eneral Greene_, which did good service in the war against France. The
son also served on the _Constellation_ in the Tripolitan war, and
afterward gave his attention to ordnance.

The surrender of Detroit by General William Hull at the opening of the
war gave the British control of the Territory of Michigan and Lake Erie.
They had formed the formidable plan of extending the Dominion of Canada
along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, thus
inserting an immense wedge between the United States and the great West,
which has since become so important a part of our country. The only way
of blocking this far-reaching and dangerous scheme was for the Americans
to regain control of Lake Erie, and to young Perry was assigned the
seemingly almost impossible task.

At the little town of Erie, Perry began the construction of his fleet,
and pushed it with such vigor, in the face of every sort of obstacle,
that early in July, 1813, he had ten vessels ready for sea, but only
enough men to man one of them. The end of the month made the total three
hundred, but he determined to get to sea on the first opportunity.
Outside was a powerful blockading squadron, and the water in the lake
was so low that it was not until the 4th of August that he was able to
get all his vessels over the bar. They comprised the _Scorpion_,
_Ariel_, _Lawrence_ (flagship), _Caledonia_, _Niagara_, _Somers_,
_Porcupine_, _Tigress_ and _Trippe_. The total guns carried were 54,
with a force of 490 men.

The British squadron consisted of six vessels, with an aggregate of 63
guns and 502 men. They were under the command of Commander Robert H.
Barclay, who had fought under Nelson at Trafalgar, and in another battle
lost an arm. It was less than three months before that the dying
Lawrence had uttered the appeal, "Don't give up the ship!" and Perry
hoisted a flag with the words displayed in large letters. As it floated
in the breeze from his vessel it was received with enthusiastic cheers.

It was on the 10th of September, 1814, that the two squadrons met at the
western end of Lake Erie. When a mile apart, the _Detroit_, the British
flagship, fired a shot to test the distance. It ricochetted past the
_Lawrence_. A few minutes later she fired a second shot, which smashed
into the starboard bulwarks of the _Lawrence_ and sent a cloud of
splinters flying. The reply to these was a 32-pounder from the
_Scorpion_. Then the firing became more rapid, the enem