The Naval War of 1812 by Theodore Roosevelt

Author:Theodore Roosevelt
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780679641858
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2000-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

During the action, however, the Lawrence and Niagara each fought a long 12 instead of one of the carronades on the engaged side, making a broadside of 896 lbs., 288 lbs. being from long guns.

These six vessels thus threw at a broadside 459 lbs., of which 195 were from long guns.

The superiority of the Americans in long-gun metal was therefore nearly as three is to two, and in carronade metal greater than two to one. The chief fault to be found in the various American accounts is that they sedulously conceal the comparative weight of metal, while carefully specifying the number of guns. Thus, Lossing says: “Barclay had 35 long guns to Perry’s 15, and possessed greatly the advantage in action at a distance”; which he certainly did not. The tonnage of the fleets is not so very important; the above tables are probably pretty nearly right. It is, I suppose, impossible to tell exactly the number of men in the two crews. Barclay almost certainly had more than the 440 men I have given him, but in all likelihood some of them were unfit for duty, and the number of his effectives was most probably somewhat less than Perry’s. As the battle was fought in such smooth water, and part of the time at long range, this, as already said, does not much matter. The Niagara might be considered a match for the Detroit, and the Lawrence and Caledonia for the five other British vessels; so the Americans were certainly very greatly superior in force.

At daylight on Sept. 10th Barclay’s squadron was discovered in the N.W., and Perry at once got under weigh; the wind soon shifted to the N.E., giving us the weather-gage, the breeze being very light. Barclay lay to in a close column, heading to the S.W. in the following order: Chippeway, Master’s Mate J. Campbell; Detroit, Captain R. H. Barclay; Hunter, Lieutenant G. Bignell; Queen Charlotte, Captain R. Finnis; Lady Prevost, Lieutenant Edward Buchan; and Little Belt, by whom commanded is not said. Perry came down with the wind on his port beam, and made the attack in column ahead, obliquely. First in order came the Ariel, Lieut. John H. Packet, and Scorpion, Sailing-Master Stephen Champlin, both being on the weather bow of the Lawrence, Captain O. H. Perry; next came the Caledonia, Lieut. Daniel Turner; Niagara, Captain Jesse D. Elliott; Somers, Lieutenant A. H. M. Conklin; Porcupine, Acting Master George Serrat; Tigress, Sailing-Master Thomas C. Almy, and Trippe, Lieutenant Thomas Holdup.1

As, amid light and rather baffling winds, the American squadron approached the enemy, Perry’s straggling line formed an angle of about fifteen degrees with the more compact one of his foes. At 11:45 the Detroit opened the action by a shot from her long 24, which fell short; at 11:50 she fired a second which went crashing through the Lawrence, and was replied to by the Scorpion’s long 32. At 11:55 the Lawrence, having shifted her port bow-chaser, opened with both the long 12’s, and at meridian began with her carronades, but the shot from the latter all fell short.

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