The Battle of Lake Erie (Put-in-Bay)
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The Battle of Lake Erie was a decisive battle in the War of 1812 and one that would eventually secure the Northwest Territory for the United States. Never before had a whole British fleet been defeated and surrendered to the Americans. It marked the start of an age of naval superiority for the United States of America. It also led to a series of events that defeated the Indian Confederation of Tecumseh. The Battle of Lake Erie is recognized today as a pivotal event in the War of 1812 and one of many important victories for the United States Navy.
[edit] Preparation
Almost forty years after the American Revolution for Independence, Great Britain once again began to anger Americans with unjust policies, which were gradually hurting their overall economy. Still a fledgling nation, the United States was not superior in numbers or economically compared to the British Empire. The British still had not recognized the United States as a formidable nation, and disregarded them as fierce opponents. However, the Americans would prove themselves free and independent, especially against the British Navy; the strongest in the world at the time. The Battle of Lake Erie was one of these many circumstances in which the Americans bravely sealed their independence by force.
Congress declared war on June 18, 1812. They had declared war for many reasons, including the impressments of American sailors into the British Royal Navy. About six-thousand sailors were impressed, an extremely large number. The British also interfered with American shipping and supported Native-American resistance such as the Confederation of Tecumseh. An invasion to obtain the British colony of Canada was one of the United States’ main goals, and control of the Great Lakes was critical. At the start of the war, the British quickly dominated Lake Erie with a fleet controlled by the Provincial Marine in 1812. It was very important because it gave its owner an open opportunity to control the rich Northwest Territory and it offered protection to Fort Detroit which was currently held by the British.
Both the Americans and British worked extensively to build fleets there. The American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, was a naval officer with decisive experience. He had been involved in combat before, particularly during the First Barbary War and the French Quasi-War. Seeking potential glory as his naval friends had gained sailing on sleek ships like the USS Constitution, USS Chesapeake, and USS Hornet, Perry was appointed to supervise the construction of a new American fleet on February 8, 1813. He worked his men to exhaustion on Presque Isle building a fleet superior to that of the British. He faced many frustrations as he armed and manned his ships, but in the end, his perseverance would prevail. As for the British, Robert H. Barclay was given charge of outfitting out a fleet in 1813. He served under Nelson at Trafalgar where he lost an arm. He was a grizzled veteran and an able bodied sailor. With naval experience and much determination, he was the best fit to command the British fleet. However, he took command of very few seamen and few naval officers. Additionally, Major-General Henry Proctor on the Detroit Frontier, would not attack the Americans on Presque Isle unless he was reinforced, even after Barclay insisted only two-thousand soldiers defended it. Barclay also repeatedly requested supplies and men from another commanding officer on Lake Ontario but received very little. Already, Barclay was at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, he put together a small fleet of two warships.
Barclay then maintained a blockade until he ran out of supplies. When he returned a short four days later, he discovered many astonishing events had occurred during his absence. Perry had moved his fleet across a sandbar at the mouth of the harbor in Put-in-Bay. Perry had completed an exhausting and incredible task. All the guns had to be removed and the ships had to be transported by land. He also had slipped past the British Navy at Black Rock due to hazy weather, where half his fleet was stationed. After Perry united his two fleets, Barclay met the few small ships, yet did not feel his fleet was sufficient nor was it superior to that of the Americans. He also noticed how confidently the vessels stood up to his ships. Due to this, he turned around and decided to wait until the mighty frigate, HMS Detroit, was finished. Perry also had to finish his two brigs, the USS Lawrence and the USS Niagara. With Barclay’s retreat, he now completely controlled most of the lake. Perry then blockaded the town of Amherstburg to Barclay’s dismay. Barclay and Proctor were now in a desperate situation and supplies from the Native Americans were quickly running low. The British would have to risk an all out naval attack to break Perry’s blockade of Amherstburg in order to get much-needed supplies. Perry knew a large engagement was evident. In preparation for battle, Perry posted a banner on his flagship USS Lawrence with the words, “Don’t Give up the Ship” in memory of his friend James Lawrence and his famous words on the USS Chesapeake. Britain’s control over Lake Erie would depend on one of the most famous and important naval battles in the forgotten War of 1812.
[edit] Battle
Before directly engaging in battle Perry made some minor adjustments to help ensure victory for his fleet. Each ship was assigned one other ship in which to engage. Barclay initially held the wind gauge, giving him a slight advantage. However, things quickly changed and Perry then held the wind advantage, something that was much needed to win a naval battle at the time. The battle began just before noon, with the British frigate Detroit firing the first shot which fell short of the Lawrence. The Lawrence could not fire a penetrable blow for at least twenty minutes while being battered with cannon shot by the Detroit. Another problem for Perry was his small sloops and schooners, which were having trouble engaging in battle due to light winds. Perry was desperate for help as the Lawrence was continually being targeted round after round by British ships. He hoped the Niagara, under Jesse Elliot, his second in command, would come to his aid. This would give him an upper advantage and much needed help. However, he was shocked to see that the Niagara was at a standstill, holding its battle line as this was its initial order. The Niagara then moved away from the Queen Charlotte, the second largest British ship and the Niagara’s to directly engage. This movement made both vessels useless against the other, as both were out of firing range. These actions taken by Elliot would cause feud between him and Perry for many years. The British, practically ignoring Perry’s smaller vessels, then turned almost all of their firepower on the Lawrence, and Perry was facing possible surrender. Perry then made a fateful decision that would make him a historical hero. He decided to row a small rowboat through a hail of heavy cannon shot with four other men half a mile to the Niagara. Miraculously, he made it to the ship unscathed. He then took command of the Niagara and steered it to action. He also commanded Jesse Elliot to bring the smaller gunboats closer into action. While the Lawrence was being obliterated, Perry’s smaller vessels continually fired at the British line. This caused the British ships to be severely damaged by the time the Niagara reached them. Both the gun boats and the Niagara moved closer to the enemy. The American ships severely wounded all British officers including Barclay, causing junior officers, with little naval experience, to take command of the fleet. With the enemy ships approaching, the young, but brave, junior officers decided to turn their ships and use their fresh broadsides against the oncoming enemy. But in the midst of disorder and confusion, the Detroit and Queen Charlotte collided. Perry then decimated the entangled British line that was in a helpless jumble. The Niagara fired round after round at the British ships. The wind also picked up, allowing Perry’s smaller vessels to accelerate and begin attacking the enemy from astern.
A few minutes later, the British realized the inevitable. They began to surrender each of their vessels one after another. While this was happening, some smaller British vessels tried to escape, but were overrun and captured. Perry, although victorious on the Niagara, received the British surrender on the Lawrence to show the terrible price his men had made for victory. Four fifths of the men on the Lawrence were killed. After the surrender, the vessels were anchored and hasty repairs began. The Americans had captured an entire British fleet, an accomplishment that many people all over the world had thought to be an unimaginable task.
[edit] Results
A total of over one hundred casualties were suffered on both the British and American sides. Perry’s vessels were anchored and hasty repairs began on the damaged ships. It was at this point that Perry composed his renowned message to General William Henry Harrison. He wrote on the back of an old envelope in messy handwriting:
Dear General:
We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. Yours with great respect and esteem, O.H. Perry
Perry then transported soldiers to Detroit while Harrison moved one-thousand cavalry there also. The British had retreated from Detroit and Amherstburg leaving the Americans to occupy the two important positions. Proctor and his men were pursued by General Harrison which resulted in the Battle of the Thames. There Tecumseh died, which concluded in the destruction of the Confederation of Tecumseh.
The United States controlled Lake Erie for the remainder of the war. Perry and Jesse Elliot would quarrel after the war about their respective parts in the battle, specifically about Elliot’s inability to aid Perry while on the Niagara. Even so, control of the lake would eventually prove essential for the United States. This led to much of the American’s successes in that region, specifically on the Niagara Peninsula. With the American capture of Detroit, the British had also lost the Northwest Territory. Britain would suffer throughout the war for loosing Lake Erie. It now was an official American lake.
[edit] Aftermath
Officers on both sides were significant to the construction and maneuvering of each fleet. The British officers were slow to build and were clumsy with their ships. The American officers were almost too patient. Nevertheless they struck quickly with powerful force. They were swift unlike the officers for the British. They were also intelligent in the confusion of battle. Most importantly however, young British officers who took control of the British fleet after their superiors were either killed or wounded, were inexperienced sailors.
Both crews were a mixture of seamen, with sailors or boatmen at the rigging. However, about fifty men from the famous USS Constitution were onboard Perry’s vessels. These men were hard-core, professional sailors who had lots of experience. They would be a key part to Perry’s crew. Most of Perry’s seamen were volunteers from Harrison’s army, while Barclay’s men were drafted from Proctor’s 41st Regiment. Also, ships and supplies for Barclay had to come along the Saint Lawrence River, through Lake Ontario (which the United States controlled), and around Lake Erie to Barclay. This took a considerable length of time for supplies to reach Barclay. Perry’s supplies and guns were form Pittsburgh, which was very close to the southern tip of Lake Erie. Pittsburgh also was growing as a manufacturing center. Thus, Perry received his supplies much faster.
The Americans prevailed because of three main logical reasons. One, Barclay was forced to fight without the wind advantage. This greatly hurt his ships’ maneuvering ability and caused them to be much slower than expected. Two, Barclay’s flagship collided near the end of the battle. The Detroit was then unable to engage in cannon fire and was forced to surrender. Three, Perry held most of the tactical advantages while Barclay received a mixture of very bad luck from his fellow British commanders and his crew. Both Perry and Barclay were experienced seamen who held their heads’ high. Both were tactically smart, brave, and confident. Other than the loss of Barclay’s one arm at Trafalgar, Perry did not have any more skill at sea than Barclay. However, Perry did apply his skills better than Barclay, and his officers did the same. Perry made better decisions just at the right time, and accomplished almost impossible tasks. Though frustrated at times he remained calm and stress free during battle. He commanded his men very well and pushed them to the extreme. He prepared his crew and his ships as a formal opponent to the mighty British Navy. But most importantly, he performed a miracle; he defeated and captured an entire British fleet. Barclay could have expected a draw, but not a complete British victory. Today, the Battle of Lake Erie is remembered by the United States Navy as one of five U.S. naval victories that secured U.S. Naval superiority. It is remembered as a fantastic accomplishment by brave American boys yearning for adventure and excitement. Perry would receive his fame and fortune that he had wished for before the war. Perry was promoted to captain and received a gold medal and monetary rewards. He would have a monument constructed in his honor at Put-in-Bay and in the honor of his crew. He is recognized today as a naval hero.
After the United States captured the Detroit they intentionally sank the Lawrence and Niagara. Later the Lawrence would be resurrected and placed in a museum in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, there it would burn after an accidental house fire. Eventually, the Niagara would be restored in 1913. However she fell into shambles and would have to be disassembled and refitted as a reconstruction of the original ship. The reconstructed Niagara can now be viewed in Erie, Pennsylvania. It truly is a spectacular spectacle for tourists to now see and experience.
[edit] Conclusion
The Battle of Lake Erie is recognized today as a pivotal event in the War of 1812 and one of many important victories for the United States Navy. The battle was one of many American battles that depicted to the rest of the world that the United States of America could stand up and defend itself against a worthy opponent like the British Empire. It proved to other nations that the new republic would not negotiate with any nation that would terrorize its shipping, and if so, the U.S. Navy would handle the problem with aggressive force. The battle put the British Royal Navy on their heels, and no other time would they or any other country invade the United States again. The U.S. would eventually control the high seas and the wide oceans. The Battle of Lake Erie is a unique historic battle to be remembered for many years to come.
[edit] References
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