On the Lakes 325 



Lake Champlain, that, even if they are not, skill 

 can still counteract them. It is amusing to read 

 some of the pamphlets written "in reply" to Cooper's 

 account of this battle, the writers apparently regard- 

 ing him as a kind of traitor for hinting that the vic- 

 tory was not "Nelsonic," "unsurpassed." etc. The 

 arguments are stereotyped : Perry had 9 fewer guns, 

 and also fewer men than the foe. This last point 

 is the only one respecting which there is any doubt. 

 Taking sick and well together, the Americans un- 

 questionably had the greatest number in crew; but 

 a quarter of them were sick. Even deducting these 

 they were still, in all probability, more numerous 

 than their foes. 



But it is really not a point of much consequence, 

 as both sides had enough, as stated, to serve the 

 guns and handle the ships. In sea-fights, after there 

 are enough hands for those purposes additional ones 

 are not of so much advantage. I have in all my 

 accounts summed up as accurately as possible the 

 contending forces, because it is so customary with 

 British writers to follow James' minute and inac- 

 curate statements, that I thought it best to give 

 everything exactly; but it was really scarcely nec- 

 essary, and, indeed, it is impossible to compare 

 forces numerically. Aside from a few exceptional 

 cases, the number of men, after a certain point was 

 reached, made little difference. For example, the 

 Java would fight just as effectually with 377 men, 

 the number James gives her, as with 426, the num- 

 ber I think she really had. Again, my figures make 



