The Battle of Lake Erie
We were floundering in the War of 1812 when young Captain Perry delivered the winning motto, 'Don't Give Up The Ship'
- By Bil Gilbert
- Smithsonian magazine, January 1995, Subscribe
The War of 1812 was the first war the new United States of America declared and arguably the most senseless. It was ill-conceived, ill-conducted, and the country was ill-prepared for it, yet into this morass would come a brave naval officer burning to be a hero.
The man was Captain Oliver Hazard Perry. He was an ambitious and patriotic 27-year old, obsessed with self perfection and self promotion. He had joined the Navy as a 13-year-old midshipman and had served well already in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. In 1813, he was given command of a fleet of ships that was being built on Lake Erie. His task: break the British stranglehold in the Northwest. It was a formidable job, but he drove the shipbuilders hard and within a few months he had a fleet of nine ships ready to oppose the British commander, Robert Barclay for control of the lake.
Adversity would meet him at every turn. The theater commander, for one, refused to give Perry enough men to man the boats. Another, his two largest gunships, the Lawrence and the Niagra, couldn't get out of the shipyard because the water was too shallow. And finally, the British command's ships were just off shore ready to blow his immobile brigs out of the water.
Luck favored Perry though, and the two finally met in battle. Perry's fleet had the advantage of firepower, while Barclay's fleet had the advantage of range. So Perry sailed his ships toward the enemy at full sail, but the American captain of the Niagra backed off, abandoning Perry on the Lawrence and his smaller ships as well. But after the Lawrence had been pounded to a smoking husk, Perry, carrying a blue flag emblazoned with the motto: Don't Give Up The Ship,' leapt into one of the ship's cutters and was rowed across to the Niagra where he demanded the captain go to battle. The American Navy carried the day.
The War of 1812, it is said, ended in a kind of stalemate. The British, weary of war, never again interfered with the young republic. And the young Perry was feted as a hero, as was his due, but it was his battle slogan, "Don't Give Up the Ship," that would forevermore become a national call to rally.
Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.
Comments (5)
Another view Frederick Rodgers found is from the PA.Archives,6th. Series,Vol.8,edited by Thomas Lynch Montgomery,Harrisburg Pub.Co.,State Printer,1907. - Full text of troups under the command of Col.Fenton,Col.Rees Hill,Gens Harrison and Crook,Col.Rush and Major Wersler and those who rendezvoued at Camp Dupont,Erie,Lancaster,Marcus Hook and York and miscellaneous - Muster Roll of Capt. Moreland's Co.of Vol.belonging to 5th detachment,PA. Militia under the command of Col. James Fenton,1814 - Robert Rodgers - Died - Paid R. Lambiter. In the PA.Archives War of 1812,index of soldiers - Name - Robert Rodgers - Co.Commander - David Moreland - Term of service - 3 Mos. - Col. - James Fenton - Remarks - Deceased. After arriving from Ireland abt.1802. Came to near Albany, New York,then to Pennsylvania. Believed to be in the 1810 Strasburg,Lancaster Co.census. Mustered into Capt. David Moreland's Co. in 1814 which marched to Pittsburg,and then to Black Rock Fort,now Buffalo,NY..Arriving Apr.1814. On July 2,1814,Two brigades embarked. One landed a mile below Fort Erie,the other a mile away.Robert Rodgers may have died in the Battle of Fort Erie,Aug.13 - Sept.21,1814.
Posted by Frederick Rodgers on November 24,2012 | 12:14 PM
Thank you so much for this wonderful information! It helped me so much on a research project for school.
Posted by Susan Rrezzy on March 22,2012 | 07:06 PM
In The Rodgers Family - History of The Juniata Valley by John W.Jordan,1913.He says the Rodgers Family had Three sons and Four daughter's.The boys where Matthew,b.abt. 1802,New York,Samuel L.,B.Nov.29,1804,New York,and Robert W.Rodgers,b.May 5,1807,on North River,near Albany,New york.All the boys where probably born there.The way the Irish name their children was the 1st. born son was named after the father's father,that would be Matthew Rodgers,the 3rd.born son was named after the father. That would be Robert W.Rodgers.So Robert W.Rodgers son Robert W.Rodgers would probably be right in saying his Grandfather Robert Rodgers participated in the struggles of early settlers against the British and was killed in the struggle on Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
Posted by Frederick Rodgers on May 26,2011 | 11:04 AM
IN THE RODGERS FAMILY - History of The Juniata Valley, by John W.Jordan,1913 - Matthew Rodgers was a ship carpenter. Assisted in fitting out the fleet which Commodore Perry won on Lake Erie in Sept.,1813. He says Mr.Rodgers traveled from city to city in PA,and the family lost trace of him.
In the History of Dubuque Co.,Iowa,by Franklin T.Oldt,1911 - mentions the Robert W.Rodgers family. Robert is the 3rd son of Matthew Rodgers. Robert W.Rodgers son Robert mistakingly says his grandfather Robert Rodgers(should be Matthew), participated in the struggles of early settlers against the oppressions of the British and was killed in the struggle on Lake Erie when Captain Perry chased the invaders off the Lake. There's Two views of Matthew Rodgers in the War of 1812 on Lake Erie in the Rodgers family.Maybe that's why they lost trace of Matthew Rodgers.
Posted by Frederick Rodgers on February 23,2011 | 05:40 PM