On the Lakes 329 



been enterprising enough to fit out such an effective 

 little flotilla on Lake Erie, and for this Perry de- 

 serves the highest praise. 31 



Before leaving the subject it is worth while mak- 

 ing a few observations on the men who composed 

 the crews. James, who despised a Canadian as 

 much as he hated an American, gives as one excuse 

 for the defeat, the fact that most of Barclay's crew 

 were Canadians, whom he considers to be "sorry 

 substitutes." On each side the regular sailors, from 

 the seaboard, were not numerous enough to permit 

 the battle to be fought purely by them. Barclay 

 took a number of soldiers of the regular army, and 

 Perry a number of militia, aboard ; the former had 

 a few Indian sharp-shooters, the latter quite a num- 

 ber of negroes. A great many men in each fleet 

 were lake sailors, frontiersmen, and these were the 

 especial objects of James' contempt; but it may be 

 doubted if they, thoroughly accustomed to lake navi- 

 gation, used to contests with Indians and whites, 

 naturally forced to be good sailors, and skilful in 

 the use of rifle and cannon, were not, when trained 

 by good men and on their own waters, the very best 

 possible material. Certainly the battle of Lake Erie, 

 fought mainly by Canadians, was better contested 



obstinate fight as they did, with the materials they had. 

 According to his own statements, the loss was about propor 

 tional to the forces in action. It was another parallel to 

 Perry's victory. 



81 Some of my countrymen will consider this but scant ap- 

 probation, to which the answer must be that a history is not 

 a panegyric. 



