DETROIT TAKEN
AUGUST 16th, then, sees Major-General Isaac Brock and his men embarked
for the American shore. Tecumseh had not waited for the main body, but
with Colonel Elliott and six hundred Indians had crossed the night
before, as an advance guard to hold the enemy should they attempt to
hinder Brock.
We can picture the crossing of this comparative handful of men—382
British regulars, 362 Canadian militiamen, and the remainder of the
Indians. They set out to the accompaniment of the booming of the guns
from the _Hunter_ and the _Queen Charlotte_, which were in the river
just above what is now the city of Windsor. Many of Brock’s men were
quite new to the idea of conflict, and doubtless the thoughts of men
before battle then were much the same as they are now. But the sun rose
high in the heavens, and the hearts of the men rose with it. The glint
of the sun’s rays caught the bayonets which moved to and fro as the
batteaux and canoes made swiftly across stream. Blue-shirts of sailors
and red-coats of soldiers colored the scene, which took on a quaint and
awesome quality when the Indians’ gaudy feathers and brilliant paint
began to be discernible as the expedition neared the opposite bank and
finally landed at Springwells, three miles below the fort. The whoops
and strange cries of the Indians did not tend to hearten the enemy.
Brock surveyed the situation. Here was he, against his superior’s
orders, on enemy ground, taking the offensive. He had little better than
half the men his opponent had, and, what is more, his men were for the
most part green and untried, while General Hull’s, though not actually
experienced, were far more highly trained. Above him, as he looked, rose
not far away the heavy walls of a strong fort, with all that that
implied of gunfire and destruction. But Brock knew that if in material
he did not equal Hull, the spirit of his men was unbreakable, while the
braggart who opposed him secretly feared the issue.
His plan was to split Hull’s army. He knew that Hull dare not leave the
fortress unprotected and that that fact would lessen the number who
would give him direct battle. He planned to lure Hull into the open, and
he relied on his few regulars and the inveterate fighters he had in the
Indians to hearten the raw recruits, if they needed any spur other than
that of defending their families and homes. But here a factor was
introduced which would not allow him time for strategy.
He suddenly learned that about 350 men—this number was exaggerated to
him—were away from Hull’s main body, bringing supplies. Hull, aware of
Brock’s approach, had sent peremptory orders to this detachment to
return immediately. They were only a short distance away, and Brock saw
that he must strike at once. This man of action decided to assault the
fort itself. Seldom has there been a more splendidly foolhardy plan. He
drew up his 1,400 men, roughly, half Indian and half white, and prepared
to attack the fort.
It must have looked a hard obstacle to conquer. It has been described as
being constructed in the form of a parallelogram. At each corner was a
strong bastion and all round stretched a moat, twelve feet wide and
eight feet deep. There were palisades of hardwood, ten feet in height,
inclining from the base of the rampart at an angle of forty degrees, and
sharpened at the top. The ramparts were twenty-two feet high, and
breaches for cannon occurred at regular intervals. There was a
portcullis, well provided for small-arm firing, and a drawbridge. And
perhaps the most important thing from the defenders’ point of view was
that the fort commanded quite open country, so that the attacking army
would find it very difficult to remain undiscovered for long. The
fortress, Brock told himself, was going to be hard to take, but it was
worth a determined struggle, not only for the intrinsic gain but also
for what a victory signified. The fort held a great deal of ammunition,
as well as more than thirty guns.
Brock personally led his army in the attack. Colonel Nichol, the gallant
Scottish-Canadian merchant whom Brock had made quartermaster-general of
militia, protested against this. He reined up by the side of the
commander who was riding up and down in front of his army, heartening
them for the attack, and said: “General, I cannot forbear entreating you
not to expose yourself. If we lose you, we lose all.” But Brock, who had
always believed in the inspiration of personal example, turned to his
officer and said: “Master Nichol, I duly appreciate the advice you give,
but I feel that in addition to their sense of loyalty and duty, many
here follow me from personal regard, and I will never ask them to go
where I do not lead them.”
Brock believed in co-operation, and while he advanced down the long,
narrow road the battery at Sandwich, commanded by Captain Hall, and the
guns on the deck of the _Queen Charlotte_ poured heavy fire into the
fort. This had its effect, for just at the time Brock’s column was
nearing its destination a shot from Captain Hall’s guns found its billet
in one of the rooms at the fort, wounding and killing several officers
and men. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Bullock was leading the advance guard for
Brock. He had three six pounders and two three pounders. It was a case
of David and Goliath over again, for this sort of weapon was hardly
fitted to the great task in front of Brock. He was leading his men down
the country road, in the very face of a battery of two twenty-four
pounders, two twelve-pounders, and two six-pounders.
General Hull was feeling subdued enough by now. Brock had uniformed the
militiamen he had with him in the old tunics of the 41st, and Hull
therefore imagined that Brock had more regulars than he had at first
supposed. And he was sure too of the presence of the Indians. He
conjured up visions of innumerable scalpings. His last ounce of courage
faded when Captain Hall’s effective shots fell within the fort and he
despatched messengers with a flag of truce to the Captain. Hall,
however, returned word that Major-General Isaac Brock alone could accept
surrender.
Not far away the Indians were coming through the woods, shrieking their
war-cries, terrifying all who heard. Already the York volunteers had had
some desultory fighting, and they were now only a mile or so from the
battery of heavy guns. But to the American soldiers manning them, as to
the men in the fort, there came no order to fire. Presumably, Hull
expected that the white flag he had despatched precluded any opposition.
Brock, of course, knew nothing of the offer of surrender.
The British advanced to within three-quarters of a mile of the fort and
called a halt to reconnoitre. Brock was amazed to find that the American
gunners had fled to the fort, and that, approaching him was one of
Hull’s staff officers bearing a flag of truce. An hour or two later
Brock led his men into the fort! The way which had seemed so difficult
had become miraculously easy.
It was next day, Monday, August 17th, that Brock formally took
possession of the fort, which implied the surrender of the whole of
surrounding Michigan. There were many prisoners of war, but even more to
be desired, 40 cannon, 2,500 muskets, 60 barrels of gunpowder, 200 tons
of cannon ball, and large stores of other ammunition fell into the hands
of the British. Looking around, the men found horses and sheep and
cattle in abundance. These had been stolen from Canadian farmers by the
marauding Americans. Food too was discovered. The fort had evidently
prepared for a long siege. There was one other prize, a brig called the
_Adams_. With this Hull had hoped to make himself master of the lakes.
Brock converted it into the British Brig _Detroit_.
The fickle population who had welcomed Hull with open arms now shouted
just as hard for Brock. There were great rejoicings, and everywhere the
Union Jack was hoisted. In the fort there were some captured British
cannon which had been taken from the British in the Revolutionary War.
These fired salutes in honor of Brock’s victory, and the guns of the
_Queen Charlotte_ replied heartily.
Brock’s first act, almost, after entering the captured fort, was
characteristic of the man. He ordered that Private Dean, who a few days
previously had distinguished himself at the Canard River and had been
taken prisoner by the Americans, should be brought before him, and in
the presence of the assembled troops warmly congratulated him on his
heroic conduct.[1]
The capture of Detroit was a very real victory. Had the day gone
otherwise, Hull might have made his boasted march to Quebec, and that as
a conqueror. But his march now was as a prisoner of war. Brock had dared
what looked impossible and by a stroke of fortune had won out. His
victory was an imposingly public one. It cheered his men. It made those
Canadian inhabitants who were hesitating declare definitely for the
British, while those with leanings towards the United States kept
silent. It saved Canada from invasion at a moment when, owing to the
shortsightedness of her rulers, she was particularly vulnerable.
Brock apprised Sir George Prevost, modestly enough, of his victory and
wrote to his brothers: “Rejoice at my good fortune, and join me in
prayers to Heaven. I send you a copy of my hasty note to Sir George. Let
me know that you are all united and happy.”
Footnote 1:
In the general order issued by the commander-in-chief at Quebec on
August 6th, 1812, the conduct of the 41st Regiment is specially
praised. The order goes on to say: “In justice to that corps, His
Excellency wishes particularly to call the attention of the troops to
the heroism and self-devotion displayed by two privates, who, being
left as sentinels when the party to which they belonged had retired,
continued to maintain their station against the whole of the enemy’s
force, until they both fell, when one of them, whose arm was broken,
again raising himself, opposed with his bayonet those advancing
against him, until overwhelmed by numbers.” The names of the two
privates of the 41st were Hancock and Dean.