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Show 4 KfV "MS O&VJTR HAZARD T&HCTJOC TUS FyCrSS- ?! By ELMO SCOTT WATSON iSlg-SSSS t 11 1AVY day (October 27) this rif:f ' Nycar finds an Interesting fy ' TSpA S V memorial nearlng comple- X-XS, SES I' - " is'.t''A , , Hon, for when the Perry Zj?z:, :jctU t. j fcs.'cJi. iuj p a?- iirf i-. 'rifr I homesteaJ at Wakefield, ' Ji? ? Fli i'J nj W7m EZ. I- s thrown open to j73 ft feC 3 EEif ' .Vf -"li i U".T.' visitors as a patriotic 3 SttSk-''' I J-: "T i-C ';;-S-v' i VVVrf shrine, It will be not only 5- j fr"? "'Tr't7y $ 5 '" --Vt Wftif a monument to two of our ?j 'wc ' ras4L- lV. t?.zzZ:ZZ3 "j ' . . ' 'afe UfltV ceatest naval heroes but KTt'T' 'vditTP:-- ' V"4?4i : r-l to a family whose record . -r- y - . . c'; ': '7 . '" Sj v--; . In our naval history Is ' '. -J-' ',"-' , unique. For that family m' ,-. ' . .. ' ' . .- -f "'"ttff was rich In "a naval heritage," If ever ' : - III II anv American famllv was. nnd It Is i By ELMO SCOTT WATSON AVY day (October 27) this Nycar finds nn Interesting memorial nearlng comple-, comple-, , B)MI tlon, for when the Perry ,k-,t homestead nt Wakefield, SL. R- I-. I thrown open to p. .", ,T.; visitors as a patriotic sVVjr shrine, It will be not only W ftlr a monnIuent to two of our tlL' greatest naval heroes but to a family whose record In our naval history Is unique. For that family was rich In "a naval heritage," If ever any American family was, nnd It Is not to be wondered at, perhaps, that Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbralth Perry should distinguish themselves aboard ship. Although Christopher Perry, the fa-th?r fa-th?r of the two naval heroes, was only thirteen years old nt the outbreak of the Revolution, he Immediately enlisted en-listed In the Kingston Reds nnd served In the Continental army. He next served nn a privateer, then on board the Milllln, was captured by the P.rlt-Ish P.rlt-Ish ond for three months endured the horrors of the British prison ship, Jersey. Escaping from the Jersey, Perry enlisted on the Trumbull und'-r Capt James Nicholson nnd had n part In the brilliant victory over the British privateer, Watt, in 177;i. Ijiter he was captured agalij and sent to Newry, Ireland, as a prisoner of war. There he became ncqnaintcd with Sarah Alexander, a pretty Scotch girl, whose grandfather had lied from Scotland Scot-land to Ireland and who Imd been left an orphnn In her childhood. At the close of the war Christopher shipped as a seaman on a British ship bound for America. Sarah Alexander wns n passenger on the some slip and upon her nrrlvnl-at the home of Dr. Benja ntln Rush In Philadelphia. Christopher sought her out nnd they were married, mar-ried, lie took bis bride to the Perry homestead In Rhode Inland, u hnue that looked out toward the sea nnd from which her husband and her sons were to "go down to the sea in slips' nnd become oiicers in the navy. There were five of them Oliver Hazard, Raymond II. J., Matthew Calbralth, James Alexander nnd Na-thaneal Na-thaneal llarard. As. If this contribution contribu-tion to her adopted country's sea forces was not enou;rh, two of her three daughters married naval oiicers, ('apt. Ceorge W. Rodders and Dr. William Wil-liam Butler! The Inlluence of this mother on her sous bad mudi to do with their later fame. She told thorn sloilcs of her v.u.-ilor n:;cc.;;ors In Scotland; she closely supervised their education, she "tUtctl them to command com-mand by feadilni: tlieul to obey" and when, still In their Icons., they answered an-swered the call of the sea, stie sent them forth chcci fui.v. She lived to see nil of llictn make honorable records rec-ords In the service of their count rv and two of thetn win fume and one of them receive the highest honors which his countrymen could pay him. lie wns Oliver llnznrd Perry, born August 2:1, lTN.'i In the home which Is soon to be opened as the Commodore Perry Memorial, lie entered the navy ns a midshipman nt the age of four teen when war with Franco seemed inevitable. But It was not until Coin modore Preble was sent to subdue the Barbary plralcs that he saw his first ncllve service In the war with Tripoli. In IStO he was commissioned a lieutenant lieu-tenant and placed In coiiiinand of the schooner Revenge. The Revenge was wrecked off Watch Hill, near his home, but a naval board of Inquiry nut only cleared him of all blame for the disaster but highly applauded him By the time of the second war with England, Perry was known as one of the best ord'jnnce oflicers In the navy nnd early In 1 SI 2 he was placed In command of a flotilla of gunboats in Newport Harbor. Then came the chance for him to win fame. The war was going badly for the Americans. Ameri-cans. The British had captured Ie-trolt Ie-trolt nnd were threatening to conquer the Northwest, which had he-en won for us by Ceoige Rogers Ch.rk during the Revolution. To check them, it was necessary to obtain mastery of Lake Erie and there Perry was ordered or-dered to go. build a squadron of ships, defeat the British fleet on Ijike Erie, which was manned by some of Nelson's veterans, nnd co-oerate with Ccnoral Harrison and bis land forces. It seemed like a hopeless task, but Perry never faltereil. Making bs way through the wilderness in n sleigh in February, LSl.'t, he arrived at Presque Isle (now Erie. Pa.) and with the aid of Sailing Master Daniel Dobbins built the ships, des Ite a dishearten-lug dishearten-lug shortage of money, shipwrights, nrms and sailors to man them after they were done. His green limbcreO squadron was Joined later by four ships from Buffalo nnd with these tie w-as expected to fight six well-manned I'rltlsh ships. On September 10. 1S1.1, the two fleets mot off Put-in Fay on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie. In loss than two hours nnd n half, the Americans were victorious. They had Indicted n loss on the British of 2il killed nnd tH made prisoners. Perry's loss was 27 killed and Pit wounded. Before the smoke of battle had cleared away he sat down and. resting his cap on his knee, used this Impromptu desk for penning Ills Immortal dispatch to Con-oral Con-oral Harrison: "We have met the enemy nnd they are ours. Two ships, two brig.', one schooner nnd one sloop." Perry's victory had saved the Northwest North-west again to America. The news of It thrilled the country. Congress gave 111 id n vote of thanks and nvvarded him n gold medal, lie was promoted from muster commander to captain. At the close of the war he was placed In command of the .lava, a first class frigate, and sailed with Decatur for the Mediterranean. In ISl'.l he was made a commodore nnd placed In com-mnnd com-mnnd of a squadron which was sent lo the West Indies to suppress piracy. There ho fell III of the yellow fover and on August 2:t. 1M!, he died In Port Spain, Trinidad, lie was bu-led there, hut In IS2U the American government sent a sloop of war to biini; his bodv back to bis native slate. Ho was hurled at Newport with nil the hou ors duo him and today n tall granite I monument marks the last restiuj i place of the "hero of Lake Erie." Matthew Call-ruitb Perry was nint '. years younger than his brother. Olivet 'V' Ha.::..-d, and served as a midsiilpniaD ! under him on the Revenge. While hi never attained such distinction by one brilliant feat of arms as had h:a I brother, bis life was one of continuous ) action. It is summarized by a recent ( biogntphcr as follows: I "lie convoyed the first colony of ne- ; groes- from this country to Africa; his j ship regulations for use on the African j station were a model long followed In the navy; he fought pirates In the I West Indies, vo;, aged to Mexico, pro- tected commerce from Greek pirates in the Mediterranean, founded the j first United States naval apprentice system, commanded the North Caro- j lina, the finest warship In the world, ! took John Randolph as envoy to the 1 crg.r In the first American warship to j enter Russian water's was entertained by the founder of the khetlival dynasty in Egypt, made a brilliant naval demonstration lit the harbor of Naples, served ton years shore duty at Brooklyn Brook-lyn navy yard whore his work caused him to be called the chief educator of the navy, studied lighthouse Illumination Il-lumination nnd went to Eurojve on one of the first regular steamships, enforced en-forced the Webster-Ashburton treaty In Africa, had oversight of the steam navy In the Mexican war and breached the walls of Voni Crur. with naval cutis when Sam's light artillery failed, and visited tile waters of New-(oundland New-(oundland to settle the fisheries dispute." dis-pute." But the thing for which he Is most fan:. his Is the fact that he organized and commanded an expedition lo 1S.M which was to have world-wide significance. signifi-cance. For centuries Japan had cut herself off Irom contact with the nations na-tions of the Western world and had steadfastly refused to have either trade or diplomatic relations with "foreigners." Under the excuse of making arrangements for protecting American sailors, engaged In the Pacific Pa-cific whaling industry, who might be shipwrecked on the coasts of Japan, Perry proceeded there with four warships. war-ships. Despite the suspicion and Ihinly-vollcd hostility of ho Japanese, the American comuvindor conducted his negotiations so diplomatically, combining firmness with the politeness, polite-ness, so dear to the heart of the Oriental, that on March SI. 1S."4, Japan signed a treaty of peace, nmlty and commerce with the United States. From that day dates the end of tha "hermit nation" nnd the rise of modem mod-em Japan to a position among the world powers. It was brought about by a Commodore- Perry, whoso diplomatic diplo-matic victory was no loss brilliant than the victory In warfare won by another Commodore Ferry 31 years 4 earlier. |