How the Horrors of the River Raisin Became a Rallying Cry-- Part 2: The Surrender of Detroit and the Michigan Territory

American mobilization continued as Brigadier General William Hull, commander of U.S. forces in theOld Northwest -- accompanied by 1,200 Ohio militia and 200 regular soldiers -- arrived in Detroit on July 5, 1812, and began preparations for the attack.

Invasion of British-held present-day Ontario began on July 12.  While Hull assailed the British at Fort Amherstburg, a small British force surrounded and took control of the unaware U.S. garrison at Fort Mackinac.

Hull, unable to hold the captured Fort Amherstburg and protect an overextended supply line that stretched back to Ohio, returned to Detroit in the first week of August.

Hull surrendered Detroit and the entire Michigan Territory on August 16 after a siege by the British and Native warriors.  Hull did this, knowing that more Native warriors were on their way from the upper Great Lakes, and that he was cut off from American support assembling at the River Raisin close to the Ohio border.

--Brock-Perry

Three 'Dirty Tricks' The British Pulled at Detroit-- Part 3: What About the Indians?

3.  BROCK PLAYED ON THE AMERICAN FEAR OF INDIANS

The British-Canadian  force opposing the Americans at Fort Detroit had an additional 600 native warriers under their leader Tecumseh.  Captured dispatches from the fort showed  that the Americans were alarmed by that large number of natives.  

Furthermore, Brock sent a message that he allowed to be intercepted saying that his food reserves were running low because he had 5,000 Indians with him.  The Americans then believed that he had 5,000 Indians in addition to his force.

So, when Brock sent a surrender demand to William Hull, he played up the Indian strength and further frightened the Americans saying:  "It is far from my intention to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware, that the numerous Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond ontrol the moment the contest commences."

From my readings on the Detroit surrender, it would seem that the main person worried about the Indians was William Hull, but he was the one with thea authority to fight or surrender, and we know what he did.

--Brock-Perry

Three 'Dirty' Tricks the British Used on Hull at Detroit-- Part 2: Hull Court-Martialed

They also got the arms and weapons the Americans had in Fort Detroit.  And because of the stunning victory, Indian ally Tecumseh was able to rally even more Indians to his anti-American side and Brock was then able to thtreaten upstate New York.

William Hull was court-martialed and sentenced to death for the surrender, but the sentence was commuted by President James Madison.

Here are the three "dirty" tactics British General Isaac Brock used to cower Revolutionary War veteran William Hull:

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1.  THEY USED OLD BRITISH UNIFORMS

The total number of  British forces attacking Fort Detroit was around 1,330 and the bulk of Brock's forces were militia members, not the vaunted British regulars that might make the Americans think twice about attacking (or even defending).

He did have some 300 British regulars, but not enough to get the psychological  effect he wanted, so he used old, cast-off coats of regulars.  He dressed his Essex militiamen in as many red British uniforms as he could find.  This made it appear to the Americans that he had more regulars than he actually did.

--Brock-Perry

Three 'Dirty' Tricks the British Used on Americans at Detroit in 1812

From the June 15, 2022 We Are the Mighty "3 dirty tricks Canada used to gain control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812."

Chief among American  embarrassing moments from the War of 1812 was General William Hull's surrender of Fort Detroit in Michigan to a numerically smaller British force.

The British, led by  Maj. Gen. Isaac Brock (the Brock in my signoff Brock-Perry for each blog entry) used a massive deception ploy to scare Hull into surrendering without firing a shot.  Hull infamously  complied with Brock's surrender demand despite having more troops and a fortified position.

Having taken Fort Detroit (site of present-day Detroit) and having the superior naval force on the Great Lakes meant the British had  control of Upper Canada (today's Ontario), the Great Lakes and the Michigan Territory for part of the war.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812, July

From the American Battlefield Trust.

JULY 3, 1814

**  American troops under  Major General Jacob Brown cross Niagara River and capture Fort Erie.

JULY 12, 1812

**  General William Hull invades Canada from Detroit.

JULY 17, 1812

**  Fort Michilimakinac surrenders to British-Canadian forces.

JULY 22, 1814

**  Treaty of Greenville

JULY 25, 1814

**  Battle of Lundy's Lane, one of the fiercest battles of the war.

--Brock-Perry

Gen. Hull's Proclamation-- Part 3: A British Proclamation

William Hull also believed that his invasion would frighten the native tribes.  In a letter to the Secretary of War, he wrote,  "It is likewise  probable that when the Indians see the American standard erected on both sides of the river it will have a favorable effect."

Like many Americans who lived on the  frontier, Hull was wary of native warriors.  In his proclamation, he wrote that their method of warfare "respects no rights  & knows no wrong."

To persuade locals from joining with indigenous warriors to resist  the American invasion, Hull informed them that any white man fighting alongside the warriors would receive no quarter.  Instead, "Instant destruction will be his Lot."

Hull intended his proclamation to coerce its inhabitants of Upper Canada into accepting the authority of the United States.   

The British commander (Isaac Brock), in turn, issued his own proclamation promising to defend Upper Canada -- and, in later  engagements, took advantage of Hull's fear of indigenous warriors to force his surrender.

--Brock-Perry

'I Come to Find Enemies Not to Make Them': Gen. Hull's Proclamation to the People of Canada-- Part 1

From the National Park Service.

As I said in the last post, I need to find out about General William Hull's Proclamation that his son, Captain and Aide de Camp Abraham Fuller Hull (who I have been writing about) witnessed in official capacity.

The whole quote from the headline:  "I come to find enemies not to make them, I come to protect not to injure you."

When American General William Hull made an early invasion of Upper Canada he was convinced that the inhabitants there desire freedom from the tyranny of the British.  He also feared attack by native warriors.  In one sweeping proclamation, Hull tried to impress  and threaten the entire region into compliance.

On July 11, 1812, American Brigadier General William Hull led his army across the Detroit River into Upper Canada, capturing  the town of Sandwich.  Hull's invasion was the first major offensive since Congress declared war on Britain in June 1812.

--Brock-Perry

Captain Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 5: Poor William Hull

Source continues from the previous post.

From the Memoir of Gem. William Hull.

Only a few months after the sentence of the court martial (finding William Hull guilty in his court martial and sentencing him to death), General Hull met  with a greater misfortune in the loss of his only son, Captain Abraham Fuller Hull of the Ninth Infantry, who fell in the battle at Lundy's Lane, July 1814, while leading his company in a bayonet charge on the enemy's guns.

So, here was William Hull, facing the death penalty for his surrender of Fort Detroit and he then finds out about the death of his only son.  Like I said, poor William Hull.

As his father's aide, Captain A. F. Hull signed "Hull's Proclamation" in July 1812.

(Well, it looks like I'll be looking up Hull's Proclamation to see what that is all about.)

--Brock-Perry

Captain Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 2

Of the American soldiers who lie here the only one whose name  and resting place are known is Captain ABRAHAM FULLER HULL, of the 9th U.S. Infantry, who lost his life in one of the desperate charges against the British battery.

He was the son of Gen. William Hull, a captain  in the 13th U.S. Infantry and aide-de-camp to his father at Detroit when that place surrendered on August16, 1812.  He was exchanged on the 18th of January 1813 and given a captaincy in the 9th U.S. Infantry with which he served until he was killed at he age of 28 years.

For years, his grave was marked by a humble white marble slab.  In 1901, the bones of nine men of the same regiment were found elsewhere and re-interred on October 19th beside their captain with full U.S. military honors.

The troops performing the honors (13 U.S. Infantry) from Fort Niagara, who on that day  laid their predecessors to rest fired three volleys over the open grave, were the first United States troops to enter Canada under arms since 1815.

--Brock-Perry

Abraham Fuller Hull (Son of Gen. William Hull)-- Part 1

While researching about William Hull's surrender of Fort Detroit to the British and their Indian allies in 1812, I came across Abraham Fuller Hull's name, the son of Gen. William Hull.  

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  8 March 1786

Newton, Massachusetts

DEATH:  25 July1814 (age 28)  Killed at the Battle of Lundy's Lane.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

BURIAL:  Drummond Hill  Cemetery

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

--Brock-Perry

The Unfortunate Surrender of Detroit-- Part 1

From the Thumbwind site, Finding  Fun in Michigan.  "The tragic surrender of Detroit by General William Hull.

On a foggy morning in August 1812, American General William Hull made one of the worst decisions of his life.  Undder a flag of truce, British authorities warned him that the warriors under Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and Mohawk War Chief  John Norton (Teyoninhokarawen) were about to lay siege on him at Fort Detroit.

And, the British could not vouch for what the Indians might do to the Americans if they attacked.

Native warriors had crossed the  river and arrived south of the fort at Springwells that same night.  (Springwells later became the site of Fort Wayne.) Then, they moved along the edge of the western woods  which bordered the farmlands below the fort.

They went unnoticed as they surrounded the fort.  At the same time, British ships moored in the river, began shelling the fort.  The bombardment set parts of the fort on fire and killed a few civilians who were taking shelter there.

The Americans could not return fire.

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812: Remains of Part of the Old Corduroy Road Still There

From the Michigan Historical Marker on Hull's Trace (Trail).

"Hull's Trace, which linker Detroit and Ohio, was to be Michigan territory's inland lifeline during the War of 1812.  However, the Detroit River and Lake Erie gave the British easy access to the Michigan portion of the road.

"American efforts to use the road to bring supplies  and men from Frenchtown, present-day Monroe (Michigan), were foiled twice before Hull surrendered Detroit on August 16, 1812.

"After the war, Hull's Trace was used  for ever-improving roads, beginning in 1817 with a new military road.  In 2000, low water levels in the Huron River revealed a quarter-mile of old corduroy road, lying three to six feet beneath Jefferson Avenue.

"Ax marks were  visible on some of the logs.  This rare example of a surviving corduroy road is listed in the National Register of Historic Places."

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812-- Part 3: The State of Michigan Marker on the Trace

"In April 1812, as the United States prepared for possible war with Great Britain, Michigan's Territorial Governor, William Hull,  became commander of the Army of the Northwest.    His first task was to lead his army from Dayton, Ohio, to Detroit, building Hull's Trace, a two-hundred-mile long road, as it marched.

"The army left Dayton on June 1.  As they cut the trace through the wilderness from Urbana north, it laid logs crosswise across swampy areas to create a rough, but stable corduroy roadbed that could support supply wagons.

"In late June, a detachment  from Frenchtown, commanded by Hubert Lacroix also worked on the road, attempting to follow a route laid out  under an 1808  territorial  Legislative Council act.  (This must have been McCloskey's work, see previous post.)

"On June 18, 1812, war was declared.  Hull's army arrived in Detroit on July 5."

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812: 200 Miles Long from Ohio to Detroit

From the October 2, 2021, Thumbwind site (Having Fun in Michigan)  "Michigan's Shore Indian Trail-- Hull's Trace & the War of 1812" by Michael Hardy.

The Shore Indian Trail was one of five major routes of traveling by land out of Detroit and the best-known for early settlers.  The trail began at the rapids of the Maumee River in Ohio to Toledo then closely along the Lake Erie shore through Monroe and Brownstown to Detroit.

From Detroit, it went northward along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, past Fort Joseph, Fort Gratoit, to the Thumb.

The Trail became a crucial tactical element during the War of 1812 when the United States became concerned about supplying Fort Detroit and the surrounding Michigan Territory area.  The British controlled Lake Erie, so overland supply was the only option.

Starting in June 1812, troops under the command of General William Hull constructed what became known as "Hull's Trace" (also called Hull's Trail), a military road running 200 miles from Urbana, Ohio, to Fort Detroit.

One hundred and fifty men under the command of Hubert Lacroix completed the "Corduroy Road" on July 4, 1812, with a bridge over the River Huron.   (A corduroy road uses logs to get across swampy, wet areas, in case you're wondering.)

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: Surrender of Detroit and Burning of D.C.

From the American Battlefield Trust August 2021 calendar.

AUGUST 16

1812:  General Hull surrendered Detroit to the British

AUGUST 19

1812:  The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere

AUGUST 24

1814:  Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland, a big American defeat

AUGUST 24

1814:  The Burning of Washington, D.C.

--Brock-Perry

July Happenings During the War of 1812

From the American Battlefield Trust War of 12812 Timeline.

JULY 12, 1812

General William Hull invades Canada.

JULY  17, 1812

Fort Michilimackinac surrenders to British-Canadian forces

JULY 5, 1814

Battle of Chippawa

JULY 22, 1814

Treaty of Greenville

JULY 25, 1814

Battle of Lundy's Lane, one of the fiercest battles of the war.

--Brock-Perry

About That Fort Detroit, Shelby and Wayne in Detroit-- Part 2: Fort Wayne Was Not the War of 1812 Fort, But Did Play a Role in the War

So, Fort Wayne was not the fort that existed and played such a part in the War of 1812.  It was built after the war.  But, its site did play a role.

The one from the War of 1812 was known as Fort Detroit and later its name was changed to Fort Shelby.

The site of Fort Wayne consisted of a high sand mound with freshwater springs along the marshy waterfront of the Detroit River.

The opening shots of the War of 1812, however, were fired in the vicinity of the future Fort Wayne.  Although war had not yet been declared, Michigan militiamen bombarded the town of Sandwich, Upper Canada (later annexed to Windsor).

Later in the war, British General Isaac Brock crossed the narrowest part of the Detroit River with troops and landed on the future Fort Wayne site before marching on Detroit.  In the ensuing Siege of Detroit, American General William Hull, believing himself completely surrounded and outnumbered, surrendered Fort Detroit  to the British without offering much resistance.

A Sad Military Event in American History.  --Brock-Perry

The Day Word Came That Gen. Hull Surrendered Fort Detroit-- Part 3: Why Hull Surrendered the Fort?

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

The Day Word Came That Gen. Hull Had Surrendered Fort Detroit-- Part 2: Indian Allies

Historian Alan Taylor doubts that the Indians would have attacked Pittsburgh, but other historians disagree.  Andrew E. Masich says that the Indians were led by a chief named Tecumseh who led Delaware, Huron and Wyandot warriors whose land had been taken by insatiable white settlers.

They found a good ally in the British who were quick to enlist their help, arm them and treat them with respect. The British commander in Canada was Isaac Brock who hit it off with Tecumseh, regarding him as a noble Indian and a man of great genius.

Against William Hull at Fort Detroit, Brock and Tecumseh's men were greatly outnumbered by the Americans who had nearly twice their number.  They made the Americans think they were the ones vastly outnumbered.  One ploy was to have soldiers and Indians each light a campfire instead of a mess where just one fire would be lit for many men.  Americans peering over the fort's walls saw many campfires around them and were led to believe that they were the ones outnumbered.

--Brock-Perry

The Day Word Came That Gen. Hull Had Surrendered Detroit-- Part 1: Pittsburgh in Fear

 From the August 22, 2020, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Marylynne Pitz.

Three months into the War of 1812, word came that William Hull, an American revolution veteran, governor of Michigan Territory and commander of the North West American Army had surrendered the strategic Fort Detroit to British General Isaac Brock (that's the Brock part of my sign-off).

A postal rider from Warren, Ohio, delivered the news to Pittsburgh.  More than 200 years ago, the Pittsburgh Gazette, a predecessor of this paper, published the story on August 23, 1812, "with heartfelt regret."

Located 300 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, Fort Detroit  connected to western Pennsylvania by Indian trails.

Pittsburgh was greatly alarmed because of the British Indian allies who would begin raiding into Ohio with Fort Detroit out of the way.  And, from there, Pittsburgh would be a definite target.

One of today's historians, however, believes that wasn't true.  Alan Taylor says Indian raids at the time did not extend very far east or south.

--Brock-Perry