On the Lakes 113 



western bank of Lake Champlain. This advance 

 was impracticable unless there was a sufficiently 

 strong British naval force to drive back the Ameri 

 can squadron at the same time. Accordingly, the 

 British began to construct a frigate, the Confiance, 

 to be added to their already existing force, which 

 consisted of a brig, two sloops, and 12 or 14 gun 

 boats. The Americans already possessed a heavy 

 corvette, a schooner, a small sloop, and 10 gunboats 

 or row-galleys ; they now began to build a large brig, 

 the Eagle,, which was launched about the i6th of 

 August. Nine days later, on the 25th, the Confiance 

 was launched. Trie two squadrons were equally de 

 ficient in stores, etc.; the Confiance having locks to 

 her guns, some of which could not be used, while 

 the American schooner Ticonderoga had to fire her 

 guns by means of pistols flashed at the touch-holes 

 (like Barclay on Lake Erie). Macdonough and 

 Downie were hurried into action before they had 

 time to prepare themselves thoroughly; but it was 

 a disadvantage common to both, and arose from 

 the nature of the case, which called for immediate 

 action. The British army advanced slowly toward 

 Plattsburg, which was held by General Macomb 

 with less than 2,000 effective American troops. Cap 

 tain Thomas Macdonough, the American commo 

 dore, took the lake a day or two before his antogo- 

 nist, and came to anchor in Plattsburg harbor. The 



