Through Water, Ice & Fire: Schooner Nancy of the War of 1812

by Barry M. Gough

The schooner Nancy, legendary vessel of Great Lakes and Canadian history, lived a thousand lives in a noted career that began in Detroit and ended in a fiery explosion in Nottawasaga River in the last year of the War of 1812.

This dramatic, soundly researched narrative depicts the reality of the men who sailed her while fighting a gritty war. Carrying the war to the enemy in hazardous ways, they fought against a powerful American foe, using stealth and daring to maintain the besieged Canadian position in the last armed struggle for the heartland of North America. The loss of the Nancy inspired generations to regard her as a symbol of devotion to king and country.

Genres: Naval History

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

BARRY GOUGH was professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario until retirement in 2004. An expert on the maritime history of the Pacific Ocean, he has published widely on Anglo-Canadian naval subjects.

Reviews

[Maxwell Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling!

'Through Water, Ice, and Fire: Schooner Nancy of the War of 1812' covered the ship's long and adventurous life, starting off as a trading vessel in the Great Lakes and ending as a scuttled warship in Nottawasaga. In addition, the book covered the naval aspect of the war, conversations and personal stories of crewmembers, and the recovery of the wreck of the Nancy near Wasaga Beach, ON.

I recommend this book if you are interested in Canadian history, US history, the navy, and the War of 1812.

[Colm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun read. Before the War of 1812, the Nancy was a Northwest Company vessel used in the lucrative fur trade in the Upper Lakes. By late-1813 following Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie she was the only ship on the Upper Lakes sailing under the Union Jack. This book by Barry Gough, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, tells of daring heroism in preserving this little shipping schooner that was so crucial to the survival of the Michilimackinac garrison, as well as of her demise and subsequent avenging with the capture of the two American gunboats Tigress and Scorpion off St. Joseph's Island. Despite the sweat poured and blood spilled, Michilimackinac was returned to American hands following the end of the war in early-1815. The Nancy and her feats are immortalised in the Nancy Island Historic Site museum, where her charred ribs are preserved. I recommend this to anyone interested in the War of 1812, or anyone looking for a quick Great Lakes Age of Sail adventure.