Then, Tecumseh would have his warriors appear out in the open where the Americans could see them, then they would disappear into the forest, then to appear again in a different spot. These tactics unnerved some of the American officers and especially William Hull.
Hull was past his prime as a field commander and despite his junior officers urging him to fight, decided to surrender. This especially after British General Brock (the Brock in my sign-off "Brock-Perry) had told Hull that if it came to a fight between the two forces, that he couldn't guarantee American safety from his bloodthirsty Indian allies.
Some say that Hull had his daughter in the fort as well and that he greatly feared for her safety.
Either way, Hull surrendered Fort Detroit, which opened Lake Erie up to British control. With it in their control, they also held sway over upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
A year later, the war took a different course in September 1813, when a pivotal battle took place on the lake. That battle's hero has something to do with the second half of my sign-off.
Covered in Next Post. --Brock-Perry
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