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===Battle of Lake Erie===

===Battle of Lake Erie===

On the morning of September 10, 1813 the decisive battle began as his twelve ship squadron encountered the British squadron in a fierce battle on [[Lake Erie]].  Barclay had longer-range guns; Perry had a 2:1 advantage in weight of broadsides if he could get close enough. Barclay shot up Perry's flagship, the ''Lawrence''; Perry transfered himself in a small rowboat to the ''Niagara''. Now in command of a relatively unscathed ship, Perry attacked the weakened British fleet and after only 15 more minutes of fighting, the British surrendered. The victory marked the first time in  history that an entire British squadron was captured and brought back to base as prizes. Perry became an overnight sensation with his message to General [[William Henry Harrison]] immediately after the victory, "We have met the enemy and they are ours".  The small battle involved 15 ships on each side, with 1000 sailors and 117 guns, but proved decisive in wresting control of the west for the Americans.

On the morning of September 10, 1813 the decisive battle began as his twelve ship squadron encountered the British squadron in a fierce battle on [[Lake Erie]].  Barclay had longer-range guns; Perry had a 2:1 advantage in weight of broadsides if he could get close enough. Barclay shot up Perry's flagship, the ''Lawrence''; Perry transferred himself in a small rowboat to the ''Niagara''. Now in command of a relatively unscathed ship, Perry attacked the weakened British fleet and after only 15 more minutes of fighting, the British surrendered. The victory marked the first time in  history that an entire British squadron was captured and brought back to base as prizes. Perry became an overnight sensation with his message to General [[William Henry Harrison]] immediately after the victory, "We have met the enemy and they are ours".  The small battle involved 15 ships on each side, with 1000 sailors and 117 guns, but proved decisive in wresting control of the west for the Americans.

===Analysis===

===Analysis===

===Impact===

===Impact===

Meanwhile in March 1813, Secretary of War John Armstrong sent Captain Thomas Sidney Jesup to Cleveland to construct troop transports. Jesup built 77 transports with an overall capacity of three to four thousand men. After Perry took control of the lakes these transports were used by U.S. troops led by Harrison to invade Canada, forcing the British army to flee. Harrison caught up with the British and decisively defeated them and their Indian allies at the [[Battle of the Thames]]. The British were no longer able to supply hostile Indians. The Americans thus achieved one of the main goals of the war, ending the menace of Indian raids in the Northwest (what is now called the Midwest).

Meanwhile, in March 1813, Secretary of War John Armstrong sent Captain Thomas Sidney Jesup to Cleveland to construct troop transports. Jesup built 77 transports with an overall capacity of three to four thousand men. After Perry took control of the lakes these transports were used by U.S. troops led by Harrison to invade Canada, forcing the British army to flee. Harrison caught up with the British and decisively defeated them and their Indian allies at the [[Battle of the Thames]]. The British were no longer able to supply hostile Indians. The Americans thus achieved one of the main goals of the war, ending the menace of Indian raids in the Northwest (what is now called the Midwest).

====Dispute with Elliott====

====Dispute with Elliott====

Historians in the dispute between Perry and Jesse Duncan Elliott have sided with Perry and dismissed Elliott's claims to distinction in the battle of Lake Erie, depicting Elliott as demented and narcissistic; however, these characterizations are overblown. Although Perry's written account of the battle for the Secretary of the Navy extolled Elliott, his second in command, for his bravery, judgment, and assistance, the relationship between the two men soured when Perry obtained a letter written by Elliott criticizing Perry's account of the battle and castigating Perry's leadership ability. Elliott exacerbated the rift by coercing naval officers who served in the engagement to write favorable accounts of his behavior. Upon Elliott's promotion to Master Commandant in 1818, Perry initiated federal proceedings against Elliott but eventually agreed with President Monroe's decision to let court martial charges die in 1819. Perry rejected a challenge to a duel. While Elliott was a deceitful, vindictive, vainglorious man, he was not emotionally unstable. His behavior was characteristic of a society that stressed the defense of honor and was given to rhetorical exaggeration. While his contemporaries saw him for what he was, no one questioned his mental stability.<ref>Lawrence J. Friedman and David Curtis Skaggs, "Jesse Duncan Elliott and the Battle of Lake Erie: The Issue of Mental Stability." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 1990 10(4): 493-516. 0275-1275 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3123625  in JSTOR]</ref>

Historians in the dispute between Perry and Jesse Duncan Elliott have sided with Perry and dismissed Elliott's claims to distinction in the battle of Lake Erie, depicting Elliott as demented and narcissistic; however, these characterizations are overblown. Although Perry's written account of the battle for the Secretary of the Navy extolled Elliott, his second in command, for his bravery, judgment, and assistance, the relationship between the two men soured when Perry obtained a letter written by Elliott criticizing Perry's account of the battle and castigating Perry's leadership ability. Elliott exacerbated the rift by coercing naval officers who served in the engagement to write favorable accounts of his behavior. Upon Elliott's promotion to Master Commandant in 1818, Perry initiated federal proceedings against Elliott but eventually agreed with President Monroe's decision to let court martial charges die in 1819. Perry rejected a challenge to a duel. While Elliott was a deceitful, vindictive, vainglorious man, he was not emotionally unstable. His behavior was characteristic of a society that stressed the defense of honor and was given to rhetorical exaggeration. While his contemporaries saw him for what he was, no one questioned his mental stability.<ref>Lawrence J. Friedman and David Curtis Skaggs, "Jesse Duncan Elliott and the Battle of Lake Erie: The Issue of Mental Stability." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 1990 10(4): 493-516. 0275-1275 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3123625  in JSTOR]</ref>