The Enquirer

Domestic.
THE BATTLE ON LAKE ERIE.
From the Ohio Freeman.
Extract of a letter from a Correspondent,
on board the United States' brig Hunter,
dated
Put in Bay, Sept.24.
On the 10th inst. our fleet having anchored
in this place, discovered at six A. M. several
strange sails, and immediately got under
way, steering N. W. by W. and soon
perceived the strange sails to be the enemy's
fleet; at ten, Commodore Perry hoisted his
Union Jack, inscribed with the dying words
of the late Captain Lawrence "Don't give
up the ship;" which was received by the
officers and crews of the different vessels
with loud huzzas. At half past ten, the
enemy's fleet seemed to clear away for action,
by taking in top gallant sails, and hauling
in their courses; at eleven, the enemy
sounded a bugle horn on board the new ship
Detroit, accompanied by the loud huzzas of
the crews of the different vessels in their
squadron. At meridian, both fleets steering
W. by N. three minutes past twelve, heard
the report of a musket on board of the enemy 's ship Queen Charlotte, which was succeeded by one of her waist guns, and was
returned by an animated fire from the Lawrence seconded by the brig Caledonia and
the rest of the smaller vessels as they came
up; at half past twelve, a tremendous firing
was kept up on both sides, being within
about point blank range of each other; at
one, the commodore made the signal for
closer action, at the same time ordering the
Caledonia to take her station under his
stern, and run down in the midst of the enemy's fleet; when the action became general
between the Lawrence, the Caledonia, and
several small vessels on the one side, and
the Detroit, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost,
brig Hunter, and several smaller vessels on
the other. About three, the Lawrence being
in the hottest of the action, and having
lost so many of her crew in killed and wounded,
that the officers and even the commodore
had to work the guns, and she being so
crippled from the fire of two of the enemy's
largest ships, the intrepid Perry hauled
down his union jack, and, with his usual
presence of mind, deliberately jumped into
a boat, and got on board the Niagara, (a
vessel of the same size with the Lawrence)
bore down upon the enemy and renewed the
action, when the Queen Charlotte struck.
and a few minutes after the Detroit, and
within twenty minutes of four, the whole
fleet struck, except two small vessels who
attempted to get away by making sail, but
were chased and brought back by our pilot
brig and another of our smaller vessels.--
Thus by the unparalleled skill and bravery
of Commodore Perry (whom every officer &
seaman acknowledges with reverence to be
the saviour of the whole American squadron
on Lake Erie) we find ourselves in possession
of the ship Detroit of 20 guns, large 24
pounders, the ship Queen Charlotte, of 19
guns, the brig Hunter, of 10 guns, the schooner
Lady Prevost of 12 guns, the schooner
Chippeway of 1 gun, and the sloop Little
Belt, of 2 guns-in all 64 guns.
The Lawrence when she struck had 80
men wounded and 20 killed, lying on her
decks, all her rigging cut away, and spars
much injured, with shot holes through her
in every direction. The Caledonia was also
much injured, but has been repaired, and is
now ready to sail: and the Lawrence has
been sent to Erie with the wounded, where
she will be fitted out. The two captured
ships have no masts standing; they were so
much cut up in the action that the first gale
of wind blew them all overboard; and their
hulls are so peppered that a common sized
plate cannot be laid on them without covering
balls or ball holes; they will remain
here till we get possession of Malden, where
they will be repaired.
The mode of warfare adopted by the enemy
was very ungentlemanly; they fired
carcases and every kind of combustible materials;
while we dealt out good and wholesome
rations of round, grape and canister.
Since they have fallen into our hands, the
British prisoners have been treated (as they
acknowledge themselves) better by us than
by their own people; for the humanity of the Americans has, on this occasion as well as on all others, been as conspicuous as their bravery.