by John Marshall

“ Manned as the squadron was, with not more than fifty British seamen, the rest a mixture of Canadians and soldiers, who were totally unacquainted with such service, rendered the loss of officers more sensibly felt, and never in any action was the loss more severe; every officer commanding a vessel, and his second, was either killed, or wounded so severely as to be unable to keep the deck. ”

“ Sir,– I have the honor to transmit you an account of the termination of the late unfortunate battle with the enemy’s squadron.
“On coming on the quarter-deck, after your being wounded, the enemy’s second brig, at that time on our weather beam, shortly afterwards took a position on our weather bow to rake us; to prevent which, in attempting to wear, to get our starboard broadside to bear upon her, a number of the larboard guns being then disabled, we fell on board the Queen Charlotte, running up to leeward of us, and in this situation the two ships remained for some time. ”

“ Captain Barclay proceeded to Amherstburg, where he arrived with only four commissioned officers and nineteen seamen, about the middle of June, at which time the enemy’s naval force on Lake Erie consisted of seven vessels, all well equipped and manned, under the orders of Captain Oliver Hazard Perry, of the United States navy. ”

“ The following authentic statement will place the superiority of the enemy beyond a doubt:
The guns of the Caledonia, and of all the American schooners, were mounted on pivots; the broadside weight of metal on the part of the enemy was consequently 928 pounds, – on that of the British only 478. The former had at least 580 picked men; the latter not more than 345 persons of every description.
Early in September, 1813, Captain Barclay received a small draught of seamen from the Dover troop-ship, then in the river St. Lawrence ”

“ Such were the motives which induced Major-General Proctor (whom by your instructions I was directed to consult, and whose wishes I was enjoined to execute, as far as related to the good of the country) to concur in the necessity of a battle being risked, notwithstanding the many disadvantages under which I laboured ”

“ Bompart, near the coast of Ireland, Oct. 12th following ; at the capture of la Loire frigate, on the 18th of the same month [1] ; at the landing of arms, &c. for the royalists on the coast of la Vendee, in 1799; at the capture of a French letter of marque, a privateer of 18 guns and 194 men, two large Spanish gun-vessels, and seven sail of merchantmen (the latter taken under the batteries between Tariffa and Algeziras) in 1800; and at the capture of la Furie French privateer, April 13th, 1801 [2] .
Mr. Barclay passed his examination at Malta, in Dec. 1804 ”