Great Britain for a number of years prior to 1812 had been forcing Americans to serve on her ships. This at last led to war. We fared miserably in land battles. The Capitol at Washington was burned by a small British force; and until Jackson's triumph at New Orleans, we had no land victory to compare with Saratoga or Yorktown of the Revolution. But on the water, we proved a match for the "Mistress of the Seas." British commerce was so worried by American vessels that England was at last ready for peace. One of the greatest defeats to the English navy was on Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry and 50 ship carpenters built a fleet of 9 vessels at what is now Erie, Pa. Guns and ammunition had to be hauled overland, for the British fleet controlled the Great Lakes. The covered wagon here pictured was used to haul some of this ammunition. It is of the Conestoga (Con´ es-to´ ga) type, in which settlers used to travel overland to take up new homes. With his new fleet Perry attacked the British fleet on September 10, 1813. During the battle Perry's flagship was so badly damaged, he had to row in a small boat to another of his vessels. Broadside after broadside the Americans sent into their enemies. One British ship after another was disabled, until Captain Barclay hauled down his flag as a token of surrender. You know the famous message Perry then sent to General W. H. Harrison: "We have met the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop." Read an account of Perry's Victory on Lake Erie. Why did people travel overland in covered wagon? What were the lines of travel to the West? Keystone ID: 16729 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.