jjares reviewed Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry: The Life and Legacy of Early 19th Century America?s Most Famous Naval Officer on + 3270 more book reviews
Perry was named after his paternal grandmother's father and also for an uncle, Oliver Hazard Perry, recently lost at sea. Perry was in the Quasi-War with France and the Tripolitan War against Barbary pirates. However, he played a small part in these actions. After getting his first command, the 14-gun schooner Revenge, he met with difficulties when the schooner struck a reef near Watch Point Hill and went down.
After an obligatory court-martial case exonerated Perry, the court blamed the pilot. During an extended leave of absence, Perry married (eventually having 5 children). When the War of 1812 began, Perry requested action and received a commission to lead the building of a flotilla under construction on Lake Erie. He was successful in both building the ships and winning the Battle of Lake Erie. These were both arduous tasks.
His next ship, Java, was not completed until after the end of the war. However, he worked to quell the continuing problems with the Barbary pirates in 1815. During a shocking incident in which Perry slapped another officer, John Heath and Oliver Hazard Perry were both court-martialed and found guilty. Mild reprimands were issued to each man. Heath challenged Perry to a duel. Heath missed and Perry refused to pull the trigger.
Acrimonious letters were exchanged between Perry and an officer from the Lake Erie Battle, Jesse Duncan Elliott. Elliott challenged Perry to a duel but Perry decided to file court-martial charges against Elliott instead. The Secretary of the Navy passed the buck to President James Monroe.
Monroe suppressed the whole thing; sending Perry instead on a diplomatic mission to South America. While there, crewmen caught yellow fever; five died. While underway to Port of Spain, Perry woke up with the illness and died on his 34th birthday, only a few miles from help.
After an obligatory court-martial case exonerated Perry, the court blamed the pilot. During an extended leave of absence, Perry married (eventually having 5 children). When the War of 1812 began, Perry requested action and received a commission to lead the building of a flotilla under construction on Lake Erie. He was successful in both building the ships and winning the Battle of Lake Erie. These were both arduous tasks.
His next ship, Java, was not completed until after the end of the war. However, he worked to quell the continuing problems with the Barbary pirates in 1815. During a shocking incident in which Perry slapped another officer, John Heath and Oliver Hazard Perry were both court-martialed and found guilty. Mild reprimands were issued to each man. Heath challenged Perry to a duel. Heath missed and Perry refused to pull the trigger.
Acrimonious letters were exchanged between Perry and an officer from the Lake Erie Battle, Jesse Duncan Elliott. Elliott challenged Perry to a duel but Perry decided to file court-martial charges against Elliott instead. The Secretary of the Navy passed the buck to President James Monroe.
Monroe suppressed the whole thing; sending Perry instead on a diplomatic mission to South America. While there, crewmen caught yellow fever; five died. While underway to Port of Spain, Perry woke up with the illness and died on his 34th birthday, only a few miles from help.
