Oliver Hazard Perry & the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 2

Perry's victory at the Battle of Lake Erie had a great impact on the War of 1812 an d gave the U.S. Navy control of Lake Erie, but it also resulted in a huge growth in the population of Trumbull County.  

By 1820, the population had almost doubled to 15,546, and continued to grow in the next two decades.  By 1840,  there were 38,107 people living in Trumbull County.

Even as a young boy, Perry was exceptional.  He was born August 23, 1785, to Sarah Wallace Alexander and Christopher Raymond Perry.  By the time he was 13, he had already determined what he was going to do as an adult.  He was going to join the U.S. Navy.

In April 1799, he was made a midshipman on the USS General Green.  During the two years he was that rank, he learned how to board enemy ships and land on enemy shores.  He also learned other valuable skills such as  the art of fighting and navigation.

Perhaps the most important lesson was  how to conduct himself on board a ship.

In 1802, he was promoted to lieutenant when he was just 17 years old.

--Brock-Perry

Christopher R. Perry-- Part 4: Personal Life, Five Sons in Navy

Christopher Perry returned to the United States in July 1800 and the crew was discharged.  The General Greene was placed in ordinary at Washington Navy Yard and reduced to a hulk in 1805 before being burned Aug. 24. 1814, to prevent capture by the British.

Perry and most of the other officers of the U.S. Navy were laid off by the Naval Peace Establishment Act of 1801 which reduced the size of the Navy.  Only nine of the 42 captains of the Navy retained their commissions.

PERSONAL LIFE

Perry married  Sarah Wallace Alexander on August 2, 1784.  She was the descendant of an uncle of famed Scottish hero William Wallace.  They had eight children.  All five of the sons were officers in the U.S. Navy who died in the service.  The two most famous are Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.

I was unable to find out anything about Christopher Perry in the War of 1812.

In 1800, he became the owner of a large house in Newport, Rhode Island, that still stands and is called the Knowles-Perry House which is probably where he lived for the rest of his life.  He died in 1818. and is buried in the Belmont-Perry plot in the Island Cemetery in Newport.

--Brock-Perry

Christopher R. Perry-- Part 3: Becomes a Rich Man and Commands USS General Greene in Quasi War

After the American Revolution, he served on a merchant ship and sailed to Ireland where he was able to bring his beloved Sarah to the United States where they were married in Philadelphia in 1784.  (That must have been an interesting story of his meeting his future wife while a prisoner.

They moved to South Kingston, Rhode Island where his parents had a 200 acre estate.  Their first child, Oliver Hazard Perry was born there in August 1785.)

Christopher Perry then  pursued his career as a merchant ship captain, making voyages all over the world and making a small fortune in the process.  He was able to move his family to the fast-growing Newport, Rhode Island and by 1797, he was rich enough to retire.

On January 7, 1798, he was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Navy during the Quasi War with France.  Given command of the frigate USS General Greene, he brought along his son, 13-year-old midshipman Oliver Hazard Perry.

You can read the rest of the story about his time on the USS General Greene on my May 4 and May 6 blogs.

--Brock-Perry

Christopher R. Perry, USN-- Part 1: Father of Some Famous Sons

I'm sure I knew that Oliver Hazard Perry had a father, but never thought anything about him until I was doing posts about ships that had been burned in the Washington Navy Yard in 1814 to prevent them from being captured by the British.  One of them was the frigate USS General Greene, another ship I had never heard of as well.

And, not only was Christopher Perry the father of Oliver Hazard, but also quite a list of other naval officers.

Here's his story.

From Wikipedia.

CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND PERRY  (December 4, 1761 - June 1, 1818)

Was an officer in the United States Navy, appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Pleas for Washington County, R.I., in 1780 and served until 1791.  He was the father of Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.

The Perry in my sign-off below is for Oliver Hazard Perry.

--Brock-Perry

A Recap of Ships Burned at Washington Navy Yard Aug. 24, 1814

Five ships were burned that day.  Two of them were nearing completion, the frigate USS Columbia and brig USS Argus.

The three others were either in ordinary or a hulk.  They were frigates:  USS New York, USS Boston and USS General Greene.  The first two were subscription ships built by those cities for use in the U.S. Navy.

--Brock-Perry

USS General Greene-- Part 2: Quasi War, Haitian Revolution, Burned At Washington Navy Yard

While in San Domingo (today's Dominican Republic), the General Greene was with the USS Boston (later burned with the Greene at Washington navy Yard in 1814).  On December 1, 1799,  the Greene assisted in the capture of the schooner Flying Fish and then retook the American schooner Weymouth, which had been captured by the French privateer  Hope.

After that, much of her time was spent keeping an eye on the Haitian Revolution and gave artillery support to General Toussaint.  In April 1800, she carried two representatives of Toussaint to an audience with President John Adams and later convoyed 12 merchant ships to Havana

Afterwards, the Greene went to Newport, Rhode Island, where its crew was discharged.  Captain Christopher R. Perry was retired under the Peace Establishment Act of 3 April 1801.  After that, the general Greene was laid up in ordinary at Washington Navy Yard where she served as a floating sick bay for the frigate USS Constellation in 1801.

In 1805, the ship was reduced to a sheer hulk.  It was burned to prevent capture by the British August 24, 1814.

That Covers All the Ships That I Found Were Burned At the Washington Navy Yard When the British Captured Washington, D.C..

Brock-Perry

The USS General Greene-- Part 1: Also Burned At Washington Navy Yard Aug. 24, 1814

From Wikipedia.

The USS General Greene was a 124-foot long frigate mounting 30 cannons and manned by a crew of 250.

It was built under government contract by Benjamin Talman and James De Wolf in Rhode Island   It was launched  21 January 1799 and first commanded by Christopher R. Perry, whose son, Oliver Hazard Perry, was a midshipman on his father's ship.

Its first mission in 1799 resulted in damage during a heavy gale, putting into Havana, Cuba, for repairs and the crew being struck with yellow fever with more than twenty dying.  It returned to the U.S. to clean up the illness and then took station at San Domingo for six months.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Boston Also Burned At Washington Navy Yard

From Wikipedia.

The USS Boston was a 32-gun, wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate built by public subscription in Boston which took part in the Quasi War with France and the First Barbary War.  It was launched in 1700 and commissioned the same year.

The Boston protected American commerce ships from French privateers in the Quasi War, capturing eight prizes (two with the USS General Greene).  In the Barbary War the ship  battled Barbary ships.

Laid up in 1802 at Washington Navy Yard, it was deemed in such bad shape that it was not worth repairing.  She was burned August 24, 1814, to prevent capture by the British.

--Brock-Perry

USS Constitution Goes to Washington Navy Yard-- Part 4: The Yard Goes Up in Flames, So Do the Ships

It was a good thing the USS Constitution was not at the Washington Navy Yard in August 1814, as we would not have her around today.  The Navy Yard burned, both by the Americans, preventing the British from capturing items and the British.

On August 24, 1814, with the British approaching, the commandant of the yard, Thomas Tingey, ordered the Yard torched.  As darkness fell that night, the nation's capital city was all aglow with flames, the Yard as well.

The Navy's storehouses burned as well as as the USS New York, USS Boston, USS General Greene, USS Argus and the almost completed frigate USS Columbia.

I have seen several sources who list the Argus as being burned at Washington Navy Yard, but, the only USS Argus I can find was a brig captured in 1813 by the HMS Frolic.  I have even listed it as one of the burned ships.  Perhaps the Navy was building a new USS Argus.

I can not find any more information on the USS Columbia.

--Brock-Perry