But to return to the condition of affairs upon the arrival of Captain Perry. The fleet that in a few weeks he had under his command consisted of the brig _Lawrence_, of 20 guns, to which he attached his flag; the _Niagara_, of 20 guns, in command of Elliot; and the schooners _Caledonia_ and _Ariel_, of 3 and 4 guns respectively. There were besides six smaller vessels, carrying from one to two guns each; in all, Perry’s fleet mounted 55 guns. The British fleet, under command of Barclay, consisted of the _Detroit_ (named after the one that was wrecked), the _Queen Charlotte_, and the _Lady Prevost_. They mounted 19, 17, and 13 guns, in the order named. The brig _Hunter_ carried 10 guns; the sloop _Little Belt_, 3; and the schooner _Chippeway_, 1 gun; in all, Barclay had 63 guns, not counting several swivels--that is, more than eight guns to the good. The morning of the 10th of September dawned fine and clear. Perry, with his fleet anchored about him, lay in the quiet waters of Put-in Bay. A light breeze was blowing from the south. Very early a number of sail were seen out on the lake beyond the point, and soon the strangers were discovered to be the British fleet. Everything depended now upon the speed, with which the Americans could prepare for action. In twelve minutes every vessel was under way and sailing out to meet the on-comers; the _Lawrence_ led the line. As the two fleets approached, the British concentrated the fire of their long and heavy guns upon her. She came on in silence; at her peak was flying a huge motto-flag; plain to view were the words of the brave commander of the _Chesapeake_: “Don’t give up the ship.” The responsibility that rested upon the young commander’s shoulders was great; his position was most precarious. This was the first action between the fleets of the two hostile countries; it was a battle for the dominion of the lakes; defeat meant that the English could land at any time an expeditionary force at any point they chose along the shores of our natural northern barrier. The _Lawrence_ had slipped quite a way ahead of the others, and Perry found that he would have to close, in order to return the English fire, as at the long distance he was surely being ripped to pieces. Signalling the rest of the fleet to follow him, he made all sail and bore down upon the English; but to quote from the account in the _Naval Temple_, printed in the year 1816: “Every brace and bowline of the _Lawrence_ being shot away, she became unmanageable, notwithstanding the great exertion of the sailing-master. In this situation she sustained the action within canister distance upwards of two hours, until every gun was rendered useless, and the greater part of her crew either killed or wounded.”