CHAPTER XVI.THE BATTLE.
After reading over what has been set down, I am afraid that I have made it appear much as if the commodore, old Silas, Alec, and myself were the only Americans present at the battle of Lake Erie.
That I have said too much regarding my own fears and hopes is positive, and in these last pages I will try to remedy the matter by speaking of the battle as I have heard old and experienced men, who were present, describe it, halting here only so long as may be necessary to explain that Alec Perry was not dangerously wounded.
Every one who saw him fall felt certain he had received his death-blow. During fully a moment the commodore was convinced of the same; but within a very short time after I flung myself down by his side, the dear lad revived sufficiently to speak, and the terrible load was lifted from my heart.
Alec was badly bruised, as indeed any one would likely be who had been struck twice by splinters, but the injuries were not serious, and he refused decidedlyto present himself before Dr. Parsons, as I suggested and even urged.
While we two lay there, I trying to make out if my comrade was nigh to death, Lieutenant Yarnall came up, looking more ghastly than any man I had seen since the action began. His nose had been cut through by a splinter, and was swollen until it resembled a huge piece of liver rather than anything I can bring to mind. He was bleeding from several wounds, but his courage was in nowise injured.
“All the officers in my division have been cut down, sir, and I would like to have others,” he said, saluting gravely as if on parade.
“I have no more to give you,” the commodore replied, returning the salute. “You must endeavor to make out alone.”
“Very well, sir,” and the first officer of theLawrencereturned through that storm of cannon-balls and musket-bullets to his station as calmly as he might have done had we simply been firing a friendly salute.
Now here is a description of the battle from the beginning up to this time, as I have seen it written down by one who was more familiar with the details than I, for enshrouded in smoke, and a novice in such matters, I know no more than what happened immediately around me:—
“Perry[4]soon perceived that he was yet too far distant to damage the enemy materially, so he ordered word to be sent from vessel to vessel by trumpet for all to make sail, bear down upon Barclay, and engage in close combat.
“The order was transmitted by Captain Elliott, who was the second in command, but he failed to obey it himself. His vessel was a fast sailer, and his men were the best in the squadron, but he kept at a distance from the enemy, and continued firing his long guns.
“Perry, meanwhile, pressed on with theLawrence, accompanied by theScorpion,Ariel, andCaledonia; and at meridian exactly, when he supposed he was near enough for execution with his carronades, he opened the first division of his battery on the starboard side of theDetroit. His balls fell short, while his antagonist and her consorts poured upon theLawrencea heavy storm of round shot from their long guns, still leaving theScorpionandArielalmost unnoticed.
“TheCaledonia, meanwhile, engaged with theHunter, but theNiagarakept at a respectful distance from theQueen Charlotte, and gave that vessel an opportunity to go to the assistance of theDetroit. She passed theHunter, and, placing herself asternof theDetroit, opened heavily upon theLawrence, now, at a quarter past twelve, only musket-shot distance from her chief antagonist.
“For two hours the gallant Perry and his devoted ship bore the brunt of the battle with twice his force, aided only by the schooners on his weather bow and some feeble shots from the distantCaledonia, when she could spare time from her adversary, theHunter. During that tempest of war his vessel was terribly shattered. Her rigging was nearly all shot away; her sails were torn in shreds; her spars were battered into splinters; her guns were dismounted; and she lay upon the waters almost a helpless wreck.
“The carnage on her deck had been terrible. Out of one hundred and three sound men that composed her officers and crew when she went into action, twenty-two were slain and sixty-one were wounded. Perry’s little brother had been struck down by a splinter at his side, but soon recovered....
“While theLawrencewas being thus terribly smitten, officers and crew were anxiously wondering why theNiagara—the swift, stanch, well-mannedNiagara—kept aloof, not only from her prescribed antagonist, theQueen Charlotte, now battling theLawrence, but the other assailants of the flag-ship. Her commander himself had passed the order for close conflict,yet he kept far away; and when afterward censured, he pleaded, in justification of his course, his perfect obedience to the original order to keep at ‘half cable length behind theCaledoniaon the line.’ It may be said that his orders to fight theQueen Charlotte, who had leftherline and gone into the thickest of the fight with theLawrenceand her supporting schooners, were quite as imperative, and that it was his duty to follow. This he did not do until the guns of theLawrencebecame silent, and no signals were displayed by, nor special orders came from Perry. These significant tokens of dissolution doubtless made Elliott believe that the commodore was slain, and he himself had become the chief commander of the squadron.
“He then hailed theCaledonia, and ordered Lieutenant Turner to leave the line and bear down upon theHunterfor close conflict, giving theNiagaraa chance to pass for the relief of theLawrence. The gallant Turner instantly obeyed, and theCaledoniafought her adversary nobly. TheNiagaraspread her canvas before a freshening breeze that had just sprung up; but, instead of going to the relief of theLawrence, thus silently pleading for protection, she bore away toward the head of the enemy’s squadron, passing the American flag-ship to the windward, andleaving her exposed to the still galling fire of the enemy, because, as was alleged in extenuation of this apparent violation of the rules of naval warfare and the claims of humanity, both squadrons had caught the breeze and moved forward, and left the crippled vessel floating astern.”
It was only by the cessation of the shocks which told of the brig’s having been struck by a ball that we on board knew the enemy was moving forward, leaving us little else than a hulk upon the waters.
Then the smoke of battle which had hung over our decks like a shroud was wafted away by the wind; and we saw theNiagara, half a mile or more on the larboard beam, engaged with theQueen Charlotte,Lady Prevost, andHunter.
It was as if we had been cast aside as worthless, and that the remainder of the fight would be between those who had suffered less injury.
Perhaps, under another commander, such would have been the case; but Oliver Perry was never one to be cast aside or to shrink from any danger, and it was not in his mind to remain at a distance.
First, however, he gave heed to the gallant fellows who had been disabled; and Alec and I walked by his side as he moved from one to another of those who as yet had not been carried into the dismantled cockpit.
There were but fourteen men and boys on board who had not been injured more or less severely, and among them no more than two guns’ crews could have been made up.
While we were amidships, Alec and I took advantage of the opportunity to run into the ward-room, where Dr. Parsons, now working alone because all his assistants had been summoned on deck to aid in working the brig, was performing his cruel-looking offices of mercy.
It was for the purpose of learning if old Silas yet lived that we ventured into the horrible place, strewn here and there with dismembered limbs or fragments of human flesh, and to our great joy the gunner had so far recovered from his faintness as to be quarrelling with the surgeon because that officer refused to allow him to go on deck.
“A bit knocked up, lads; but with blood enough left in my veins to give the Britishers another chance at drawin’ it. This ’ere sawbones is takin’ too much on himself, when he sets up that Silas Boyd shan’t do his duty.”
“There is nothing left for you to do, Master Boyd,” Alec said, as he laid his hand upon the old man’s head. “TheLawrenceis out of the fight just now, and even though she wasn’t, I question if you could find a serviceable gun aboard.”
“You’re not tellin’ me that the brig has struck her colors?” and the old man would have sprung up but that we two lads held him down by main strength.
“Not a bit of it. The blue flag is still flying; but the brig appears to be little better than a wreck, and both squadrons have drawn off from us.”
“And the fight? What kind of a turn is that takin’?”
“We appear to be holding our own.”
“No more? No more than holdin’ our own, lad?”
“I cannot see that we gain any advantage; but the flag-ship is the only craft which has been so badly used.”
The commodore’s voice from above summoned us to the deck, and as we clambered up the narrow companionway I heard old Silas giving the surgeon a tongue-lashing because the latter had threatened to tie the gunner to a stanchion if he persisted in his attempts to leave the cockpit.
When Alec and I were come on deck again an exclamation of surprise burst from our lips.
We had left the commodore clad in the garb of a sailor, smoke-begrimed and covered with the blood of others to whom he had lent a helping hand.
Now he was arrayed in the uniform of an officer in the American navy, from the epaulets to the sword,and looked to my eye more like a victor than one whose ship had been literally torn to pieces beneath his feet.
I stared at him in astonishment; but Alec, going to his brother’s side, asked in surprise:—
“What is the meaning of this, Oliver?”
“Of what, lad?”
“Why have you laid aside the clothes you wore in action?”
“It is well that not only my own men, but the enemy, shall recognize me when I transfer my flag.”
Alec looked at the commodore in mute surprise, and for the moment I believed our commander had lost his head.
“TheNiagaraappears to be in good condition,” Perry said with a smile, “and it is from her deck that I will direct the battle to a glorious ending.”
I looked out over the waters, which were literally boiling and spouting under the falling shot, asking myself how it might be possible for the commodore to do as he had said, knowing full well that theLawrence, wreck as she was, could not be manœuvred.
“Lieutenant Yarnall,” Perry said, turning to the first officer, who was bleeding from four or five wounds, with his face disfigured as I have already related, “I leave theLawrencein your charge, with discretionary powers. Hold out, or surrender, as your judgment andthe circumstances shall dictate. Have a boat lowered, and detail a full complement of oarsmen, if it so be that number of unwounded men be found aboard. Take down my pennant and the blue banner, for the remainder of the fleet shall fight under both until victory is brought out of this tangle.”
“Will you leave me here, Oliver?” Alec asked, when Lieutenant Yarnall had set about obeying the orders.
“You shall go with me, lad, for it is well we two remain together while it be possible.”
“And Richard?” the dear lad asked, noting the look of entreaty in my eyes.
“He had best stay here; we cannot take too many into such peril, for it will be no child’s play to pull through yonder storm of shot.”
“You need oarsmen, sir, and I question if enough can be found to man the boat, without taking every one from the brig,” I said quickly, distressed beyond measure at the thought that I might be separated from my comrade.
“You shall go as a member of the boat’s crew,” the commodore replied promptly, and at the same time kindly; “yet I am not certain it is a friendly act to take you two lads through that deadly fire.”
“We would venture very much more, sir, for the sake of being with you,” I made bold to say, and was rewardedfor the speech by a kindly smile from the man who on that day proved himself to be chief of a band wherein every man was a hero.
At this point Lieutenant Yarnall reported that the required number of unwounded men could not be mustered in the brig unless all the guns were abandoned, and I stepped forward, for now was come the time when I could make no claim of comradeship—in this hour of death the brothers stood apart by themselves, out of my world, as it were.
“With this lad, I can give you four at the oars, sir,” the lieutenant reported, and our commodore replied, with that smile which had come to be in my eyes more precious than anything he could bestow:—
“It will do, Mr. Yarnall. The smaller the number the less to be put in jeopardy of their lives. Is the boat away?”
“Ay, sir, all is ready, now that the lad will be taken on as an able seaman.”
Obeying a gesture of the lieutenant’s, I went forward to the starboard rail, beneath which was the tiny craft for the conveyance of the commander-in-chief, and without venturing to presume upon any possible claims of comradeship, took my place among the oarsmen.
As soon thereafter as might be, the commodore andAlec came over the shattered rail, the former carrying under his arm the broad banner of blue, and the pennant.
I had been eager to accompany the commander, and yet when I took my station in the boat, and had a better view of that stretch of water whereon it seemed that every square inch was covered by bullet or ball, the chance of escaping with life seemed less than when we stood on the deck of theLawrenceexposed to the fire of the Britishers’ heaviest guns.
“Little show of takin’ a cockle-shell like this across yonder stretch, eh?” one of the seamen said, with a grin, observing the direction of my glance, and most likely noting the sudden pallor of my face.
“It surely seems as if we would be cut to pieces before going fifty yards from the brig’s side,” I replied, and certain am I that my voice trembled like a coward’s, although at the moment I was not conscious of what might rightly be called fear.
“That’s what I allow will happen,” the man said, as he stuffed his mouth full of tobacco. “It’s a likely spot in which to swamp a boat, yet I’m not so sure but that a decent man would choose to die there, rather than in yonder hole where Dr. Parsons hacks an’ hews to his heart’s content before the breath of life goes out.”
Perhaps it was some such reminder as this which I needed to give me the proper amount of spirit, for once he spoke of the cockpit I felt such a sense of relief at being free from it for the moment that there came to me a certain degree of calmness, enabling me to greet our commander properly when he came over the rail, followed by Alec.
It was as if my comrade shared in the glory which Commodore Perry had already won, and yet I did not envy him the honor. He was a brave lad, while I could be counted only as a timorous being whose courage was like to fail him at the supreme moment, and I felt more pride in his distinction of place than if our positions had been reversed.
Alec and his brother took their places in the stern-sheets, and the latter cried to Lieutenant Yarnall and the other bleeding, brave fellows who overhung the rail:—
“Do as you will with theLawrence, Mr. Yarnall, and whatever may be the turn of affairs, count on our speedily coming to your assistance.”
“God bless you, commodore!” was the gallant officer’s reply, and then we left him on a sinking ship with only grievously wounded men as shipmates and crew.
It was the commodore himself who gave the orderfor us to push off, and, as if thinking we at the oars needed heartening lest we should falter in the task after reaching that spot where the iron hail was thickest, he wrapped the pennant around his shoulders, standing erect while we pulled out to what seemed certain death.
Once we were clear of the brig it was as if the enemy knew full well the precious cargo our boat carried, and understood that only by compassing the commodore’s death could they hope to win the day, for on the instant every gun was aimed at us, and every sharp-shooter on the Britishers’ decks used us as a target.
I may live to be a very old man, and take part in many another battle, but it is not possible I shall ever again find myself in such a deadly shower as was poured upon us from the moment we left the side of the shatteredLawrence.
The bullets struck everywhere around us; the cannon-balls made the water boil and spout so high as to come over the gunwales until the light craft was in great danger of being swamped; but, singularly enough, not one found lodgment among us.
At that moment I believed a divine Providence was watching over our commodore lest he should come to harm, and I have never since had good reason to change my opinion.
Of a verity all the marines who wore red coats aimed their guns at Perry, and we at the oars cried out to him that he must take such shelter as was possible.
“It is proper the commander of a squadron show himself,” was all the reply our entreaties could provoke, and finally I said to Alec, emboldened now by the despair which came upon me with the thought that the day was indeed lost if that bold spirit continued to present himself as a mark for the British bullets:—
“Unless the commodore sits down, and takes care to hide himself from sight of the enemy, I for one will lay down my oar, trusting that the wind may blow us out of musket-shot range!”
“I stand by what the lad has said,” one of the seamen cried, and on the instant every man stopped rowing, for there was not one aboard minded to have any share in a martyr’s death.
“To your oars, lads, to your oars!” the commodore cried excitedly. “Every second may be of the greatest value to us now!”
I had not the courage to oppose his will, but the eldest of the seamen said decidedly:—
“We’re not warranted in disobeying orders, sir; but I for one will never carry you to certain death, whatever may be the commission you hold.”
And another added:—
“Cease to make yourself so conspicuous, sir, an’ you shall see how readily we will obey the lightest order you choose to give, even though knowin’ we go to our death. It is your life, not ours, which is of importance this day.”
The gallant young officer looked at us for an instant as if minded to administer some sharp reproof, and then I, who observed him closely, saw the moisture gathering in his eyes as he said in a low tone:—
“You be brave lads, all; and at such a moment as this there shall be no question of authority.”
Whereat he seated himself by Alec’s side, and the dear lad clasped his brother’s neck closely as he looked at me with pride beaming from his eyes.
The bunting was unwound from around the hero’s shoulders, and while he presented quite as fair a target for the bullets, it did not seem to us that he offered the enemy as much of an advantage.
Then we bent ourselves to the oars once more, pulling with every ounce of strength that could be forced from our muscles, and heading straight toward theNiagarawhereon was Captain Elliott, hugging to his heart the belief that at last he was the sole commander of the American squadron.
It is not for such as me to criticise the doings of one whom the government had placed high in command,yet I say now, as I have a thousand times since that terrible yet glorious day, that the commander of theNiagarakept aloof from the heat of battle with no other idea in his mind save that he might rise to fame over the dead body of our commodore.
To look back now in my mind’s eye on what I saw then, it seems like relating the story of some miracle to say that we came out of that murderous fire, pulling alongside theNiagarain safety.
Our boat was literally riddled with bullets, and yet not one of us had received a wound. Every oar was shattered, but we worked with such timber as remained, until our hero had been put in a position which enabled him to win the day.
Even now, the proudest memory of mine is that I did my share in winning the battle of Lake Erie, timorous lad though I am.
It was Captain Elliott himself who met Commodore Perry at theNiagara’sgangway, and he stared as if facing a ghost, when our commander saluted him ceremoniously, for he believed him dead.
“How is the day going, sir?” Elliott asked, as soon as he could control his voice sufficiently to speak.
“Badly, Mr. Elliott, badly. I have lost nearly all my men; theLawrenceis a wreck, and I am transferringmy flag and the banner to this ship. What are the gunboats doing so far astern? Why do they not bear their full share of the burden?”
“With your permission I will go to ascertain the reason, and bring them up.”
“Very well, sir. Lose no time, and see to it that they come to close quarters without delay.”
Then we, who had come out of death, as it were, clambered up on theNiagara’sdeck, cheered to the echo by every man who saw us, and the officer who for a few moments had believed himself first in command, took Commodore Perry’s place in the stern-sheets of the boat with a full crew at the oars to carry him rearward.
FOOTNOTES:[4]Lossing’s “War of 1812.”
[4]Lossing’s “War of 1812.”
[4]Lossing’s “War of 1812.”