Rattlesnake
Island,
consisting of 85 acres, is located 1.5 miles northwest of
Put-in-Bay, past Gibraltar Island. Some claim the name was
once covered with rattlesnakes, while others say the name is
derived from the shape, with the two tiny islands off its western
tip representing the rattles.
At dawn
on the morning of September 10, 1813, a lookout spotted six vessels
to the northwest past Rattlesnake
Island.
Immediately Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry - Commodore of
the United States fleet on Lake Erie - issued a flurry of orders
and made preparations to sail forth to engage the British.
Perry had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He
had arrived at Erie, Pennsylvania in late March and under his
supervision a flotilla of ships had been constructed in the
wilderness. Though encountering many frustrations in the
attempt to arm, man, and equip his fleet, Perry's perseverance paid
off when on August 12, 1813 his tiny fleet sailed for western Lake
Erie. Perry rendezvoused with General William Henry Harrison
at Sandusky Bay, and following discussions concerning the upcoming
campaign the commanders selected Put-in-Bay harbor for the American
naval base. From this strategic location Perry could observe
British fleet movements, while at the same time train his crews and
wait for Robert Heriott Barclay's squadron.
The British, after maintaining naval control over Lake Erie for
more than a year, were now experiencing difficulties. With
Perry's fleet on the lake their naval force was outnumbered, but
more importantly the water supply route from Fort Malden to Port
Dover had been severed; the British faced the unhappy choice to
either fight, or to abandon Fort Malden and the Old
Northwest. In early September construction of the new British
flagship - the Detroit
- was completed, and
with this additional strength they opted to fight. On the
afternoon of September 9, with their ships manned mostly by poorly
trained British soldiers, Canadian militia, and provincial
mariners, the British ships floated down the Detroit River and into
western Lake Erie.
The British squadron consisted of six ships with sixty-three
cannons, while the American flotilla comprised nine vessels and
fifty-four guns. The British were armed mostly with long
guns, the traditional naval weapon which could throw a cannonball
approximately one mile, accurately to about one-half mile.
The American ships were armed primarily with carronades. A
carronade possessed numerous advantages over the more traditional
weapon, but the stubby-barreled cannon had less than half the range
of a long gun. Thus for Perry to make effective tactical use
of his flotilla it would be necessary to fight at short range,
where his heavy carronades would confer firepower
superiority. But to close within carronade range Perry would
first need the wind at his back.
When the squadron sailed from Put-in-Bay harbor at 7:00 a.m. the
American vessels were steering west-northwest; the wind was blowing
from the west-southwest, according the weather gauge to the
British. For more than two hours Perry clawed to windward,
repeatedly tacking in an effort to weather Rattlesnake
Island, but
with no success. If Barclay should maintain the weather gauge
he could heave-to outside carronade range and pound the American
flotilla into submission piecemeal, whereas Perry would be unable
to close within range for his carronades. The frustrated
commodore conceded to mother nature at 10:00 a.m., issuing orders
to turn his fleet in the opposite direction. But before the
order could be executed the wind suddenly shifted and blew from the
southeast, placing the wind directly behind the Americans and
bestowing upon Perry the critical weather gauge advantage.
Perry's opponent, Commander Robert Heriott Barclay, was an
experienced Royal Navy officer who had fought with Lord Nelson at
Trafalgar in 1805, and two years later he lost an arm fighting the
French. Barclay's options did not alter when the wind
shifted, so the Scotsman pointed his bowsprits to the westward,
clewed-up his sails and hove to in line of battle.
With the wind at his back and the British battle line finally
revealed, Perry made his own tactical adjustments. The
Schooners Ariel
and
Scorpion
were placed off the
flagship's weather bow to engage the first British vessel and to
prevent the enemy from raking his fleet. The
Lawrence,
a 20-gun brig serving as Perry's flagship, was third in line and
would engage the Detroit,
Barclay's 19-gun flagship. Next in line floated the
Caledonia,
a small brig with only three guns. Fifth in the American line
of battle was the Niagara,
Perry's other 20-gun brig and the Lawrence's
sistership.
The Niagara,
captained by Master Commandant Jesse Elliott, would engage the
17-gun Queen
Charlotte,
the second largest British ship. Lastly came the smaller
schooners and sloop; these would engage the smaller British
vessels.
Just before the engagement opened Perry hoisted his battle flag to
the flagship's main truck. The large navy blue banner was
emblazoned with the crudely inscribed words, "DON'T GIVE
UP THE SHIP". For his battle slogan
Perry used the dying words of Captain James Lawrence, a friend of
the commodore who was killed on June 1, 1813. Perry's
flagship was named for the fallen Lawrence, and the dead hero's
inspiring words clearly indicated Perry's determination to
prevail.
Today Rattlesnake
Island is a
privately owned resort.
Historical
article from the National Park Service website:
http://www.nps.gov