This event to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie took place at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial on Sept. 10, 2013.
On Sept. 10, 1813, the British under Commodore Robert Barclay and the Americans under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry met in battle in Lake Erie waters, near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Perry's flagship, Brig Lawrence, engaged the British ships HMS Detroit and HMS Queen Charlotte, while the Brig Niagara, for some unknown reason, stood off. With the Lawrence completely battered by two hours of cannon fire and most of her crew wounded or killed, Commodore Perry bravely transferred to the undamaged Niagara using a longboat. Once on the Niagara, Perry quickly hoisted his battle flag, "Don't Give Up the Ship" and sailed he ship into close action - breaking the British battle line, and forcing Barclay to surrender. After his stunning victory over the British fleet, Commodore Perry wrote his famous report to General William Henry Harrison, "We have met the enemy and they are ours..."
Two hundred years later, we gather as friends and allies to honor all those who participated in the Battle of Lake Erie. This pivotal naval victory in the War of 1812 helped change the course of history for Great Britain, the United States of America and what would eventually become Canada. while there was no clear victor in the War of 1812, the end of the war helped bring long-lasting peace between nations once at war. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial stands in tribute to all those who fought and died in the War of 1812 and demonstrates the value of acknowledging differing points of new while recognizing the reality of shared humanity and history.
Welcoming Remarks:
Blanca Alvarez Stransky, Superintendent, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
Invocation:
LCDR Jeffrey Plummer, Chaplain, U.S. Coast Guard, Ninth District
Presentation of Colors:
U.S. Armed Forces Honor Guard
National Anthems of Great Britain, Canada, and the United States:
Debby Parker, Robert Bell, and Jennifer Cresswell
Native American Blessing:
Tom Netz, Native American
Special Recognition of
U.S. Brig Niagara
The Royal Navy
Royal Newfoundland Regiment
U.S. Navy
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps
Presentation of Senate Resolution:
Ann Longsworth Orr, Regional Representative, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Wes Fahrbach, District Representative, U.S. Senator Rob Portman
Guest Speakers:
Michael T. Reynolds, Midwest Regional Director, National Park Service
Bill Drake, Field Unit Superintendent, Parks Canada
Dr. Roy Norton, Consul General of Canada, Detroit, Michigan
Rear Admiral Joseph A. Horn, Jr., Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems, U.S. Navy
Rear Admiral Randall Hendrickson, Commander, Navy Air & Missile Defense Command
Keynote Speaker:
The Honorable John R. Kasich, Governor of Ohio
"Let There Be Peace"
Put-in-Bay School Children
Closing Remarks:
Blanca Alvarez Stransky, Superintendent, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
