War of 1812 Cannons

War of 18 12 Cannons. . These cannons were used aboard ships in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 18 12. After this 1813 American victory, Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry sent the famous message to his commander, "We have met the enemy and they are ours.” It was the first time that an entire British fleet had been captured, and it secured increased control of the Great Lakes region for the United States., After the Battle of Lake Erie, the fleet was decommissioned. In 1863 these two cannons were being used along a Detroit River wharf, upended as bollards to secure ships. They were recovered and placed in front of Detroit's old City Hall in 1874. When the building was demolished in 1961, the cannons were brought to the new Dossin Great Lakes Museum., The longer barrel to the east is a 24-pound gun, deadly at distances up to a quarter mile. The stout gun to the west is a 32-pound carronade, most effective at close range. The numbers refer to the weight of cannon ball that each fired. The barrel of the long gun weighs about 2.75 tons., Fact - These cannons were designed for land-based fort defense, but lacking other options on the frontier, both British and American fleets used them as naval guns.