Naval Heroes of the War of 1812

Naval Heroes of the War of 18 12. Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama. The six streets which cross Dexter Avenue between Court Square and the State Capitol are named for Oliver Hazard Perry, James Lawrence, Thomas Macdonough, Issac Hull, Stephen Decatur and William Bainbridge, all naval officers of the War of 18 12. Perry commanded American forces on Lake Erie in the War of 18 12. There he won a decisive victory over the British on September 10, 1813, which gave control of the Great Lakes to the United States. Lawrence was captain of the frigate Chesapeake which engaged the British Navy frigate Shannon in a fierce battle on June 1, 1813. Mortally wounded by small arms fire, he ordered "Don't give up the ship!" as he was carried below. Macdonough commanded the American naval forces that defeated the British Navy at the Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814, forcing the British to retreat to Canada, a move which contributed to ending the war., Hull commanded the American frigate Constitution when she engaged and defeated the British frigate Guerriere and won for the Constitution the name "Old Ironsides" because she came out of the action with so little injury. Decatur commanded the United States when, on October 25, 1812, she engaged and captured the British frigate Macedonian. Bainbridge commanded the frigate Constitution when she took to sea on the second of her War of 18 12 cruises, and destroyed the British frigate Java in battle on December 29, 1812. All six men were elected to honorary membership in the Society of the Cincinnati in recognition of their heroism at sea. This marker was placed by the Society of the Cincinnati, the nation's oldest patriotic organization, founded by George Washington and his officers at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.