Morning of September 10, 1813. The British naval squadron under Commander Robert Harriet Barclay, advanced with the confidence and skill of the world’s most powerful navy.

Facing them that day was a young American naval officer just *27-years-old*... Oliver Hazard Perry.

As the two fleets closed distance near Put-In-Bay, Ohio, Commander Perry’s men braced themselves.

Most were farmers and frontiersmen. Many were boys. Almost all had never seen naval combat. Some were freed African American slaves.

Perry had barely a small cadre of ten experienced naval officers, not hardly enough to man his small fleet without volunteer help. Perry’s flagship, the USS Lawrence, bore the brunt of British fire. Masts splintered, rigging collapsed, and blood flowed on the deck.

Of Commander Perry’s crew totaling 103, nearly 80 were killed or wounded. The deck was a scene of bloody carnage. In such a hopeless situation, most commanders would have surrendered the fleet.

Instead, Commander Perry made a decision that would etch his name forever in the history of this great nation...

I’m Rick Robison and this is the HEROES FOR FREEDOM Podcast.

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Battle of Lake Erie / “Don’t Give Up the Ship” / War of 1812 / Naval Warfare / Courage / Fortitude / USS Lawrence / USS Niagara / Leadership