With Commandant Perry’s fleets strongly commanding on the lake, all British supplies were cut off. This left the British with only two options, one to abandon and flee or to engage in a severe fight. The British did have a slightly higher advantage with its six ships and 64 cannons. The use of the British long guns gave them a bigger advantage too. As the American had only nine vessels with fifty four guns, but although they had the shooting range, it had great damage from its carronade. This is where the wits of Commandant Perry came to play, he looked for the wind to back up the slam of the carronade range.
For a long, frustrating time the regiment looked to get into the correct alignment where the wind would be at the correct placing. But for more than 2 hours Commandant Perry tried in vain. Finally giving up to frustration, he ordered the attack, only to find winds blowing from the back, just as how the Americans expected.
Perry’s adversary was the well reputed Commander Robert Barclay, a veteran officer of the Royal Navy and with the experience of working under Lord Nelson, himself. His choice was not to change the course with the altered winds, and so the spirited battle began with his bows pointed westward.
This didn’t work all that well for him, as the battle line had changed with wind’s alteration. Perry on the other had chosen to make a bit of his own strategic adjustments. He placed the Arial and Scorpion in different locations strategically to be the first to engage in battle with the British vessels and avoid destroying his fleet. |
