CHAPTER XIII

. THE BATTLE ON LAKE ERIE 280

Building War-ships and Gun-boats in the Wilderness--Lifting the Vessels over a Sand-bar--Fortunately the British Commander was Fond of Public Entertainments--The two Squadrons and their Crews Compared--The Advantage of a Concentrated Force was with the British--On the Way to Meet the Enemy--“To Windward or to Leeward they shall Fight To-day”--The Anglo-Saxon Cheer--The Brunt of the Fight Borne by the Flag-ship--A Frightful Slaughter there in Consequence--When Perry Worked the Guns with his own Hands, and even the Wounded Crawled up the Hatch to Lend a Hand at the Side-tackles--An Able First Lieutenant--Wounded Exposed to the Fire when under the Surgeon’s Care--The Last Gun Disabled--Shifting the Flag to the _Niagara_--Cheers that were Heard above the Roar of Cannon--When the Wounded of the _Lawrence_ cried “Sink the Ship!”--Driving the _Niagara_ through the British Squadron--The White Handkerchief Fluttering from a Boarding-pike--“We have Met the Enemy, and they are Ours.”

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