Throughout the War of 1812, British forces targeted Lake Champlain as an invasion route. United States Navy Lieutenant Thomas Macdonough was able to confine them in the Richelieu River of Quebec throughout the summer of 1813. American shipbuilders spent the following winter, spring and summer feverishly building a United States Naval war fleet in Vergennes, Vermont. Macdonough's fleet was built none too soon as American General Alexander Macomb faced reinforced British forces gathering for a land invasion of Plattsburgh. On the morning of September 11, 1814, British Captain George Downie brought his warships around Cumberland Head to aid in the invasion and found Macdonough's warships already anchored upwind in the bay. The ensuing battle took place in close quarters which gave Macdonough's carronade-equipped vessels an advantage over the British ships' heavier guns. The battle lasted about two and a half hours and cost the lives of 143 men who were buried on nearby Crab Island. Its decisive outcome effectively ended the war.
