4. The British Advance on Fort Detroit
Early in the War of 1812, British General Isaac Brock marched on Fort Detroit. He led a force of 1330 men, comprised of 330 Redcoats, 400 Canadian militia, and 600 Native Americans, supported by three lights guns, five heavy guns, two mortars, and two warships. Detroit was defended by an American force nearly twice the size of Brock’s, comprised of 600 US Army regulars and nearly 2000 militia, sheltered within the protective walls of a fortress that had more than thirty cannons. The garrison was commanded by an American Revolutionary War veteran and hero, General William Hull. Brock learned from captured messages that American morale was low, that the fort was short of supplies, and that his enemies were terrified of his Native American allies. Emboldened by that information, Brock decided to immediately attack Detroit, and exploited the Americans’ fear of Indians.
