OLIVER+HAZARD+PERRY

=OLIVER HAZARD PERRY by Kelly O.=

Oliver Hazard Perry ( 1785- 1819 ), he was an American Naval Officer, he was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. In the year 1799, he was an appointed midshipman. He served in the Tripolitan War, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1807. From the years 1807 to 1809 he was engaged in building gunboats. In the War of 1812 his job was to build, equip, and man a fleet at Erie, Pennsylvania. On September 10, 1813, Perry's fleet left Put- In- Bay, Ohio. While in Put- In- Bay he met a slightly inferior British force. In the subsequent battle, also known as the battle of Lake Erie, Perry's flagship ( The Lawrence ), was reduced to ruins. However he transferred his flag to the Niagara and shortly forced the British to surrender. His report of the battle sent to General William H. Harrison- "We have met he enemy and they are ours"- has become famous. The overwhelming victory caused Oliver Hazard Perry to be a national hero. The victory also gave the United States control of Lake Erie and helped make way for Harrison's victory in the battle of Thames River, Perry also participated in that battle. After the war Perry served as a captain in the Mediterranean. Later, he went on a mission in Venezuela and while he was there we caught yellow fever, died, and was buried in Trinidad. His body was later brought to Newport, Rhode Island, where a monument was built to remember him. A memorial to Oliver Hazard Perry at Put- In- Bay, took three years to build ( 1912- 15 ), was made a national monument in 1936.

REFERENCES "Oliver Hazard Perry." //Oliver Hazard Perry//. 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Web. 5 Mar 2010. .

Shmoop Editorial Team. "The War of 1812 Timeline." //Shmoop.com//. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 07 Mar 2010.

"War of 1812." //War of 1812//. 2010. Ohio Historical Society, Web. 5 Mar 2010. .