Jesse Elliott, USN-- Part 4: The Battle of Lake Erie (Commendation, Then Censure)

In the center of the American battleline, the Niagara was astern of the USS Caledonia, which in turn was astern of the USS Lawrence, Perry's flagship.  During the early stages of the battle, the Lawrence fought alone against several of the bigger British ships and took a pounding.  The Niagara was little engaged.

After the Lawrence was battered into a wreck, Perry rowed over to the Niagara and took command to continue fighting.  (That incident is pictured  at the right of the entries.)

Then Elliott was dispatched by boat  to urge the smaller American gunboats at the rear of the battleline to close in for action.

The battle ended with a complete American victory and surrender of the entire British squadron.

Elliott earned distinction for his role in the battle and official praise from Perry and was given command of the Lake Erie American squadron the following month.

There was, nevertheless, some controversy over Elliott's role in the battle.    Some (including Perry) suspected that he had deliberately held the Niagara out of the battle in its early stages.  The two men would feud over this for the rest of their lives.

--Brock-Perry

Jesse Elliott, USN-- Part 4: Service in Lake Ontario and Back to Lake Erie

Jesse Elliott was then transferred to Lake Ontario where he served under Commodore Isaac Chauncey as captain on the flagship, the USS Madison,  and took part in the Battle of York on 27 April 1813 and the Battle of Fort George on 27 May.

He was promoted to master commandant in July and reassigned to the Lake Erie Squadron, to serve as Perry's second in command.  He felt Perry had insufficient combat experience and was particularly outspoken Perry's decision to use Presque Isle for his shipyard.   

The two me were on collision course at thus time.  No doubt Elliott was still smarting over being replaced in Lake Erie by Perry to begin the problems.

BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE

Then came the famous battle.

During the Battle of Lake Erie against a British squadron under Captain Robert Barclay on 10 September 1813, Elliott commanded the USS Niagara.  Perry commanded the Niagara's sister ship, the USS Lawrence.

--Brock-Perry

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.)

Things You Didn't Know About Oliver Hazard Perry-- Part 2: A Builder

3.  Perry was promoted to Master Commandant in the Navy at age 28.  After being a midshipman, he returned to Rhode Island and supervised the construction of a flotilla of small gunboats.  In March 1812, he achieved the high rank of Master Commandant, something few as young as he achieved.

4.  In 1813, he was given command of naval forces on the Great Lakes and appointed to supervise the construction of an American fleet on Lake Erie.  His headquarters were at what is today Erie, Pennsylvania.  When he arrived, there were no American ships and the British already had eight ships.

Despite the fact that he had no nearby resources other than trees, in short order he had nine vessels with the 490 ton brigs Lawrence and Niagara being the largest.

--Brock-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

Oliver Hazard Perry & the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 3:

At this time, President Thomas Jefferson decided to drastically reduce the Navy from 45 warships to 13 and 42 captains to 9 and  midshipmen from 350 to 150.  This became significant when a few years later, Congress declared war on Great Britain on June 8, 1812.

There wasn't much of a U.S. Navy.

When Perry requested and was granted a command on Lake Erie, he was tasked with building the very ships he needed to fight the British. Not only that, but he seriously lacked the manpower to build and man those ships.

Perry and his ships were underdogs when they went into battle against the British at the Battle of Lake Erie, but he wouldn't give up.

Even after Perry's flagship, the USS Lawrence, was damaged beyond  repair, he refused to strike his colors.

--Brock-Perry

 

Standing Tall on Lake Erie-- Part 5: 'We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Ours'

Despite losing his flagship, Oliver Hazard Perry was able to disable and scatter the British fleet.

When it came time for their surrender, he had the site moved back to his flagship, the USS Lawrence, so they could see the damage they had done to the ship.

He wrote a letter to General William Henry Harrison with the now famous statement:  "We have met the enemy and they are ours.  Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop."

This enabled Harrison, then, to launch his invasion of the western part of Upper Canada, which ended in the British total defeat at the Battle of the Thames and the death of Indian chief Tecumseh.

Perry was hailed as the "Hero of Lake Erie."

Dedicated in 1931, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is a testimony of the American victory on Lake Erie and a nod to a long-standing peace among the U.S., Britain and Canada.  Initially, three American and three British military members were buried at the monument as a reminder of the losses suffered by both sides during the fierce 1813 battle.

The bodies were later exhumed and reburied at De Rivera Park.

There is no doubt that the towering structure embodies a history of great proportions.

--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

Stephen Champlin and the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 13: The Battle Begins

"About 12 o'clock the enemy commenced action by throwing a 24 pound shot at the Lawrence.  At this time the Scorpion was hailed and directed to return the fire with her long guns.  The second shot from the Detroit passed through both bulwarks of the Lawrence, and the fire was immediately returned, and kept up in a most gallant style, followed by the Caledonia, under command of Lieutenant Turner, and supported by the Ariel, Lieutenant Packet, and the Scorpion, ahead upon her weatherbow.

""The Queen Charlotte made sail and closed up with the Detroit, shortly after the action commenced, and directed her fire at the Lawrence.  It seemed to be the enemy's plan to destroy the commodore's ship (the Lawrence), and then cut up the fleet in detail..

"For this purpose, their heaviest fire was directed at the Lawrence.  Commodore Perry made every effort to close with the enemy, but the tremendous fire to which he was exposed cut away every brace and bowline, and soon rendered the Lawrence unmanageable."

--Brock-Perry

Stephen Champlin and the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 12: "Engage As You Come Up"

From John Lisle Commodore Stephen Champlin.

"On the 10th of September, while lying at anchor in Put-In-Bay, the enemy was discovered, at break of day, in the direction of Malden.  The signal was made at once to get under weigh.  At this time, the Niagara was in a situation to clear the islands before the Lawrence.  There was a light breeze from the southwest, and it was with great difficulty that the Lawrence was enabled to clear the islands to windward.

"When the enemy perceived this, he hove to, in a line, with his ships' heads to the westward.    The signal was now made by Commodore Perry:  'Engage as you come up, everyone against his opponent in the line before designated.'  The order for our squadron to close  was passed by trumpet through Captain Elliot.

"The situation of the Niagara should have been abreast of the Queen Charlotte, and of course, as close as she could get, as,  previous to the action, I had always understood, from Commodore Perry, that it was his intention to bring the enemy to close action in case of conflict."

--Brock-Perry

Stephen Champlin-- Part 11: Going After the British

"We were now reinforced by the arrival of Captain Elliot with several officers and about  ninety men most   of whom he took on board the Niagara, which ship was manned by more experienced, and consequently much better sailors, than the Lawrence.  The crew of the Lawrence was made up principally of ordinary seamen  and volunteers, many of whom were on the sick list.

"On the 12th of August, we sailed for the head of the lake.  On the arrival of the fleet at Sandusky, I was ordered by Commodore Perry to pass up between Sandusky and Put-In-Bay, as a lookout, and if the enemy hove in sight, to make a signal by hoisting an ensign.

"Soon after passing the point, I discovered  a schooner lying at anchor in Put-In-Bay.  I made the signal and gave chase, followed by the whole fleet.  But darkness and a severe gale compelled us to come to an anchor, to prevent going ashore.  The enemy's schooner was driven ashore by the gale."

--Brock-Perry

Stephen Champlin-- Part 9: Getting Over the Bar

"At daylight on the 1st of August, the Scorpion, under my command, with some of the  other small vessels by lightering and warping were got over,  The Niagara and one of the small vessels were then placed as near the bar as possible to protect the others while on it.

"A few guns were left upon the Lawrence, to enable her to make some defense in case of an attack.    With all the exertion we could make, we were nearly two days in getting the Lawrence over, and had we then been attacked, the issue must have been most disastrous.

"Indeed, while she was still on the bar, we discovered the enemy standing in  with a leading breeze, but by renewed and most unparalleled exertions, the Lawrence was got into deep water at 8 or 10 a.m. and at 12 m, her guns were aboard, and she was ready for action.

--Brock-Perry

USS Niagara-- Part 3: Sunk, Raised and Sunk Again

The USS Niagara was built by Daniel Dobbins, who also built the USS Porcupine.  In September 1812, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to warn the government about the vulnerability of the Great Lakes.  On 15 September he was authorized to build 4 gunboats for the protection of Lake Erie

The construction of these four ships was largely overseen by Noah Brown, a noted naval architect.

After the war, the Queen Charlotte, Detroit and Lawrence were sunk for their preservation in Misery Bay by Presque Isle.  The Niagara was kept afloat to be used as a receiving ship.  It was sunk in 1820 when the naval station at Presque Isle closed.

Benjamin H. Brown of Rochester, New York, bought all four ships in 1825 and then he sold them to George Miles of Erie, Pennsylvania who raised them to use as merchant ships, but he found the Niagara and Lawrence had holds that were too small and they were in such bad shape that he allowed them to sink again..

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Navy Ships at the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 2: Long Guns and Carronades

Name--   classification---  armament--   fate

Long guns are regular cannons and good for long range firing.

CALEDONIA--  brig--   2 long guns, 1 carronade--  1830 either sank or was dismantled

NIAGARA--  brig--  2 long guns, 18 carronade--  present day used as a sailing school.  (Original ship?)

SOMERS--   schooner--   1 long gun, 1 carronade--   unknown

PORCUPINE--   schooner--  1 long gun--    1873 beached

TIGRESS--   schooner--  1 long gun--  1815 sunk

TRIPPE--  sloop--   1 long gun--  1813 burnt by British

Totals:  9 ships--  15 long guns, 39 carronades

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Navy Ships At the Battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813

From the National Park Service.

Sunce I have been writing about the USS Porcupine, these were the U.S. ships at the battle:

Name--  classification--  armament--  fate

SCORPION---  schooner---  1 long gun, 1 carronade---  Broken up 1831

ARIEL---  schooner---  4 long guns---  unknown

LAWRENCE---  brig--  2 long guns, 18 carronades--=  1876 burnt in a fire

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

Casualties in the USS Chesapeake-HMS Shannon Engagement

HMS Shannon

24 killed, 59 wounded, including Captain broke who received a head wound while leading the boarding party.  Lt. Provo Wallis took command of the Shannon after the wounding of his captain.

USS Chesapeake

56 killed, 85 wounded.

Captain Lawrence died of wounds received on June 4.

--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 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

War of 1812 Memorial for Marines Now Has Names-- Part 2

After the battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's vessels returned to Put-in-Bay on September 11, 1813 and prepared for the journey back to Erie, Pennsylvania.

Ten days later, the USS Lawrence was transporting sick and wounded from the Battle of Lake Erie and Dr. Usher Parsons, a surgeon on the ship, noted in his journal that the two Marines died of typhus near what is now Avon Lake.

Bill Krejci and John Shondel are now working on getting veterans headstones for the men at the cemetery.

Relatives of both men have been contacted as well.

USS Trippe-- Part 3: Battle of Lake Erie and Aftermath

When Commodore Barclay's British fleet left the Detroit River to deliver supplies to British soldiers, the American fleet came out and offered battle.

The American fleet outnumbered the British 9 ships to 6, but were outgunned 63-54.

With battle engaged, the British concentrated their fire on the lead American ships: the Lawrence, Caledonia and Niagara.  The Trippe was at the end of the American line and fought a long range duel with the HMS Lady Prevost and Little Belt and put the Prevost out of action.

The USS Lawrence was also battered by British fire, forcing Perry to leave it and continue the fight from the Niagara.  The Trippe charged into the fray.  The British ships were forced to surrender one by one.  When the Cheppeway and Little Belt attempted to flee, the USS Trippe and Scorpion chased them down for a complete sweep as Perry so happily reported.

The Battle of Lake Erie was the Trippe's only engagement in the war.  For the rest of its career it carried supplies to support General William Harrison's land operations.

In October the British attacked Buffalo and captured the city.  They found the Trippe aground near Buffalo Creek and set fire to her, burning the ship completely.

--Brock-Perry