It has been a little more than three months since the naval battle between the U.S.S. Chesapeake and the British H.M.S. Shannon. Now Midshipman Nate Lawton has been sent to Lake Erie to help man the rough frontier fleet built by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.

To his initial delight, Nate finds that a shortage of officers places him in a much higher position than his limited experience would normally bring. The fortunes of war catapult him to an even higher rank: the acting first lieutenant of a brig of war. But command has its price. Nate’s captain is unwilling to pay it, and he uses Nate as a scapegoat for the dirty work. The captain thinks nothing of bending the truth to glorify his own career and to ruin Nate if he speaks out. Now Nate is caught between the rocks of naval discipline and the shoals of his superior officer’s unbending ambition, and he must decide what to do.

This is an excellent novel about the Battle of Lake Erie, with accurate details about the ships and the battle.

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