314 Naval War of 1812 



Provincial Lieutenant Irvine, perceiving that he 

 could do no good, passed the Hunter and joined in 

 the attack on the Lawrence, at close quarters. The 

 Niagara, the most efficient and best-manned of the 

 American vessels, was thus almost Kept out of the 

 action by her captain's misconduct. At the end of 

 the line the fight went on at long range between the 

 Somers, Tigress, Porcupine, and Trippe on one side, 

 and Little Belt and Lady Prevost on the other; the 

 Lady Prevost making a very noble fight, although 

 her 12-pound carronades rendered her almost help- 

 less against the long guns of the Americans. She 

 was greatly cut up, her commander, Lieutenant 

 Buchan, was dangerously, and her acting first lieu- 

 tenant, Mr. Roulette, severely, wounded, and she 

 began falling gradually to leeward. 



The fighting at the head of the line was fierce 

 and bloody to an extraordinary degree. The Scor- 

 pion, Ariel, Lawrence, and Caledonia, all of them 

 handled with the most determined courage, were 

 opposed to the Chippeway, Detroit, Queen Char- 

 lotte, and Hunter, which were fought to the full 

 as bravely. At such close quarters the two sides 

 engaged on about equal terms, the Americans being 

 superior in weight of metal, and inferior in number 

 of men. But the Lawrence had received such dam- 

 age in working down as to make the odds against 

 Perry. On each side almost the whole fire was di- 

 rected at the opposing large vessel or vessels ; in con- 

 sequence the Queen Charlotte was almost disabled, 

 and the Detroit was also frightfully shattered, es- 



