Perry’s Victory on Lake Erie | War of 1812 Patriotic Song

A calm September morning on Lake Erie became one of the decisive naval victories of the War of 1812. This song follows the peaceful water, the first gun, the cannon smoke, and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s triumph on September 10, 1813. When Perry’s flagship, the USS Lawrence, was shattered, he transferred under fire to the Niagara and continued the fight. The American squadron captured the opposing force, secured the lake, and produced the celebrated dispatch: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Versewell adapts an anonymous early American public-domain poem, preserving its recurring “Erie’s shore” refrain while modernizing archaic language and recasting one period image. A new melody, arrangement, recording, and visual narrative bring the battle to life. Subscribe to @SongsofFreedom-Versewell for more American naval history in song. Continue with “Old Ironsides” and “The Cumberland” to follow the transformation of war at sea across the nineteenth century. Which War of 1812 story should the channel explore next? Source & rights: Based on a traditional or anonymous early nineteenth-century public-domain poem. New Versewell adaptation and musical setting. #SongsOfFreedom #BattleOfLakeErie #WarOf1812 #NavalHistory