Oliver Hazard Perry: War of 1812

• Oliver Hazard Perry was born on August 23, 1785, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
• He led the Lake Erie fleet to victory during the War of 1812
• Perry died on his 34th birthday, August 23, 1819.
• Perry's parents were Christopher Raymond and Sarah Alexander Perry
• He was named after his paternal grandmother's father, Oliver Hazard, and his uncle, Oliver Hazard Perry, who was lost at sea.
• Perry was warranted a midshipman in the U.S. Navy on April 7, 1799.
• He participated in the Quasi-War with France and the Tripolitan War against the Barbary pirates over the next six years.
• Perry served on ships like Adams, Constellation, Nautilus, Essex, and Constitution.
• From 1806-1807, Perry superintended construction of gunboats in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
• In April 1809, he received his first seagoing command, the 14-gun schooner Revenge.
• During 1809, Revenge patrolled northern waters under Commodore John Rodgers.
• In spring 1810, Revenge was ordered to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs.
• In June 1810, Revenge was damaged in a storm en route to Charleston, South Carolina.
• Perry's time on Revenge ended on January 8, 1811, when it struck a reef near Watch Hill Point in Block Island Sound and sank.
• A court-martial exonerated Perry, blaming the pilot for the loss of the ship
• Perry married Elizabeth Champlin Mason on May 5, 1811, in Newport, Rhode Island
• The couple would have five children, one of whom died in infancy.
• On June 18, 1812, war was declared with Great Britain, and Perry was assigned to command gunboats at Newport.
• Dissatisfied, Perry petitioned the Navy Department for a sea posting.
• On October 6, 1812, he was promoted to master commandant.
• Perry petitioned Isaac Chauncey for a position due to Chauncey needing an experienced officer for the flotilla under construction on Lake Erie.
• Perry's successes included constructing the fleet and winning the Battle of Lake Erie.
• After defeating the British, Perry sent the message to Major General William Henry Harrison, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
• In November 1813, Perry resumed duties with the gunboat flotilla at Newport.
• Perry was promoted to captain and the promotion was dated September 10, 1813
• In July 1814, Perry was offered command of Java, a new 44-gun frigate in Baltimore.
• Perry participated in the defense of Washington and Baltimore.
• In 1815, Java cruised to the Mediterranean to address Barbary pirate issues.
• While in Naples, Perry slapped Java's Marine officer, John Heath, leading to court-martials for both.
• Both Perry and Heath received mild reprimands after being found guilty in court martial.
• Heath challenged Perry to a duel after Java returned to home waters
• The duel occurred on October 19, 1817, on the same field where Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton.
• Heath fired first but missed, and Perry declined to fire, satisfying honor.
• Perry filed court-martial charges against Jesse Duncan Elliott related to Lake Erie.
• The Secretary of the Navy passed the charges to President James Monroe.
• Monroe suppressed the matter to avoid scandal and divisiveness.
• Monroe selected Perry for a diplomatic mission to South America to placate and distract him.
• Perry sailed on the U.S. frigate John Adams in June 1819, arriving off the Orinoco River on July 15.
• He transferred to Nonsuch to travel up the Orinoco to Angostura, Venezuela.
• Nonsuch arrived at Angostura on July 27.
• Twenty Nonsuch crewmen contracted yellow fever, resulting in five deaths.
• Perry rejoined Nonsuch after completing his mission with confidence and headed for Port of Spain, Trinidad
• The Nonsuch floated downstream on the Orinoco's current on August 15.
• Perry contracted chills and a fever on August 17.
• The crew tried to reach Port of Spain, but the ship fell short by a few miles.
• Perry died from yellow fever at 3 p.m. on August 23, 1819.

Biography of Oliver Hazard Perry, naval hero of the War of 1812. Includes details of his early life, naval career, and command of the Lake Erie fleet. Perry died on his 34th birthday.