Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is trying to catch up on some reading today. He’s had to miss some regular visits to blogs he likes. He’s also fallen behind on general “news” reading.

But in a category that isn’t “news” or “blogging” we have a little historical note…

Today is the 195th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. In the battle, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a squadron of the Royal Navy under Commander Robert Barclay. After the battle Commodore Perry send the famous dispatch reading “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” to General William Henry Harrison. (NB: Your Maximum Leader knew about the dispatch, but he didn’t know that it was sent to Wm Henry Harrison - fun fact.)

Thanks to our friend Polymath for pointing out this anniversary. And while we are thanking him, we need to point out the always interesting link he provided in his post. This link shows a 1998 live fire exercise staged to demonstrate the fire taken by Perry’s flagship the USS Lawrence. The live fire exercise is pretty incredible to watch. Your Maximum Leader has seen similar demonstrations on film. They always give him the heebie-geebies when you try and imagine what the battle must have been like for the sailors involved. Just when you have in your mind what the Battle of Lake Erie must have been like; then try to get your mind around a major engagement like Trafalgar. It adds a certain visual nature to a Patrick O’Brien book…

Carry on.