Identifier: oldnavaldayssket00meis (find matches)
Title: Old naval days; sketches from the life of Rear Admiral William Radford, U. S. N.
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Meissner, Sophie Radford de
Subjects: Radford, William, 1809-1890 United States -- History, Naval
Publisher: New York : H. Holt and company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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y was orderedfrom the Revenge (which was wrecked off Watch Hill, R. I.,January 8, 1811,) to the frigate President. This brought him onthe flagship, the finest of the heavy frigates of 1797, and directlyunder the eye of Commodore Rodgers. Midshipman Perrygives in his diary a detailed account of the meeting with tlieBritish sloop-of-war Little Belt, and the exchange of shots whichprecipitated the war of 1812. An entry under date of June 20,1812, reads: At 10 a.m. news arrived that war would be de-clared the following day against G. B. Made the signal for allofficers and boats. Unmoored ship and fired a salute. Althoughwar was declared on the 12th of June, official information did notreach the army officers until June 20th, and the naval commandersuntil the 21st. A sketch of Commodore Rodgers activities dur-ing this cruise having already been given we will only say thatafter three years of service, under his own eye, the Commodorewrote to the Department asking that Perry be promoted, and
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THE OREGON QUESTION 103 this being granted February 27, 1813, Matthew Perry became,at eighteen, an acting lieutenant. Four of the Perry brothers served their country in the Navyin 1813; two in the Lawrence on Lake Erie, and two on thePresident at sea. From the President Matthew Perry was orderedto the United States, under Commodore Decatur. Blockaded inthe harbor of New London by a British squadron, this frigate,with the Wasp and Macedonian, was kept inactive until the endof the war. On Christmas Eve, 1814, Lieutenant Perry was mar-ried to Miss Jane Slidell, then but seventeen years of age. OnFebruary 11, 1815, the British ship Favorite, bearing the olivebranch, arrived at New York, too late to prevent the bloodybattle of New Orleans, or the capture of the Cyane and Levant. Besides being our second war for national independence, thestruggle of 1812 was emphatically for sailors rights. At thebeginning of hostilities there were on record in the State De-partment at Washington 6,527 case

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