On the Lakes 19? 



the lake, and on Oct. 7th anchored under Fort 

 Erie. 9 



Commander Jesse D. Elliott had been sent up to . 

 Erie some time before with instructions from Com 

 modore Chauncy to construct a naval force, partly 

 by building- two brigs of 300 tons each, 10 and partly 

 by purchasing schooners to act as gunboats. No 

 sailors had yet arrived : but on the very day on 

 which the two brigs moved down and anchored 

 under Fort Erie, Captain Elliott received news that 

 the first detachment of the promised seamen, 51 in 

 number, including officers, 11 was but a few miles 

 distant. He at once sent w r ord to have these men 

 hurried up, but when they arrivel they were found 

 to have no arms, for which application was made 

 to the military authorities. The latter not only gave 

 a sufficiency of sabres, pistols, and muskets to the 

 sailors, but also detailed enough soldiers, under Cap 

 tain N. Towson and Lieutenant Isaac Roach, to 

 make the total number of men that took part in the 

 expedition 124. This force left Black Rock at one 

 o'clock on the morning of the 8th in two large boats, 

 one under the command of Commander Elliott, as- 



9 Letter of Captain Jesse D. Elliott to Secretary of Navy, 

 Black Rock, Oct. 5, 1812. 



10 That is, of 300 tons actual capacity ; measured as if they 

 had been ordinary sea vessels they each tonned 480. Their 

 opponent, the ship Detroit, similarly tonned 305, actual 

 measurement, or 490, computing it in the ordinary manner. 



11 The number of men in this expedition is taken from 

 Lossing's "Field-book of the War of 1812," by Benson J. 

 Lossing, New York, 1869, p. 385, note, where a complete 

 list of the names is given. 



