The October Gale of 1813 and the Wreck of the Schooner Chippeway

 

From Oliver Hazard Perry to Secretary of War William Jones:



U S Schooner Ariel

Detroit 10th October 1813

Sir

I am very apprehensive that the Schr Chippeway commanded by Midn. Tatem has been lost, she sailed from Put in Bay some days since with several officers and a great quantity of baggage belonging to the army. She was seen near the mouth of the Detroit River in a violent squall, since that time no information has been received from her, several trunks known to have been put on board at the Bay have driven on shore near Malden.

I entertain also serious fears for the safety of the Ohio, Sailing Master Dobbins, it blew a most violent gale at the time he was expected from Cleveland, with a load of provisions, his not having arrived, although there has been sufficient time, almost confirms me in the opinion that she has been lost.

These misfortunes have been attended with serious consequences to the service. The Ohio has the provisions on board, and the Chippeway the clothing for the troops which was destined for Michilimackinac. This, sir, with the near approach of winter, has obliged the Commd in Chief of the Army and myself reluctantly to give up that expedition. We have however determined to proceed against any establishments the enemy may have at Long Point. The troops are now embarking for that purpose.

Very respectfully 

I have the honor 

To be sir 

Your Obd. Srvt 

O. H. Perry

The loss of several ships of his fleet during an October, 1813 gale was a drastic misfortune for Commodore Perry as well as the American cause during the War of 1812. He and General William Henry Harrison  had been planning an expedition to capture Mackinac from the British before the end of the sailing season. Had they succeeded, they would have completed the reconquest of the northwestern frontier and effectively ended British influence with the western Indian nations. As it happened, they were forced to call off the expedition and head to the Niagara frontier instead. Another major setback occurred when an officer carrying dispatches was washed overboard and drowned. The exact identity of this officer remains unclear, but according to a Buffalo newspaper at the time, Captain William Brown was a member of General Jacob Brown's staff at Sackett's Harbor, as well as a brother of the General. The orders he carried included timely instructions for Harrison and Perry to embark as many soldiers as they could and land them so as to cut off the British stronghold at Burlington Heights. As many know, the American failure to follow up the capture of Fort George by capturing the steep heights at Burlington, at the western end of Lake Ontario, led to the loss of all their gains along the Niagara frontier, as well as the loss of Fort Schlosser, Niagara, and the burning of Buffalo.

Here's an account from the Buffalo newspaper:

On Tuesday last a schooner was discovered off Sturgeon Point, under bare poles, and evidently in distress. At 7 o'clock the schooner made the mouth of Buffalo Creek and anchored off---making signals of distress; having no pilot on board and the swells running too high for a boat to venture out to her relief, she lay at anchor until 11 o'clock, when the wind freshened, the schooner dragged her kedge anchor, (having lost the other) and beached 50 or 60 rods below Buffalo Creek. She proved to be the U. S. Schooner CHIPPEWA, captured from the British September 10th., Robert S. Tatem, master, who sailed from Put-In-Bay with baggage of the 27th. and 28th. Regiments U. S. Inf'y and some stores, and was bound to Malden; on the 10th. inst, within a few miles of the Detroit River, she parted with her anchor, in a storm (the sane as was felt at this place), and her sails blowing to pieces she became unmanageable, and it became necessary for the preservation of the lives of the crew, to heave overboard the baggage on deck, which was considerable, and belonged principally to the Officers of the 27th. Regt. The gale increased to such an degree, that it was with great difficulty that the schooner was kept above water. Many times during the way down, several of the crew inform us that the deck was frequently knee deep under water. The crew and passengers, consisting of about 40 persons, among whom, were three officers of the Army, and William Brown Esq., brother and aide of General Brown, at Sackett's harbor, who was on express from Sackett's harbor to Gen. Harrison; and melancholy to relate, fell a sacrifice to his imprudence, after suffering and escaping together with the rest of the crew, the fury of the storm; but a few minutes before the schooner beached, he, notwithstanding the most pressing entreaties of the officers on board, seized an oar and jumped overboard, probably fearing the vessel was going on the rocks, and thinking to reach the shore on the oar; but alas ! vain were his hopes, his strength was so far exhausted with the fatigues of the storm that he sank to rise no more. 

There was no person lost, except the gentleman above stated. The amount of property lost cannot be estimated, as the contents of most of the trunks which were lost were unknown to the officers. The vessel was very little injured, and will after undergoing some necessary repairs, the first fair wind proceed up the lake. 

The property in the hold was all preserved, although some damaged by the weather. 

      the Buffalo Gazette 

      Tuesday, October, 19, 1813 (quoted from Maritime History of the Great Lakes)

The interesting thing about the loss of the Chippewa is that there is an eyewitness account from the memoirs of  David Bunnell, whose account of the Battle of Lake Erie I posted last time.

After the battle on Lake Erie, three others and myself were embarked on board the schooner Chippewa, with orders to make the best of our way to Put-in-Bay. The prisoners had been previously sent on board the Niagara. We arrived at Put-in-Bay in the evening; the next day about ten o'clock, the whole sqaudron, with three prizes, came into the harbor. They were all in a shattered condition-- the Lawrence in particular, could scarcely float. The masts of the British vessels were so much shattered that they fell the first breeze.

I was ordered to remain on board the Chippewa, as second in command. She ran between Put-in-Bay and Detroit as a packet.--We made several trips--the last trip we made, we had on board forty soldiers and their officers. We proceeded to an island called the "Middle Sisters." I saw from the appearance of the weather, that we were going to have a S.W. gale, and requested the captain to remain for a while, but he refused, and we made sail and proceeded to the entrance of Malden river, but the wind was so dead ahead, that we could not get into it, and we came to anchor about three miles to the northward. About daylight the next morning, there sprang up a severe gale, and every thing around seemed to bid us prepare for a shipwreck. We thought by running down to an island called "Point-au-Plait," we could remain in safety--but on arriving, we found it impossible to run close enough to the island to enable us to get on shore, and our only alternative was to scud before the wind as long as we could find sea room. It blew almost a hurricane. I stood at the helm thirty hours--when I had become so fatigued--drenched with rain, and going without sleep--that I was compelled to give the helm to another, and take a little rest.

The violence of the waves had stove in our cabin windows, and we were obliged to stuff bed blankets in them to prevent the vessel from filling.

This was the third day of the gale, and I knew by the distance we had sailed, that we must be near the lower end of the lake. There was not a person on board that knew how to take the vessel over the rapids; consequently we concluded to come to anchor near the mouth of Buffalo creek, and remain until the next morning, and then get a pilot from the shore. We had only a small key anchor, weighing about 200 lbs. The gale had considerably abated, and so long as it should remain so, this anchor should be sufficient; and should it commence blowing with greater violence, before morning, we resolved to let her drag it until she should get below the reef, into the eddy, and then to land on Buffalo beach, which would be the means of saving all our lives, if not the vessel.

About twelve o'clock at night, the gale was renewed with greater violence than ever--the anchor, as we expected, did not hold ten minutes. As soon as the vessel began to drift, the Captain (who, by the bye, was more of an officer than a sailor,) was alarmed, and ordered the cable and mainmast to be cut. The latter would have endangered the lives of half on board, and the former would have run the vessel on Buffalo reef, where the sea was breaking higher than our mast-heads, and there would not have been, probably, a single soul saved.

In a moment I discovered our danger, and expostulated with the Captain; but it was in vain.

I knew my life, as well as those of all on board, was in iminent danger; and I saw no other alternative than to take the command myself. I represented our situation to the officers on board, who sanctioned my determination. I took a pistol in my hand, (which by the way was not loaded,) and threatened to shoot the first man who should disobey my orders. Wait, said I,  a few moments, and you shall all get on shore without wetting your feet. "I shall report you for a mutineer," threatened the Captain. I cannot help it, I replied; my life is dear to me, and I wish to preserve the lives of others on board.--There was a paymaster on board who did not put confidence enough in me to pay attention to what I told him, and when the vessel began to strike heavy, was so much frightened that he jumped overboard--we never saw him again--he was the only person that was either lost or hurt. In a few minutes, the vessel was drove upon the beach, about a quarter of a mile below Buffalo creek, and we all landed safe on shore, and the next morning I went to Buffalo, where I remained until Com. Perry and Admiral Barclay came down from Erie.