James Lawrence

James Lawrence ( born October 1, 1781 Burlington, New Jersey, † June 4, 1813 ) was an American naval officer.

Life

James Lawrence grew up in Woodbury. In 1798 he was a midshipman at the United States Navy. He served on ships in the Caribbean and in 1802 lieutenant. In 1803 he took on the USS Enterprise in a successful attack on an enemy ship part. Then he worked on various ships and in 1810 "Master Commandant ". In 1813 he became captain. He commanded the USS Chesapeake in the British -American War. The ship was prevented in 1813 by a British vessel from sailing in Boston Harbor. It came to a fight. Here, Lawrence was severely wounded. As he was dying, he called the officers to "give the ship is not on! " Although the ship was boarded and Lawrence died, he became a hero, because what happened was his friend Oliver Hazard Perry reported. He wrote the sentence on a flag, which he in a victorious naval battle mitführte 1813 on Lake Erie and is now on display in a memorial hall in the United States Naval Academy. Lawrence left behind a wife and daughter and was initially buried in Halifax, but reburied City to New York.

He got as an award the Golden Congressional Medal of Honor. Several places were named after him, including Lawrenceville, Georgia, Lawrenceville, New Jersey and also some warships. The USS Lake Erie used his last words as a motto saying.