12. The British Bluffed an American General Into Surrendering Detroit to a Force Half the Size of His Own
Early in the War of 1812, British general Isaac Brock marched on Fort Detroit with a force of 1330 men, comprised of 330 Redcoats, 400 Canadian militia, and 600 Native Americans, supported by 3 lights guns, 5 heavy guns, 2 mortars, and 2 warships. Brock’s target was garrisoned by 600 US Army regulars and nearly 2000 militia, sheltered within the protective walls of a fortress bristling with over 36 cannons, commanded by an American Revolutionary War veteran and hero, general William Hull.
Brock learned that American morale was low, and that his enemies feared his Native American allies. So Brock arranged for a misleading letter to fall into American hands, that greatly exaggerated the number of his native allies from an actual 600, to a fanciful 5000. He also convinced the Americans that he had more regulars, by dressing up his Canadian militia in castoff British regimental uniforms. Outside Detroit, he had the same troops march in a loop within eyesight of the garrison, ducking out of sight, then returning to march anew as if they were fresh reinforcements. General Hull’s confidence collapsed, and he agreed to surrender. Upon his release from captivity, Hull was tried, convicted, and sentenced to be shot, but his life was eventually spared out of consideration for his heroism during the American Revolution.
