On the Lakes 317 



Detroit and Queen Charlotte were so disabled that 

 they could not effectually oppose fresh antagonists. 

 There could thus be but little resistance to Perry, 

 as the Niagara stood down, and broke the British 

 line, firing- her port guns into the Chippcway, Little 

 Belt, and Lady Prevost, and the starboard ones into 

 the Detroit, Queen Charlotte, and Hunter, raking on 

 both sides. Too disabled to tack, the Detroit and 

 Charlotte tried to wear, the latter running up to lee- 

 ward of the former ; and, both vessels having every 

 brace and almost every stay shot away, they fell 

 foul. The Niagara luffed athwart their bows, with- 

 in half pistol-shot, keeping up a terrific discharge of 

 great guns and musketry, while on the other side the 

 British vessels were raked by the Caledonia and 

 the schooners so closely that some of their grape 

 shot, passing over the foe, rattled through Perry's 

 spars. Nothing further could be done, and Bar- 

 clay's flag was struck at 3 P.M., after three and a 

 quarter hours' most gallant and desperate fighting. 

 The Chippeu'ay and Little Belt tried to escape, but 

 were overtaken and brought to respectively by the 

 Trippe and Scorpion, the commander of the latter, 

 Mr. Stephen Champlin, firing the last, as he had the 

 first, shot of the battle. "Captain Perry has be- 

 haved in the most humane and attentive manner, not 

 only to myself and officers, but to all the wounded," 

 writes Captain Barclay. 



The American squadron had suffered severely, 

 more than two-thirds of the loss falling upon the 

 Lawrence, which was reduced to the condition of a* 



