A blogger from South Texas, of all places, has a nice overview of one of the most famous quotes related to Lake Erie.  During the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry commanded a small fleet of American ships against the British.  His battle flag contained the phrase “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” 

Perry, of course, won the battle by transferring his command from the badly-damaged Lawrence to the USS Niagara.  In a strangely ironic twist, Perry was successful precisely because he knew enough to abandon his most closely-held ideal when it was clearly counterproductive.

This battle is an important part of our local history, as evidenced by the recent visit of the reconstructed USS Niagara to the Port of Monroe.  The story is also told at the River Raisin Battlefield Visitor Center and the Perry’s Victory Memorial on Put-in-Bay Island.  Here’s an excerpt and link to the South Texian’s blog post:

This entry is a follow-up to one I posted on November 5, 2008. Back on Election Day eve while participating in Moxie’s live-blog, I offered some encouragement to her as the election returns started to turn decisively against John McCain. I mentioned Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813 inspired his men to fight the British (and ultimately defeat them) by flying the above-pictured naval standard from his flagship, the USS Lawrence. During the course of the battle, the Lawrence suffered severe damage and Perry was forced to transfer his command to the USS Niagara - carrying his naval standard with him. The American victory at Lake Erie prevented a planned British invasion of the Ohio River Valley.

http://www.southtexian.com/2008/11/oliver-perry-and-lake-erie-rest-of.html

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