they knew they had to take lake champaign, but they had no ships, the lake does end in canada and up there on the river, they built a boat yard. and that boat yard then created a largest ship that has ever been on lake champaign. she was called the confiance. they converted them to british use and they had built one other. but now they needed the confiance because it would be stronger than the entire american fleet on the lake. there was an american fleet here and it was demanded by lieutenant then master commander, then commodore thomas mcdonough. he had to built his fleet here as well. they put together the americans. the american navy would then try to control the lake and keep the british north. that meant that there was a clash coming. they are really sitting ducks, just waiting for the british to come. they wanted to come south even earlier, they couldn't because the south winds coming up the lake kept them from sailing south. you got to wait until the wind are right. that's what the army and the navy are waying for. mcdonough doesn't have that problem, because he's waiting. th