Page 36 - NS-2 Textbook

THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN SEA POWER 29

The Battle of lake Erie during the War of 1812. Oliver Hazard Perry is rowed from his damaged flagship, the Lawrence, to take command of
the Niagara, from which he won a decisive victory.

same to the QlIeen Charlotte, the battle would have In December 1812 Napoleon's armies in Russia were vir~
quickly been over. But Elliot harbored a grudge that he, hlally annihilated. His defeat at Leipzig in October 1813
not Perry, should have been placed in command of the and his abdication of the French throne in April 1814
squadron, and he chose to remain out of the Charlotte's freed more and more British assets for deployment in the
range. So for the next two hours Perry and the Lnwrellce war against America. A large expedition against
battled four British vessels that gradually shot her to Louisiana was prepared. Another force was assembled to
pieces and killed or wotmded half her crew. At that point proceed to the Chesapeake Bay and attack Washington,
Perry had himself rowed through a hail of fire to the Ni~ D.C., and Baltimore.
agara and took command from Elliot. In the summer of 1814 ships of the Royal Navy en~
With his fresh new flagship, Perry steered across the tered the Chesapeake Bay, swept aside a little flotilla of
British line, firing double~shotted broadsides for which Jeffersonian gtmboats, and landed 4,000 troops without
the British had no real defense. One by one the British opposition on the west bank of the Pahlxent River. From
ships struck their colors, and at 1500 Barclay surrendered there they marched on Washington, overwheiming the
the remainder of his squadron. After returning to his militiamen trying to defend the city on 24 and 25 August.
shattered flagship LnwreJlce, Perry wrote the now~famous After govemment officials, including President Madison,
dispatch about the victory to General Harrison: "We fled in panic, the British set fire to the White House, the
have met the enemy and they are ours." Lake Erie was Capitol, and other public buildings. They did this partly
now firmly under American control. The Kentuckians in retaliation for Alnericans burning several towns in
pursued the retreating British and Indians, defeating Canada earlier in the war, as well as for the effect they
them in the Battle of the TI1ames. Tecumseh was killed in thought such action would have on American morale.
this battle, ending support for the British cause. Detroit The Americans burned two warships at the Washington
was thus recaptured, and the Northwest Territory ·was Navy Yard to keep them from falling into enemy hands.
secured, eventually becoming the states of Ohio, Indiana, The British next hlrned their attention to Baltimore.
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. They regarded this city as a "nest of pirates" because it
was the home port of a great many privateers that had
been raiding British merchantmen at sea. A British army
THE FINAL YEAR OF THE WAR
of nearly 5,000 men stopped before the city's defenses to
As war was breaking out behveen the United States and wait for a fleet of frigates and bomb vessels to silence
Britain in 1812, the British and their allies were beginning Fort McHemy, which was located at the entrance to the
to achieve success against Napoleon's forces in Europe. harbor.