The Battle of Lake Erie Further Reading An Overview of the Battle of Lake Erie British Background to the Battle of Lake Erie The British at the Battle of Lake Erie The Americans at the Battle of Lake Erie

American Background to the Battle of Lake Erie In the spring of 1813, the British were the acknowledged naval masters of Lake Erie. To catch up, Oliver Hazard Perry obtained permission to build two new brigs at his Presque Isle shipyard. The American builders were in better position than the British: most of the materials they needed were available, if not locally, from nearby states. All of Robert Barclay’s supplies had to be shipped over from England. Three miles long by a mile wide, Presque Isle was a natural harbour. It was protected by a semi-circular peninsula, a narrow gap was the only access into Lake Erie. A sandbar almost blocked the harbour’s entrance and effectively prevented a naval attack by the enemy. The sandbar offered protection but it also presented a tremendous challenge: the water was so shallow that a fully-loaded warship couldn’t make it out to the open lake. Perry’s men came up with a procedure for freeing the newly-constructed ships. With a great deal of time and physical effort the vessels could be winched onto a special sunken scow called a "camel". The scow could be refloated and carried the ship across the sandbar into deeper water. After sinking the contraption, the ship floated freely. In order to make the ships as light as possible, all the rigging and guns had to be removed. This meant the ships become defenseless targets for several hours as soon as they left the Presque Isle harbour. On the morning of August 1, 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry had a stroke of unbelievably good fortune. The British squadron that had been hovering off Presque Isle had suddenly, unaccountably disappeared. It was now or never. Perry and his men set out to work, spending the entire day manhandling the first ship, Lawrence over the sandbar. By midnight the Lawrence was fully-fitted and out on the lake. The Niagara however, was still stuck in the harbour. Perry and his exhausted crew went back to work. By morning, the Niagara was almost free. Suddenly, through the early morning haze, someone spotted sails in the distance. Barclay had returned. Perry’s luck held: the haze was so thick that Barclay fails to realize that the Niagara was a sitting duck, stuck on the sandbar. To Barclay it looked like the new ship was on the open water. Perry sent two of his smaller ships out to delay the British. A few quick shots were exchanged before Barclay, believing himself to be outgunned, sailed back to Amherstburg. Perry’s fleet, now boasting ten fully-armed ships, was ready to challenge the British. He anchored his fleet in Put-In-Bay and waited. If Barclay failed to come out to fight, Perry had another plan: he would use his ships to help William Henry Harrison attack Amherstburg by land.