PERRT. 165 



A younger brother, James Alexander Perry (born 1801), was with Oliver on 

 the Lawrence in the battle of Lake Erie, at the age of 13 years. "Having two 

 musket balls pass through his cap, and his face blackened by powder and smoke, 

 the little fellow was laid low in front of the commander, by the flying hammock, 

 which had been torn from the nettings by a cannon ball. He was only bruised and 

 slightly wounded by small particles and soon resumed his duties." He received 

 a sword of honor from Congress for his conduct. He was drowned while still 

 young, attempting to save a sailor's life. 



This adventurousness and fearlessness are found elsewhere in the family. 

 The following incidents indicate the nature of the reactions of their father, Captain 

 Christopher Raymond Perry (Mills, p. 17) : 



"Capt. C. R. Perry was sent to St. Domingo to aid Toussaint against the 

 rebel Rigaud. On the 9th of February, 1800, while cruising off Cape Tiburon, 

 a number of Rigaud's barges were discovered at anchor under the protection of 

 three forts on the coast. Captain Perry at once stood in, and, after a spirited bom- 

 bardment of the forts for about 30 minutes, they were silenced with a loss to them 

 of a number of killed and wounded, the General Greene, meanwhile, receiving 

 only a few shots in her hull and rigging." But he was prevented from seizing 

 the gun-vessels by the arrival of an unfriendly vessel. 



"On approaching Havana harbor convoying a merchant ship, a British 

 line-of-battle ship appeared and fired a shot across the bow of the merchantman. 

 As the warship now sent out a boat to board the merchantman Captain Perry 

 sent a shot between the brig and the boat. The line-of-battle ship at the same time 

 bore down, and her commander hailed Captain Perry to demand in no uncertain 

 tone why his boat had been fired upon. ' To prevent her from boarding the Ameri- 

 can brig which is under my convoy and protection,' the captain promptly replied. 

 This brought the rejoinder that it was very strange that one of His Majesty's 

 74-gun ships could not board an American brig. 'If she were a first-rate ship 

 with her 120 guns,' replied Captain Perry in thundering tones, 'she should not do 

 so to the dishonor of my flag.' " 



Christopher R. Perry's sister, Elizabeth, married a farmer named Stephen 

 Champlin, a distant cousin, who had served in the Revolution. Their son, Stephen 

 Champlin, ran away to sea at the age of 16, and was in command of the little 

 schooner Scorpion, of 2 guns, in the battle of Lake Erie. The first shot in the battle 

 was fired from the British flagship. Perry could hardly restrain his men. The 

 first shot in reply was made by Champlin, who had a long gun, and it is stated 

 that Champlin fired the last shot. The Scorpion stood near the Lawrence and kept 

 up a constant fire. (Mills, pp. 129, 147.) For a little gunboat the Scorpion played 

 her part no less well under Champlin's command than the Lawrence under Perry's. 



The mother's side contributed fearlessness, also. Sarah Alexander "believed 

 her own people the bravest in the world." (Griffis, 1890, p. 14.) Of her it is said 

 that she had "a degree of force of mind and energy of character not often found 

 in her own sex and seldom equaled in ours"; and, again, "Mrs. Perry was a 

 woman of strong feelings and eminently courageous temperament." (Mackenzie, 

 N. S., p. 843, pp. 21, 28.) After the battle of Lake Erie an old farmer stoutly 

 maintained that it was Mrs. Perry who had "licked the British." (Griffis, p. 14.) 



A sister of Oliver and Matthew, Ann, married Commodore George W. 

 Rodgers, himself a gallant officer and commodore in the navy. Of their sons, 

 Alexander was killed while leading a regiment in the storming of Chapultepec and 



