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Encyclopedia entry: Perry, Oliver Hazard
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to American Military History
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to American Military History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information)
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Perry, Oliver Hazard
(1785–1819), U.S. naval officer.Born of a naval family, Perry served as a midshipman toward the end of
undeclared naval war with France
(1789–1800) and as a midshipman and acting lieutenant during the
Tripolitan War
(1801–05). After being promoted to lieutenant, he helped enforce the embargo, which prohibited American ships and goods from leaving port, and protected the American coast from
privateering
. During the
War of 1812
, he directed construction of a small fleet on Lake Erie, and on 10 September 1813, used it decisively to defeat a British squadron at Put‐in‐Bay. The Battle of Lake Erie secured for the United States control over ...