War of 1812, Part 5: We Have Met the Enemy

The key to controlling Upper Canada in the War of 1812 was gaining naval mastery of the Great Lakes. Secretary of the Navy William Jones appointed Oliver Hazard Perry to command the American fleet on Lake Erie. His adversary was Captain Robert Barclay, whose fleet consisted of six ships, the largest of which was the Detroit with nineteen guns and the Queen Charlotte with seventeen guns. In comparison, Perry’s fleet consisted of nine warships, including two twenty-gun brigs: the Lawrence, which Perry named his flagship, and the Niagara, which Perry assigned to Captain Jesse Elliott. On September 10, 1813, just before noon, the British long guns on the Detroit opened the engagement and Perry gave the order to close with the enemy.