1898-99. | THE CONTEST FOR THE COMMAND OF LAKE ERIE IN 1812-13. 365 
even had the full number been sent out, a return showed that the Lake 
Erie squadron would still be far short of its complement.* The result 
of his repeated appeals may be traced in Lord Bathurst’s despatches. 
On December oth, 1812, he announced that 200 seamen had been 
ordered to proceed to Quebec for service on the lakes, chiefly composed 
of those who had lately manned the flotilla at Riga and were supposed, 
in consequence, to be already acclimated. On January 13th, 1813, he 
wrote that the number had been increased to 300, and on March 12th to 
450. Finally on August 14th,when of course it was too late to avert disaster 
on Lake Erie, he informed Prevost that 300 additional seamen would be 
sent from England and that Admiral Warren would be instructed to 
lend him 300 more to be employed on the lakes. 
Meanwhile the Government of the United States was making deter- 
mined efforts to equip a squadron competent to gain possession of Lake 
Erie as a preliminary to the recovery of Detroit. Presqu’ Isle (lately 
re-named Erie) was selected as the best place for building vessels of war 
as having a spacious and landlocked harbour, with “a sufficiency of water 
on the bar to let them into the lake, but not a sufficiency to let heavy 
armed vessels of the enemy into the bay to destroy them.’+ A large 
body of militia could also be easily assembled from the adjacent country 
for their protection. In the beginning of January, 1813, Commodore 
Chauncey, with Eckford, his naval constructor, visited the place and 
approved of the work already done on two gunboats and gave in- 
structions for the construction of two large flush-decked brigs or corvettes 
of the class of the Wasp and Hornet, which had won such notable 
victories onthe ocean. A considerable body of ship-carpenters and axe- 
men had already been at work for some time, and these were reinforced 
about March Ist by another party sent for the purpose from New York. 
Chauncey designated for the command Captain Oliver Hazard Perry, 
lately in command of a flotilla of gunboats at Newport, R.I., an energetic 
young officer who had seen some active service in the war with Tripoli 
ten years before as a midshipman but was not otherwise distinguished. 
He brought with him to Erie one hundred of his best seamen, about 
the end of March, and found that besides the two brig corvettes, a 
clipper schooner and three gunboats had been already laid down. The 
difficulties of building, although great, were decidedly less there than on 
the Canadian shore. There was no lack of skilled labour as the private 
shipyards of the United States were absolutely idle. Pittsburg, his base 
*Returns by Captain P. L. Chambers, D.A.Q,M.G., dated at Amherstburg, March, 1813. Total 
complement required 470 officers and men. Present, 1o8—short 379. ‘‘Can. Arch, Provincial Marine.” 
tCapt. D. Dobbins to Capt. Elliott, Oct. rith, 1812. 
