gf 4948 Miscellaneous - Oliver Hazard Perry statue - Eisenhower Park - Newport - Among the most famous of Rhode Island's naval heroes were the brothers Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Oliver, the elder of the two, was born in South Kingstown. In 1813 he led a group of volunteers, including many Rhode Islanders, to the shores of Lake Erie where they built a fleet of ships and defeated the British fleet stationed there. The battle was a decisive one in bringing the War of 1812 to a close and was probably the last of the major encounters between wooden sailing ships. Oliver's statue stands in Eisenhower Park in the center of Newport's ancient Washington Square. Matthew, who fought in the War of 1812 as a young man, achieved renown later for his bombardment of Vera Cruz during the Mexican War. His greatest accomplishment, however, was in negotiating the treaty which opened Japan to world trade in 1854. A leader in the development of steam powered vessels, Matthew has been called the Father of the Steam Navy. His statue stands in Newport, the place of his birth, in Touro Park.