OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Ohio in war of 1812 - Part 18
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
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Historical Collections of Ohio
The Kelley Family Collections
Newspaper article, Plains Dealer
compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925
And Then They Went West
by Darlene E. Kelley  1998
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War of 1812 -- Part 18

Dr Usher Parsons was one of the American physicians in Perry's fleet.
His account of the battle and its aftermath was published in the New
England Journel of Medicine, October, 1818. Besides being an exciting
and interesting account it is one of the few written by physicians
concerning any of the United States'  early wars.
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Our force employed in
this action consisted of nine vessels with about six hundred officers
and men, and had been out of port four weeks, either cruising or lying
at anchor in Put-In-Bay, a safe harbour among a cluster of islands near
the head of the lake. The crews left port in good health, but shortly
after we were visited wth an epidemic, which spread through the fleet,
attacking about twenty to thirty in a day. It answered the description
of  bilious remittent fever, was short of duration, except in a few
instances, in which it degenerated into a typhus, and in only one
instance proved fatal. So rapid were the recoveries, that, above two
hundred cases, only seventy eight were reported unfit for duty on the
day previous to the action. Thirty one of these were on board the
LAWRENCE and about the same number on board of the NIAGARA, their whole
crews being about one hundred and forty men each.

About 12 o'clock, on a clear pleasant day, we met the enemy. The action
soon became general and was severly felt; especially on board the
LAWRENCE, the flag ship; two of the enemies largest vessels engaging
her, at a short distance, for nearly two hours; part of which time the
men fell on board of her faster than they could be taken below. The
vessel being shallow built afforded no cock-pit or place of shelter for
the wounded; they therefore received on the ward room floor, which was
about on a level with the surface of the water. Being only nine or ten
feet square, this floor was soon covered, which made it necessary to
pass the wounded out into another apartment, as fast as the bleeding
could be stanched either by ligatures or tourniquet. Indeed this was all
that was attempted for their benefit during the engagement, except that
in some instances division was made of a small portion of flesh, by
which a dangling limb that annoyed the patient, was hanging from the
body. Several, after receiving this treatment, were again wounded, among
whom was midshipman Lamb, who was moving from me with a tourniquet on
the arm when he received a cammonball in the chest; and a seaman brought
down with both arms fractured, was struck by a cannonball in the chest;
and a seaman brought down with both arms fractured, was afterwards
struck by cannonball in both lower extremities.

An hour's engagment had so far swept the deck, that new appeals for
surgical aid were less frequent; a remission at this time , very
desireable both to the wounded and myself; for the repeated request of
the Commodore, to spare him another an had taken me the last one I had
to assist in moving the wounded, in fact many of the wounded themselves
took the deck again at this critical moment. Our prospects neverless
darkened, every new visitor from the deck bring tidings still more
dismal than the last, till finally it was announced that we had struck.
The effect of this on the wounded was distressing in the extreme;
medical aid was rejected and a little else could be heard from them than
" sink the ship"-- "let us all sink together". But this state of despair
was short. The Commodore, who was still unhurt, had gone on board the
NIAGARA and, with the small vessels bearing down upon the enemy, soon
brought down the flags of their two heaviest ships, and thus changed the
horrors of defeat into shouts of victory. But all the wounded were not
permitted to mingle in the joy. The gallent Brooks, and some others were
no more. They were much to exhausted by their wounds, to survive the
confusions that immediately preceded this happy transition.

This action terminated shortly after three o'clock and, of about one
hundred men reported fit for duty in the morning, twenty one were found
dead, and sixty three wounded. The wounded arteries occupied my first
attention, all which, except where amputation was required, were
rendered secure before dark. Having no assistant 
[the surgeon on board with me being very sick] I deemed it safer to
defer amputating till morning, and in the mean time suffered the
touniquets to remain on the limbs. Nothing more was done through the
night than to administer opiates and preserve shattered limbs in a
uniform position. At daylight a subject was on the table for amputation
of the thigh, and at eleven o'clock all amputations were finsihed. The
impatience of this class of the wounded, to meet the operation, rendered
it necessary to take them in the same succession in which they fell. The
compound and simple fractures were next to attend to, then luxations,
lacerations, and contusions, which all occupied my time till twelve
o'clock at night.

The day following I visited the wounded of the NIAGARA, who had lain
till that time with their wounds undressed. I found the surgeon sick in
bed with hands too feeble to execute the dictates of a feeling heart.
Twenty one wounded were mustered, most of whom were taken on board the
LAWRENCE and dressed, and afterwards such as were lying in like manner
on board the small vessels. In the course of the evening the sick were
prescribed for, which was the first attention I had been able to render
them since the action.

The whole number of wounded in the squadron was ninety six. Of these,
twenty five were cases of compound fracture; viz; of the arm, six; of
the thigh, four; of the leg, eight; of the shoulder, three; of the ribs,
three; and skull, one. Of simple fractures, there were four cases; viz.
of the thigh, leg, arm, and ribs. Grapeshot wounds, large and small were
thirty seven. There were two cases of concussion of the brain; three of
the chest, and two of the pelvis. The contusions, large and small, were
ten, and sprains, six.

Of the whole number, three died; viz; Midshipman Claxton with compound
fractures of the shoulder, in which part of the clavicle, scalpula, and
humerus was carried away; a seaman with a mortification of the lower
extremity, in which there had ben a compound fracture, and another
fracture of the skull, where a part of the cerebral substance was
destroyed.  

The compound fractures of the extremities were much retarded in their
cure, by the frequent displacement of the bones, by the motion of the
ship in rough weather, or by some other unlucky disturbance of the limb.
In this way the bones in one case did not unite, until after forty days
had elapsed, and in two or three cases, not until after twenty five
days. The delay of  amputations already mentioned had no effect on the
success of the operations. Every case did well.

There were not more than two singular wounds, or such as would be
unlikely to occur in any sea engagement. In one of these cases a
grapeshot four times as large as a musketball, passed under the
pyramidal muscle, without injuring the peritoneum. In the other, a
cannister shot twice the size of a musketball entered the eye, and on
the fifth or sixth day was detected at the inside angle of the lower jaw
and cut out. In its passage it must have fractured the orbitar sphenoid
bone, and passing under the temporal arch, inside the coronal process of
the lower jaw, must have done great injury to the temporal muscle, and
other soft parts, lying in its way.

The recovery of so great a proportion of the wounded may in a great
measure be attributed to the following causes; first to the purity of
the air. The patients were ranged along the upper deck, with no other
shelter from the weather than a high awning to shade them. They
continued in this situation for a fortnight, and when  taken on shore,
were placed in very spacious apartments, well ventilated. Secondly, to
the supply of food best adapted to their cases, as fowls, fresh meat,
milk and eggs and vegetables in abundance. The second day of action, the
farmers on the Ohio shore brought along side every article of the above
description, that could be desired. Thirdly, to the happy state of mind
which victory occasioned. The observations which I have been able to
make on the wounded of these engagements have convinced me that this
state of mind has greater effect than has generally been supposed; and
that the surgeon on the conquering side will always be more sucessful,
then the one, who has charge of the vanquished crew. Lastly, to the
assistance rendered me by Commodore Perry and Mr. Davidson. The latter
getleman was a volunteer soldier among the Kentucky troops and engaged
to serve on board the fleet during the action. After the action he
rendered the wounded every aid in his power, continuing with them three
months, And the Commodore seemed quite as solicitious for their welfare
as he could be possibly felt for the success of the battle.
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More to follow--