We have met the enemy, and they are ours

A message sent from the naval Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, announcing a victory for the United States. The naval commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, addressed the words to the American land armies.

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Example Sentences

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He is remembered as the Hero of Lake Erie for defeating the British navy in 1813, famously reporting: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

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“Don’t give up the ship” and “We have met the enemy and they are ours” entered the American lexicon.

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His laconic dispatch, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours," is modestly exultant.

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It is said that when Commodore Perry wrote, "We have met the enemy and they are ours," after his memorable victory on Lake Erie, that one hundred sharpshooters from Kentucky had aided in the capture.

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We have met the enemy and they are ours.

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Wegener We have met the enemy, and they are us

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