AUGUST 4-5, 1814: Fort Mackinac was commanded by Lt.-Col. Robert McDouall who had arrived that spring with reinforcements. As part of American Arthur Sinclair's expedition that sailed from Detroit to recapture that post, Lt-Col. George Croghan commanded a force of 700 regulars and Ohio militia, almost twice the strength of the British force at Mackinac.
Once at the post the Americans could not bring their vessels' guns to bear on the fortification, located on a height of land and therefore landed their troops at the far side of the island to lure McDouall into open combat.
Unable to breech the strong British defensive position established by McDouall on the edge of a clearing, Croghan's botched attack suffered heavy casualties.
The Americans withdrew to Detroit, ending Sinclair's upper Great Lakes Expedition.
--Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
No comments:
Post a Comment