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126 ATLANTIC THEATER
masts with some alterations in her spars would greatly improve her sailing,
fully persuaded of the correctness of those opinions and believing
them to coincide with your own, 1 take the liberty lO address you on the
subject and enclose to you such dimensions as will enable you to
calculate the alteraLions necessary to be made.
In my opinion it would not be necessary to incur much expenee, nor
would muct [much) time be required; as the Main Mast could be
shifted forward for a Fore Mast, and the same Yards, Top Masts, and
sails, would answer with a little alteration.
I shall not urge any further reasons for soliciting permission to
make the above stated alterations persuaded as I am that you are
already convinced of their necessity. I have the honor
D Porter
PS I beg leave to observe that the fore maSt of the Essex has for
some time been considered defective on account of its twisting occasioned
from weakness and that it would be necessary that she should
be creened before she proceeded on a cruize of any length.
Commre John Rodgers
Comdg
U S Frigate President
LS , DNA, RG45 , CL, 1812 , Vol. 2, No . 10 .
I. In addition to th~ I~ttu whi ch Rodgers enclosed with his own correspondence, Porter wrote
a separate letter to the secretary of the navy emphasizing the neces.sity of the repairs. See Porter to
Hamilton, 3 jun~ ISI2 , DNA, RG45 . MC . tS12. Vol. I. No. 55 .
Lieutenant Perry Requests an
Assignment
Oliver Hazard Perry was stationed at Newport, Rhode /swnd, in
charge of gunboats when the war broke out. He had suffered the
misfortune of losing a vessel, due to a pilot'S misjudgment, in Long
/swnd Sound in January 1811 . The following letter indicates that
reassignment to a more active command was uppermost in his mind.
JANUARY- AUGUST 1812 127
Reassigrr.ment would show that the Navy Department still had faith in
his potential. Perry was not named to command the ships in Lake Erie
for several months. Events in the following year were to prove that
Perry did indeed have the qualities he was so anxious to demonstrate.
LIEUTENANT OLIVER H. PERRY TO
SECRETARYOFTHE NAVY HAMILTON
New Port June 6th 1812
Sir
As War appears now to be enivitable and not far distant, I hope and
earnestly entreat that I may in that event be called immediately into
actual service. I am highly sensible Sir, of the very great favor which
you have shown in suffering me to remain the last twelve months with
my family- although this indulgence has been the source of much happiness:
in case of war it would cease to be so, on the contrary I should
consider it the greatest mortification and misfortune.
Pardon me for troubling you Sir, on this subject, as I solicited this
station some time since when there was no prospect of war, I am
desirous should such a thing take place to prevent the possibility of a
thought entering your mind that it would be agreeable to continue at
home. The time appears to be near when I shall have it in my power
to convince you Sir, that the observation in your letter to Comr
Rodgers relative to the loss of the Revenge viz. "an officer just to
himself, and to his country will not be depressed by defeat, or misfortune,
but will be stimulated by either cause, to greater exertions" has
made a proper impression on my mind.' I have the honor [&c.)
ALS, DNA, RG45, BC, 1812, Vol. 2, No. 14.
O. H. Perry
1. Hamilton to Rodgers. 7 Feb . 1811. DNA , RG45. SNL, Vol. 9, pp. 280 S1. Rodgers
reported the lou of Rwengll to Hamilton in Rodgers to Hamilton. 9jan. and IOJan. 1811 . DNA.
ROt5. CL, 1811. Vol. I. Nos. 22 and n .