Sept. 3, 2013 – In western Lake Erie yesterday, chief mates and captains on 14 Tall Ships were in the thick of battle yelling:

“Hands to set the top.”

“Cast off your gear. Haul your sheets.”

“Ready on starboard.”

“Hands to braces.”

“Let ’em fly.”

And then “FIRE!” The re-enactment of the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie was on in a big, Bicentennial way.

The most famous quote from the battle though was written by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. He wrote a letter to report his victory and said, “We have met the enemy and they are ours – two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.”

America had won a surprising and stunning victory on Sept. 10, 1813 over the British Royal Navy during the War of 1812. The British Navy was the strongest Navy in the world at the time. Their defeat at Lake Erie was the first and only time an entire squadron of British ships were defeated.

War of 1812

The war is often called the “Forgotten War.” It was forgotten because British and American soldiers and sailors fought over territory and maritime trade issues to a draw. The war ended in 1814. The war brought an end to the British practice of “impressment” in which American ships and crew were forced into service in the British Royal Navy. The War of 1812 was the last time the United States and England would be at war against each other.

One American ship impressed into British service was the Friends Good Will, a sloop built in 1810 as an American merchant ship. She sailed the Great Lakes picking up and delivering goods. Sailing into Fort Mackinac in northern Michigan in 1812 where the American flag was flying, the British seized the ship. The Brits had captured the fort but kept the American flag flying to fool ships. Friends Good Will became the HMS Little Belt in the British Royal Navy and turned into a British warship.

The United States Navy responded by building a fleet a ships to counter the British. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry was put in charge of construction. By fall 1813, he was ready to defend the Great Lakes.

On Sept. 2, 2013, Redwood Learn was aboard a replica of the Friends Good Will (Little Belt) for the Bicentennial re-enactment. The replica sloop is owned by the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Michigan. The Battle of Lake Erie was reenacted at the very spot in Lake Erie where the two sides met more than 200 years ago.

More than 1,000 pleasure boats came to watch the re-enactment.

The majestic Tall Ships faced off. The Brits were on one side and the Americans on the other. Dressed in period clothing, the Little Belt crew of 13 was ready for battle. From one cannon and two small guns, about 45 shots were fired at the American ships. “C’mon you wimps, get over here,” yelled one Little Belt crew member after firing her cannon.

History repeated itself. The Little Belt crew watched the Niagara, under Perry’s command, take out the main British ships – the Charlotte and the Detroit. Perry’s ship, the Lawrence, had been incapacitated after 90 minutes in battle so he rowed to the Niagara and took command. With a little help from the wind that changed direction at just the right moment, Perry was able to fire shots at British ships from both sides of the Niagara at the same time.

The British surrendered to Perry on the Lawrence. The Little Belt’s British flag was lowered and the Stars and Stripes once again flew on the Friends Good Will.

Caleb Vochaska, 17, was 11 years old when he began volunteering at the Michigan Maritime Museum. Starting as a “ship’s boy,” Caleb worked his way up to “paid crew” this summer. “I basically do everything and anything that nobody else wants to do,” Caleb said during a break in the battle. He is a senior deck hand and also the ship’s purser. He has a lot of responsibility.

John “Swab” Crisler is a retired fire captain who answered an ad in a South Haven newspaper for ship training. He knew nothing about sailing but thought it sounded interesting. John said he wanted “to put new pages in a new chapter” in his life. Those new pages are now filled with adventure. John is a member of the Friends Good Will crew currently completing a seven-week voyage around the Great Lakes. They will return to South Haven in a couple of weeks after a stop in Erie, Pennsylvania. On her way home, the Friends Good Will will pass by Fort Mackinac where the fort still stands and the Stars and Stripes still fly. This time, there is no doubt she will return to her home port as an American ship!

“Wow, it’s so huge. It’s a lot of fun,” John said of his summer adventure.

Caleb prepared the large American flag to be hoisted onto the ship’s mast at the end of the battle. He said a volunteer made the 15-star, 18′ x 27′ flag. It’s just another contribution to the one-year of work and planning that went into the Bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie. The museum has had an exhibit on the war since 2012.

“We are American again,” the crew proclaimed as they watched the Stars and Stripes ascend the mast.

For Caleb, it’s now time to start his senior year of high school at Holland Christian. “People think I’m kind of crazy,” Caleb said. But that doesn’t matter to him. “It’s so beautiful. I don’t even know how to describe why I like sailing.”

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What countries fought the War of 1812?

2. What issues or actions caused the War of 1812?

3. How did the United States defend the Great Lakes during the War of 1812?

4. Who was charged with building a fleet of vessels for the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812?

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

1. Why is the War of 1812 often called the “Forgotten War?”

2. Commodore Perry (1785-1819) named his ship, the Lawrence, in honor of his friend, James Lawrence (1781-1813) who was killed in battle on his ship, the USS Chesapeake, in June 1813. As Lawrence lay dying, he famously said: “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” Why is that quote still relevant today? Discuss the timeless nature of friendship. What qualities make someone a good friend?

3. What do you think would have happened if Britain had defeated the United States during the War of 1812?