Combat· War of 1812
Battle of Lake Erie
The decisive naval victory of the northern war.
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry built a squadron from raw timber on the shore of Lake Erie and took it out to meet the British squadron under Robert Barclay near Put-in-Bay. In a long and brutal action, Perry's flagship Lawrence was shot to pieces under him; he had himself rowed through the fire to the Niagara, brought her into close action, and broke the British line. Marines served the muskets in the tops of the Lawrence and Niagara throughout, and they paid for it, five Marines killed and thirteen wounded, including Lieutenant John Brooks among the slain. Perry's report, "We have met the enemy and they are ours," announced a victory that secured Lake Erie, forced the British to abandon Detroit, and opened the way to the recovery of the Northwest.
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 227