The Robert E. Lee and the Natchez were luxurious passenger steamboats that were set to race from New Orleans to St. Louis in a fierce competition. Captain Leathers on the Natchez seemed to have the faster boat, but Captain Cannon of the Lee had a few tricks up his sleeve to try to give him an advantage—one that he knew he would need. Both boats were racing toward the finish line, their boilers red hot, their paddlewheels churning the Mississippi River furiously. Who would win?