Of all the struggles that took place along the border between the British provinces in Canada and the United States during the War of 1812, probably the most significant was the battle for the control of Lake Ontario. The lake was a key element both for the invaders and the defending British and both nations threw men and materia into feverish efforts to build vessels with which to gain mastery of the waterway. This narrative features battles and raids, shipwrecks, chases and blockades, the treachery of egoists and the bravery of heroes.