Oliver Hazard Perry survived the Battle of Lake Erie and a pistol duel at Weehawken, only to die of yellow fever on his 34th birthday during a diplomatic mission in Venezuela. This episode traces his life from going to sea at 13 to his court-martial after the wreck of the Revenge, and his assignment to build a fleet from scratch at Presque Isle in the War of 1812.

On September 10, 1813, Perry’s flagship Lawrence was shattered, so he rowed half a mile through enemy fire to the Niagara and broke the British line. His message, We have met the enemy and they are ours, made him a legend. The episode then explores his feud with Jesse Elliott, the duel with John Heath, and the mission up the Orinoco that removed him from Washington politics.

• How the 1811 wreck of the Revenge tested Perry’s crisis leadership
• Building a freshwater fleet and Perry’s study of Horatio Nelson’s tactics
• The Don’t Give Up the Ship flag and the transfer from the Lawrence to the Niagara
• Why Jesse Elliott held back and how the feud escalated
• How the victory protected the Ohio Valley and led to the Battle of the Thames