of its crew were killed and wounded that it had only eight men left
fit for fighting. What do you think the brave Perry did then? He leaped
into a small boat and was rowed away, with the American flag floating in
his hand, though the British ships were firing hotly at him.

When he reached the "Niagara," another of his ships, he sprang on board
and sailed right through the enemy's fleet, firing right and left into
their shattered vessels. The British soon had enough of this, and in
fifteen minutes more they gave up the fight.

"We have met the enemy and they are ours," wrote Perry to General
Harrison. He was a born hero of the waves.

Now I think we had better take a look out to sea and learn what was
going on there. We did not have many ships, but they were like so many
bulldogs in a flock of sheep. The whole world looked on with surprise to
see our little fleet of war-vessels making such havoc in the proud
British navy which no country in Europe had ever been able to defeat.

In less than two months after war was declared the frigate "Essex" met
the British sloop-of-war "Alert" and took it in eight minutes, without
losing a man. The "Essex" was too strong for the "Alert," but six days
afterwards the "Constitution" met the "Guerriere," and these vessels
were nearly the same in size. But in half an hour the "Guerriere" was
nearly shot to pieces and ready to sink, and had lost a hundred of her
men. The others were hastily taken off, and then down went the proud
British frigate to the bottom of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

All the island of Great Britain went into mourning when it learned how
the Americans had served this good ship. There was soon more to mourn
for. The American sloop "Wasp" captured the British sloop "Frolic." The
frigate "United States" captured the frigate "Macedonian." The
"Constitution" met the "Java" and served it the same way as it had done
the "Guerriere." In two hours the "Java" was a wreck. Soon after the
sloop "Hornet" met the ship "Peacock" and handled her so severely that
she sank while her crew was being taken off.

Later on the British won two battles at sea, and that was all they
gained during the whole war. On the water the honors stayed with the
Americans.

There was one affair in which the British won great dishonor instead of
honor. In July, 1814, a strong British fleet sailed up Chesapeake Bay,
with an army of nearly five thousand men on board. These were landed and
marched on th