by James Spurr
As news of these victories encouraged a young nation, the events shook the confidence of the world’s only superpower on the seas. England achieved many victories, to be sure, such as the decisive thumping Captain Broke delivered the ill-fated U.S.S. Chesapeake. Further, England had decades of experience in throttling an enemy within their own harbors and had by 1812 honed the tactics of a blockade, making such operations appear as mere routine. Still, American victories in single ship actions were a shocking reversal of fortune compared to what England had come to expect after years of fighting the French. The English Admiralty actually did, finally, issue an order prohibiting its frigates to engage American frigates one on one.
Perry was desperate for a command and while we know few details, Chauncey was having difficulty with his subordinates and was glad for an experienced officer to undertake operations on Lake Erie; especially an officer such as Perry who could provide many men from his former command to augment his thin ranks and meager supplies. The lessons learned from and as reported in the newspapers regarding the Guerriere, Java, Macedonian and ultimately, the death of Lawrence and surrender of Chesapeake, must have influenced Perry heavily as he undertook a formidable challenge on the inland seas.
The saga of Salina, however incredible, is true. She was abandoned in a late winter cold snap upon her return from Fort Erie, which in those months was randomly shelling the Black Rock naval yard across the Niagara river, disrupting the construction of gunboats that were, in any event, trapped below the open waters. Salina, once abandoned, drifted in the ice full of valuable supplies until she appeared just off Erie for her former Captain Dobbins to discover. He recovered the supplies, a godsend for the efforts of Noah Brown and, recognizing necessity, burned the ship to deprive her from perhaps drifting back to the Canadian shore.
Chauncey asked a great deal of Perry. He had to accomplish more than merely building a squadron in the wilderness and training its crews so to fight the Royal Navy which had free reign over Lake Erie for more than a year. He also had to first consolidate those ships still in American hands. Perry traveled from Erie to assist Chauncey on Lake Ontario, making the journey, in part, upon a “sad looking pony,” as later recalled by Captain Daniel Dobbins. Perry’s exploits while attacking Fort George are factual. He set the tone for cooperation between the services and later directed that he be rowed in a small boat, in the middle of the battle, directing critical fire for the initial landing upon boarding the Schooner Hamilton. After the battle, Perry hurried the American gunboats past the guns of Fort Erie, temporarily abandoned in the chaos of the American incursion. He then narrowly avoided the British squadron on Lake Erie in a fog, delivering the initial makings of his squadron into the port of Presque Isle.
The Schooner Hamilton now lies on the bottom of Lake Ontario, having sunk in a violent squall in August 1813. Hamilton has since been found and photographs were studied in designing the replica vessel, Friends Good Will, so to assure details of her hull and deck would be faithful to Great Lakes vessels of that time.
Oliver Williams, in a later written recollection, is referred to as “Major Williams.” There seemed no better conflict in which he could earn a promotion then fighting with General Harrison at the siege of Fort Meigs. The details of the operations are largely factual, but there is no indication as to how or where Oliver Williams served or how he achieved the rank of Major.
Meanwhile, U.S.S. Constitution found herself a frustrated victim to Britain’s blockade of Boston harbor. About twenty of her sailors were sent west to Lake Erie to augment Perry’s squadron.
Jesse Williams was one of those, an African American, who had served aboard U.S.S. Constitution during her contest with H.M.S. Java. Together he and Cyrus Tiffany, a resident of Erie, and other African Americans contributed significantly to Perry’s efforts upon the Great Lakes. In fact, Tiffany, reputed to have played his fiddle in General George Washington’s tent, remained with Perry throughout the remainder of his naval career and was present at his death.
Edmund Blunt owned a store in New York, “Sign of the Quadrant” and sold instruments, charts and offered his substantial experience at sea in writing a treatise, which he published in August of 1813. His work recommends the establishment of uniform and best practices for a young United States Navy. Dave Mullen, a professional rigger and consultant to the accurate rigging of both the U.S.S. Constitution and the replica vessel Friends Good Will, shared with the author a copy of the treatise, reportedly only recently found in an old trunk at the Charleston navy yard. There is no evidence that the treatise made its way to the Great Lakes or played any part in the training of the American squadron, but because training was an important issue for Perry, as illustrated by the surrender of Chesapeake, the fictional connection between the two seemed just too much fun to let pass.
As Barclay, a veteran of Trafalgar, appeared on the scene in Amherstberg, already wounded in his service for his King on six separate occasions, including the loss of his right arm, Perry learned of the death of his friend, James Lawrence. Perry ordered that his officers don black armbands and enlisted a local Erie woman to fashion his famous battle flag.
Perry did well in consolidating his squadron, building and arming the twin brigs and begging, borrowing or otherwise securing marginally fit persons to serve as crew. He could not, however, move the sandbar at the mouth of Presque Isle harbor. For that challenge, Barclay came to his assistance. The circumstance presents the most fascinating question surrounding the Battle of Lake Erie.
The Battle of Lake Erie should never have been fought. Barclay had Perry “bottled up,” like the Royal Navy had bottled up so many of its opponents, rotting in the harbor. What caused Barclay to pull his squadron from Erie? A legend of sorts has grown around a widow from Port Dover. Supposedly, the story goes, Barclay attended a dinner, hosted by the widow, with whom he may have been enamored, in his honor. Another reason often cited is that he simply needed to re-supply his ships.
The former version is far more intriguing then the latter. Still, neither explanation really addresses the main question. While Barclay may well have taken a holiday from the droll routine of tacking back and forth offshore, or sent vessels back to take on supplies, there was no need, it seems, to remove all of the vessels simultaneously. The practice of leaving a portion of his squadron offshore Erie and/or staging ships to pass information by signal, thus reducing the time needed for an adequate reaction to changing circumstances, was a well known technique of the day. Such well known practices conveniently allowed the author to supply an answer, wholly unfounded by known facts, as to why Barclay, an otherwise capable officer, would not only leave station, but leave us with such a mystery.
Perry, Noah Brown and the entire American squadron together managed the impossible, it seems, in floating the twin brigs by way of camels over the bar with an incredible effort, described with a fair degree of factual detail. While the independent cruise of Trippe is fictional, sending a vessel offshore to scout the British squadron’s whereabouts is certainly plausible by way a precautionary measure.
After the American squadron was out, Perry met Harrison aboard Lawrence at Sandusky to discuss the final weeks of the campaign, by then well behind schedule. Still, the British squadron was thought to be on the defensive with some native tribes changing their allegiance in part as the result of Colonel Proctor’s failed initiatives against American territorial forts.
The Battle of Lake Erie is so dramatic, it requires little by way of fiction. The names of actual participants, aside from the fictional characters, are thought to be accurate, together with many of the quotes and details with respect to the wounds they may have received. The stories about the bear, the pig, the crowbar and swivel gun, and severed mainstay, bungled maneuvering, and means of surrendering are true. British slow match was defective, although not just aboard Little Belt, and sparks from the priming pans of pistols were used to fire off the guns. Both the heroism and suffering certainly require no embellishment.
The native sharpshooters shipped aboard Detroit witnessed such violence they descended down the rigging and requested Barclay permit them to take shelter below deck. Barclay quietly permitted them to retire. They were so frightened they did not emerge from the bowels of Detroit until two days after the battle.
Little Belt did take flight back to Amherstberg, although accompanied by Chippewa. The Schooner Scorpion gave chase, along with Ariel. Meanwhile, many of the dead were wrapped in canvas hammocks and committed to the deep, slipping over the side upon a plank and beneath a flag, a round shot providing the weight as a few words were uttered from the Book of Common Prayer. Scorpion, which earlier in the day fired the first American shot, also fired the last and returned to South Bass Island with two prizes, one of them Little Belt (Friends Good Will), just about midnight. The British prisoners held on the island outnumbered their American captors.
Perry’s note to Harrison is one of the United States Navy’s most famous communications. Little known but just as profound, is Perry’s note to the Secretary of the Navy, made less than an hour after the great guns fell silent, “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 & one Sloop have this moment surrendered to the force under my command, after a Sharp conflict.”
The U.S.S. Constitution, when it heard the news, fired a broadside in salute. The nation celebrated and the event was immortalized by song:
“Our heroic Perry has turn’d fortunes’ tide And in their own waters has humbled their pride A squadron complete… Barclay, ships, arms and men Surrender to Yankees. Britain’s flag doused again!
Then huzza for Yankees, their brave and their free May our country long nourish the liberty tree!”
Perry’s battle flag, emblazoned, “Don’t give up the Ship,” hangs above the entrance to Memorial Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, which also carries in its archives the battle flags captured from the British ships, including that of just “one sloop,” Little Belt.
President Theodore Roosevelt later wrote that the Battle of Lake Erie was the most important naval engagement of the War of 1812 – high praise for a time when the young United States Navy recorded numerous dramatic exploits involving ships such as Old Ironsides.
As of midnight, September 10, 1813, the exploits of Perry, Harrison, Proctor, Elliott and Tecumseth, to say nothing of Oliver Williams, William Lee, his son James and Trove, are far from over.
Our favorite sloop, Friends Good Will, merely began, on that day, another exciting chapter in her history; all the subject of another story.
~ James Spurr