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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 guins; 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 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.

 

===Analysis===

===Analysis===

While historians and social scientists emphasize the role of unit cohesion in battlefield success, they generally avoid the examination of how unit cohesion has been created. Skaggs (1997) examines unit cohesion in Perry's battle. While Perry and his captains created "vertical cohesion" (bonding between leaders and subordinates) within their respective crews, the self-identification of the value of intergroup cooperation between the various captains and their commodore was never fully actuated. Despite his faults, Perry justifiably deserved the reputation of the creator of unit cohesion under difficult circumstances.<ref> David Curtis Skaggs, "Creating Small Unit Cohesion: Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie." ''Armed Forces & Society'' 1997 23(4): 635-668. 0095-327x online at [[Sage Journals]]</ref>  

While historians and social scientists emphasize the role of unit cohesion in battlefield success, they generally avoid the examination of how unit cohesion has been created. Skaggs (1997) examines unit cohesion in Perry's battle. While Perry and his captains created "vertical cohesion" (bonding between leaders and subordinates) within their respective crews, the self-identification of the value of intergroup cooperation between the various captains and their commodore was never fully actuated. Despite his faults, Perry justifiably deserved the reputation of the creator of unit cohesion under difficult circumstances.<ref> David Curtis Skaggs, "Creating Small Unit Cohesion: Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie." ''Armed Forces & Society'' 1997 23(4): 635-668. 0095-327x online at [[Sage Journals]]</ref>