sive actions and keep potential invaders off-
balance. Foremost among these was a quick
thrust against the island of Mackinac on Lake
Huron, whose capture would undoubtedly
stimulate Indian enthusiasm for British en-
deavors. Brock was also realistic enough to
appreciate that the small garrisons of Canada,
without Native American help, would eventu-
ally be overwhelmed before reinforcements
were dispatched from Europe. In the spring of
1812, Brock finally received permission to
leave Canada to seek greater fortune in Eu-
rope. However, as the storm clouds of war
with the United States were gathering, he for-
sook his hunt for military glory and remained
to await developments.
The War of 1812 commenced on June 18,
1812, and offensive operations commenced
when a force of 2,000 regulars and militia
under Gen. William Hull (who was also gover-
nor of the Michigan Territory) crossed the De-
troit River and threatened Amherstburg.
Canadian reaction to this development
ranged from pessimism to indifference to out-
right defeatism, as no one reasonably ex-
pected the colony to last long. No one except
Isaac Brock, that is. “Most of the people have
lost all confidence,” he wrote. “I however
speak loud and look big!” Discounting the
odds—and Prevost’s orders not to provoke a
fight—he authorized a surprise attack on
Mackinac by Capt. Charles Roberts, com-
mander of the garrison at Fort St. Joseph. The
Americans, unaware that war had been de-
clared, were totally surprised and surren-
dered without a shot.
As anticipated, this bloodless victory galva-
nized Native Americans throughout the re-
gion, and they began flocking to Britain’s stan-
dard. Brock then concluded an unsuccessful
meeting in York (now Toronto) with the legis-
lature, which refused to suspend habeas cor-
pus as a hedge against treason. Unperturbed
by the lawmakers’ lack of cooperation, he
pushed the York volunteer militia westward
before rounding up soldiers and militiamen
from the Niagara region. Gen. Roger Hale
Sheaffewas directed to command the fron-
tier in his absence. Brock then energetically
directed his little army of 1,400 men to
Amherstburg, where he learned that Hull had
withdrawn from Canada and timidly shut him-
self up at Detroit. Arriving in mid-August, he
joined up with forces commanded by his able
subordinate, Col. Henry Proctor.
While at Amherstburg, a conference with
various Indian tribes, united under the leader-
ship of the noted Shawnee Tecumseh, was
concluded. The amiable Brock, towering over
six feet tall and resplendent in his scarlet
tunic, made an indelible impact upon Tecum-
seh, who declared, “This is a man!” He ce-
mented the alliance by promising not to nego-
tiate peace with the United States unless it
agreed to an Indian homeland underwritten
by British protection. Brock also enjoyed an
intelligence windfall when the Provincial Ma-
rine captured the American vessel Cuyahoga
in the Detroit River, thus acquiring all of Gen-
eral Hull’s personal papers and baggage!
From them, Brock learned the exact strength
and composition of the American force op-
posing him and—more important—Hull’s irra-
tional fear of Indians. Thus armed, he took to
the offensive, surrounding Detroit and de-
manding immediate surrender. As a ruse, he
also formally warned Hull that in the event of
battle he would be unable to control his In-
dian allies. The specter of a massacre so un-
nerved the tottering Hull that he capitulated
2,000 men, with vast stores of supplies and
weapons, to Brock’s smaller army on August
16, 1812. Audacity—and good luck—had pre-
vailed. Brock had thwarted American military
ambitions, and the headstrong general be-
came universally hailed as the savior of Upper
Canada. All these salutary results transpired
because Brock took the initiative both against
Hull—and his own orders!
The unexpected victory at Detroit electri-
fied Canadians, who now came to believe that
their native land could be defended and began
joining the militia in increasing numbers. It
also solidified Indian support for the British,
and they became a vital battlefield factor over
the next two years. However, Brock had littleBROCK, ISAAC