Yarnall Hall

John Joliffe Yarnall (1786-1815), born in Wheeling, West Virginia, entered the US Navy as a midshipman in 1809 and performed blockade duties during the Napoleonic Wars before serving as first lieutenant on Commodore Perry's flagship Lawrence at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Wounded in the battle, he refused to leave his post, and when Perry transferred his command to the Niagara, Yarnall took command of the battered Lawrence. He was later wounded again during the Second Barbary Wars, and on the return voyage home his ship, the Epervier, was lost at sea with all hands on July 14, 1815.

Penn State Erie (Behrend), Pennsylvania · United States