Siege of Detroit

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Detroit frontier
Tippecanoe – Maguaga – Fort Dearborn – Detroit – Fort Harrison – Fort Wayne – Mississinewa – Frenchtown – Fort Meigs – Fort Stephenson – Lake Erie – Thames – Longwoods – Mackinac Island – Lake Huron

Detroit frontier
Tippecanoe – Maguaga – Fort Dearborn – Detroit – Fort Harrison – Fort Wayne – Mississinewa – Frenchtown – Fort Meigs – Fort Stephenson – Lake Erie – Thames – Longwoods – Mackinac Island – Lake Huron

For the 1763 action in Pontiac's Rebellion, see the Siege of Fort Detroit

The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was a humiliating loss for the Americans early in the War of 1812. The battle cost the Americans an entire army and brought to a halt the planned invasion of Canada, which was an essential part of the American war strategy.

General Isaac Brock commanded all British forces in Upper Canada. Opposing him at Detroit was American General William Hull, an aging veteran of the American Revolutionary War. When Fort Mackinac fell to the British early in 1812, Brock's confidence was strengthened to launch a campaign against Detroit, even though his forces were far smaller than Hull's and consisted mostly of militia. Brock was able to gather some 100 regulars and 300 militia, and personally left his headquarters at York to reinforce the troops already on the frontier and lead the attack against Hull.

General Hull had 2,500 troops. Like Brock's force they were mostly militia (from Ohio and Michigan), with the regular 4th U.S. Infantry. Hull had plans to launch a campaign against the British forces at Fort Amherstburg but on hearing of the loss of Fort Mackinac and Brock's bold movement towards him, Hull retreated into Fort Detroit. Some of Hull's officers disagreed with this retreat, and secretly discussed removing him from command.

In early August Brock arrived outside Detroit with an additional 200 Native American warriors under the leadership of the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. On August 15 Brock began bombarding the Americans inside the fort. In an attempt to deceive the Americans into believing there were more British than there actually were, Brock instituted a number of simple changes in discipline. For instance, troops were told to light individual fires, instead of one fire per unit, thereby creating the illusion of a much larger army. Likewise his troops were marched in plain sight of the defenses then quickly marched off and duck behind entrenchments, where they would join the front of the queue again. The same was done for meals, where the line would dump their beans into a hidden pot, then walk to the front to pick them up again where they could be seen. To the observing U.S. forces, it appeared long lines of troops were waiting just out of their sight. He also gave his militia uniforms of regular army soldiers to make Hull believe most of the British force were regulars. Tecumseh's warriors did likewise, and made loud warcries.

Brock sent a message to Hull that included an unmistakable threat of massacre:

"The force at my disposal authorizes me to require of you the immediate surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my intention to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware, that the numerous body of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond control the moment the contest commences…"

Brock's plan worked better than he believed it would. Hull despaired of holding out against a force of seemingly thousands of British regulars, and, hearing the Indian warcries, began to fear a slaughter. Women and children, including his own daughter and grandchild, still resided within the fort. Against the advice of his subordinates, Hull hoisted a white flag of surrender. He sent messengers to Brock asking three days to agree on terms of surrender. Brock replied he would allow him 3 hours. Hull surrendered his entire force along with 35 cannon and 2,500 muskets. Two large detachments in the area were even surrendered.

The surrender of Hull's army was a great victory for the British, since it completely thwarted the U.S. strategy of invading the Canadian provinces. It raised the morale of the population and militia of Upper Canada. The British gained an important post on American territory and won control over Michigan Territory and the Detroit region for most of the war. The Americans would not regain the upper hand on this front until the U.S. victory at the Battle of Lake Erie and the successful invasion of Canada launched by Hull's successor, General William Henry Harrison.

Brock emerged as a hero and Tecumseh's influence was strengthened. Brock left Colonel Henry Procter in command at Detroit and went to repulse an American invasion at the Battle of Queenston Heights, which would claim the general's life. Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames. General Hull was court martialled and sentenced to death for his actions at Detroit, but he was pardoned by President James Madison in recognition of his honorable service in the American Revolution.

Sources

J. Mackay Hitsman, The Incredible War of 1812, Robin Brass Studio, 1999, ISBN 1896941133
John R. Elting, Amateurs to Arms, Da Capo Press, New York, 1995, ISBN 0306806533

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