On This Day

American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British in the Battle of Lake Erie

Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, and older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry.

Perry served in the West Indies during the Quasi War of 1798–1800 against France, in the Mediterranean during the Barbary Wars of 1801–1815, and in the Caribbean fighting piracy and the slave trade, but is most noted for his role in the War of 1812 during the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. During the war against Britain, Perry supervised the building of a fleet at Erie, Pennsylvania.

Historical Significance

Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Events Before

  1. After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and 3rd Divisions

    After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and 3rd Divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War

  2. Earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,00

    Earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people

  3. British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London.

    British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London. Ironically, descendants of both later stand for the same seat in Parliament at the same time, but neither wins

  4. War of 1812 begins when the US declares war against Britain

    1812 (MDCCCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 1812th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD)...

  5. Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Armée numbering half a million begin their invasion of Russia by crossing the Nieman River

    Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Armée numbering half a million begin their invasion of Russia by crossing the Nieman River

Events After

  1. Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

    Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

  2. Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major premieres in Vienna

    Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist.

  3. Napoléon Bonaparte abdicates unconditionally and is exiled to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean

    Napoléon Bonaparte abdicates unconditionally and is exiled to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean

  4. King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism

    King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism

  5. English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal o

    English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway, named Blücher

More from the 1810s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 10, 1813?
Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, and older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry.
Why is American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British in the Battl... significant?
Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

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