Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/306

 i^ERRY

PERRY

attempted to escape were pursued and captured by the Scorjiion and Trippe. and after securing liis prisoners and manning tiie prizes, Perry dis- patched a letter to General Harrison in these words: "We have met the enemy and they are ours: Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop." Later a second letter to Secretary of the Navy Jones informed the country of the victory. The British luss was over one hundred and sixty men killed and wounded, while Perry lost twenty- seven killed and ninety-six wounded. He was commissioned post captain in the navy; present- ed with the thanks of congress, a sword and a gold medal, with a set of silver by the city of Boston, and was voted thanks by other cities. He co-operated with the army of General Harrison in the invasion of Canada and took an impor- tant part, as commander of the fleet and of the naval battalion on land in the battle of the Thames, Oct. o. 1813, where the British troops were almost entirely annihilated and the great Indian chief, Tecumseh. was killed. He partlc- pated in the defence of Baltimore, and commanded the frigate Java in the Mediterranean squadron under Stephen Decatur during the operations against Algiers in 1815-18. He was promoted commodore and placed in command of the naval station in the "West Indies in 1819, and during the service fell a victim to the yellow fever. His remains were interred at Port Spain, but were later removed to Newport, in a ship of war, and buried there, Dec. 4, 1826. A granite obelisk was erected to his memory by the state of Rhode Island; a marble statue was unveiled in Cleve- land, Oliio. in September,1860, and a bronze statue by William G. Turner, erected by the citizens of Newport, R.I., was unveiled opposite his old home, Sept. 10. 1885. The state of Ohio presented to the capitol at Washington pictures of the " Battle of Lake Erie •' and of " Perry leaving the Lawrence for the Niagara.'' His name received twenty-six votes for a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York universit}', Octo- ber. 1900. He died on board his ship off Port of Spain. Trinidad. W.I., Aug. 23, 1819.

PERRY, Thomas, naval officer, was born in Elmira. N.Y.. May 26. 18-14; son of Guy Maxwell and Elizabeth (Taylor) Perry; grandson of Thom- as Miflin and Elizabeth (Konkle) Perry and a descendant of John Konkle, the first settler of Elmira, N.Y. He was graduated from the U.S. Naval academy, September, 1865; was promoted ensign, Dec. 1, 1866; master. Marcli 12. 1868; lieutenant, March 26, 1869; lieutenant-com- mander, Nov. 6, 1881; commander, Jan. 10, 1802, and captain, June 11. 1899. During the Sjianish war he was in command of the Lancaster, flag- ship, at the base of supplies. Key AVest. Fia. He was naval secretary of the light-hou.se board.

1899-1901, and April 1, 1901, was placed in com- mand of the U.S. battleship loica, flagship on the Pacific station, which vessel became flagshi]) on the Sontii .\tlantic station in 1902, being trans- ferred from the Pacific station in Februar}- of that year.

PERRY, Thomas Sergeant, author, was born in Newport, R.I., Jan. 23, 1845; son of Christo- pher Grant and Frances (Sergeant) Perry: grand- son of Oliver Hazard and Elizabeth Ciiami)lin (Mason) Perr}' and of Judge Thomas and Sarah (Bache) Sergeant; and a descendant of Edward and Mary (Freeman) Perry, Plymouth, Mass., 1635, and on his mother's side, of Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Sergeant was judge of the supreme court of Pennsylvania. Tliomas Ser- geant Perry was graduated from Harvard A.B., 1866, A.M., 1869; studied in Paris and Berlin, 1866-68; was a tutor in German at Harvard. 1868- 72; instructor in English, 1877-81, and lecturer on English literature, 1881-82. He was married April 9, 1874, to Lilla, daughter of Dr. Samuel Cabot of Boston, Mass. In 1898 he became pro- fessor of English literature in the College Keio- gijuku, in Tokyo, Japan. He was editor of the North American Review, 1872-74, and of Life and Letters of Francis Lieber (1882); English Lit- erature in the Eighteenth Century (1873); and is the author of: From Opitz to Lessing (1884); The Evolution of the Snob (1888); History of Greek Literature (1888) and occasional translations from French and German.

PERRY, William Flake, soldier and educator, was born in Jackson county, Ga., March 12. 1823; son of Hiram and Nancy (Flake) Perry, and a descendant of Edward Perry, who came from Devonshire, England, to Sandwich, Mass., in 1653. His parents removed to Alabama in 1834, and he attended Brownwood institute, Lagrange, Ga., 1841-43. He conducted a prosperous high school in Talladega, Ala., 1848-53, and in 1851 married to Ellen Douglass, daughter of George P. Brown and niece of Judge William P. Chilton (q.v). He read law under Judge Chilton and was licensed to practice in 1854. In February, 1854. he was elected superintendent of education for Alabama, which office he resigned in 1858 to become ])re- sident of the East Alabama female college, Tusk- egee. He joined the Confederate army as a . major of the 44th Alabama regiment. Col. James Kent, in 1862; reached Richmond with the regiment in June, 1862, and was assigned to W^righfs brigade. Longstreet's corjis. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in August, 1862, and colonel in September as successor to Colonel Derby who had been killed at Sharpsburg. In October his regiment, with the 4th. 15th, 47th and 48th Alabama regiments, formed Gen. E. M. Law's brigade of Hood's division. Colonel Perry