First published 2020
Matthew Calbraith Perry investigates the explosive controversy that erupted between Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and Captain Jesse Duncan Elliott after their joint victory at the Battle of Lake Erie. Perry assembles competing testimonies and military documents to trace how these former comrades became bitter enemies. The dispute centered on who deserved credit for the naval triumph that helped secure American victory in the War of 1812. Both officers leveled accusations of cowardice and neglect of duty against each other. Their public battle split the U.S. Navy into opposing camps and jeopardized both men's careers. Perry demonstrates how personal ambition and political scheming turned wartime allies into peacetime adversaries. The book exposes how concerns about honor and legacy tormented these naval officers years after their moment of shared triumph, illustrating the destructive power of ego within military institutions.
Genres: biography, non-fiction, military-history, 19th-century, naval-history, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers
Period: 19th-century
32 pages · Paperback · Wentworth Press