GENERAL HISTORY, 



199 



Hull with a body of 2,300 men, 

 regulars and militia, crossed the 

 river above Detroit and marched to 

 Sandwich in the province of Upper 

 Canada. He there issued a pro- 

 clamation to the Canadians in a 

 style expressing great contidence 

 of success, and threatening a war 

 of extermination in case of the em- 

 ployment of savages, which ap- 

 peared to be an object of his pecu- 

 liar dread. The Indians were, 

 however, already engaged in hos- 

 tilities with the subjects of the 

 United States on their border ; and 

 intelligence was soon after received 

 of the capture of Fort Michili- 

 machinack, July 17, by a combined 

 force of English, Canadians, and 

 Savages, the latter of whom were 

 hitherto kept in perfect order. 

 General Hull's next operations 

 were directed against Fort Maiden 

 or Amherstburg ; and after having 

 driven in the militia who opposed 

 him, he arrived with part of his 

 forces at the river Canard, which 

 he thrice attempted to cross, but 

 was foiled with considerable loss. 

 Major-General Brock, in the Bri- 

 tish service, had in the meantime 

 been active in collecting succours 

 for the relief of Fort Amherstburg, 

 and on August 12, he entered that 

 place with a reinforcement, having 

 met with no obstacle, on account 

 of the superiority of the British 

 naval force on the lakes. The 

 Americans had now become dis- 

 pirited, and had given up their 

 hopes of taking the fort with their 

 present means. They retreated to 

 their own fort of Detroit, and the 

 British in their turn became assail- 

 ants. Batteries were constructed 

 opposite to that post, and a party 

 grossed the river, and took a posi- 

 tion to the west of it. G€n. Brock 



now resolved upon an assault, 

 though his united force consisted 

 of no more than about 700 men, 

 including militia, and 600 auxiliary 

 Indians. This extremity was, how- 

 ever, prevented by a proposal of 

 capitulation from General Hull. 

 The terms were soon settled, and 

 the important fort of Detroit was 

 surrendered, ou August 16, with 

 2,500 men and 33 pieces of ord- 

 nance. (See London Gazette.) 

 This was doubtless a severe morti- 

 fication to the Americans, as it 

 gave a decisive proof of the inferio- 

 rity of their military prowess or 

 skill to those of the enemy they 

 had provoked, and damped their 

 hopes of the conquest of Canada. 

 That these had been sanguine, may 

 be inferred from the refusal of the 

 president of the United States to 

 continue an armistice which had 

 been temporarily agreed upon be- 

 tween General Prevost, the gover- 

 nor-general of Canada, and Gen. 

 Dearborn, commander-in-chief of 

 the American forces in the nor- 

 thern states. This measure had 

 been proposed by the governor, in 

 the hope that the repeal of the 

 orders in council, of which intelli- 

 gence had reached America, would 

 have led to an amicable adjustment 

 of the subsisting differences ; but 

 the government of the United 

 States, determined, it should seem, 

 to pursue a favourite object, would 

 not consent to a suspension of its 

 operations. 



The loss'and disgrace,! ncurred 

 by the surrender of Gen. Hull 

 were, however, in some degree 

 balanced to the Americans by their 

 success on the element which had 

 long been the theatre of triumph 

 to their adversaries. The strength 

 of the navy of the United State* 



consisted 



