1812:

Perry--  (Commodore Matthew Perry)  Most likely this would be Oliver Hazard Perry.

Pike Street--  Zebulon Pike (explorer and for whom Pike's Peak, Colorado, is named).  Also in War of 1812.

Croghan Street--  Named for War of 1812 veteran George Croghan

Clayton Street--  Named for Congressman Augustin Clayton, a Virginia native who attended the University of Georgia and served in the state and U.S. legislatures from 1810 to the 1830s.

--Brock-Perry

Leonard W. Covington-- Part 2: Mortally Wounded at Battle of Crysler's Farm

He returned to the Army in 1809 as colonel of the Light Dragoons.

Leonard Covington  commanded Fort Adams on the lower Mississippi River and participated in the 1810 take over by the United States of the Republic of West Florida in today's Florida Parishes in Louisiana.

In the War of 1812, he was promoted to brigadier general in August 1813 and mortally wounded at the Battle of Crysler's Field and died three days later at French Mills, New York.

He has lots of places named after him.

--Brock-Perry

Three Unforgettable Sounds from the War of 1812

From the June 4, 2015, Lebanon Daily News by Bruce Kauffmann.

1.  Francis Scott Key and that poem of his, later set to music.

2.  "Don't Give Up the Ship"  Spoken by James Lawrence in the battle of the USS Chesapeake vs. HMS Shannon.

3.  Oliver Hazard Perry  "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag at the Battle of Lake Erie and "We have met the enemy and they are ours."

--Brock-Perry