These cannons served aboard ships in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. After this 1813 American victory, Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry sent his commander the famous message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." It was the first time an entire British fleet had been captured, and the victory secured increased control of the Great Lakes region for the United States. After the battle, the fleet was decommissioned. By 1863, these two cannons were being used along a Detroit River wharf, upended as bollards to secure ships. They were recovered in 1874 and placed in front of Detroit's old City Hall. When that building was demolished in 1961, the cannons were moved to the new Dossin Great Lakes Museum. The longer barrel to the east is a 24-pound gun, deadly at distances up to a quarter mile, while the stout gun to the west is a 32-pound carronade most effective at close range. The numbers refer to the weight of cannonball each fired. The barrel of the long gun weighs about 2.75 tons. Although designed for land-based fort defense, both British and American fleets used such weapons as naval guns on the frontier because they lacked other options.