born Aug. 20, 1785, South Kingston, R.I., U.S.
died Aug. 23, 1819, at sea
U.S. naval officer.
The older brother of Matthew Perry , he entered the navy in 1799 and served in the West Indies and the Mediterranean. In 1813 he was ordered to Erie, Pa., to assemble a naval squadron to challenge British control of the Great Lakes in the War of 1812 . With 10 small ships, he engaged six British warships in Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813). After his flagship was disabled, he was rowed to the Niagara , from which he won the battle by sailing directly into the British line, firing broadside. In reporting the British surrender he wrote, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."