[CRUIKSHANK] GENERAL HULL’S INVASION OF CANADA IN 1812 281 
ing. The artillery men with the field guns came next and were fol- 
lowed by the remainder of the infantry in column of sections, marching 
at double the ordinary distance between sections to make their number 
appear greater. Every spare uniform had been utilized, and by this 
means three hundred and fifty of the militia were clad in red coats, 
giving them the appearance of regular soldiers. Before the head of 
the column came within range of the American guns, it wheeled to the 
left and took up a position in a field and orchard, where it was shel- 
tered from observation by a ridge while forming for the assault, and 
Brock rode forward in person to reconnoitre the works. Captain Peter 
Robinson’s rifle company was thrown out to the left to open communica- 
tion with the Indians who had occupied the woods in rear of the fort, 
and made willing prisoners of a dozen men of the Michigan militia 
who were stationed as an out-picket in that quarter. The whole bodv 
of warriors was then marched in single file three times in succession 
across an open space in full view of the garrison to give an exaggerated 
idea of their numbers, which had the desired effect, as they were counted 
and reported to General Huil to exceed fifteen hundred. 
~The town of Detroit consisted of about three hundred houses, 
inhabited by twelve hundred persons, of whom three-fourths were of 
French extraction. It had already seen many vicissitudes of fortune. 
Within half a century the allegiance of the inhabitants had been trans- 
ferred by treaty three times. The Indians had twice besieged the 
place, and only a few years before every building except a single house 
had been destroyed by fire! It now contained several substantial stone 
and brick buildings, and nearly every dwelling had a small garden or 
orchard attached. The streets crossed each other at right angles, and 
the entire town-plot was enclosed on three sides by a stout stockade of 
wooden pickets fourteen feet high, and loopholed for musketry. Massive 
gates on each face gave admission to this enclosune, while the water 
front was protected by several new batteries. At the northeast angle 
of the town, on the highest ground within a circumference of three 
miles, stood the fort, covering about three acres of ground. It was 
composed of four small bastions connected by curtains, each face being 
about one hundred yards in length. Constructed during the British 
occupation in 1778-9, it had been named Fort Lernoult, in honour of 
the officer in command at the time, but had of late generally been 
known as Fort Detroit. Extensive repairs, which had been begun on 
February 7th, 1812, had placed it in an excellent state of defence. The 

*Jamieson, Winter Studies; Brown, View of War in N. W.; Darby 
Travels; Gourlay, Upper Canada, I, p. 45; S. Williams’ Two Campaigns in 
1812. 
