James Secord, who had earlier held the rank of captain in the First Lincoln County Militia, had resigned, as much over a business issue as over a disagreement he’d had with a senior officer. But now, with war threatening, he rejoined his old regiment as a sergeant in Captain Isaac Swayze’s unit of Provincial Artillery Drivers — the Car Brigade that used farm horses to move the field guns during battle.

      Because Britain’s regular troops were busy fighting Napoleon in Europe — in that long war that except for a few short periods lasted from 1792 to 1815 — the number of British soldiers in Upper Canada was small. Every able-bodied man in the province between the ages of sixteen and sixty was being recruited, and this ragtag militia was being whipped into shape by Isaac Brock, commander of the British forces in Upper Canada.

      Isaac Brock had been born into a well-to-do family in 1769 on the island of Guernsey, one of England’s Channel Islands. When he was fifteen he joined the British army as a junior officer. In 1795 he joined the 49th Regiment of Foot, and in 1797 Lieutenant Colonel Brock became its commander.

      In 1802, Brock and his regiment were sent to Canada to strengthen British defences there. It was thought that the Americans might choose to attack Canada while British troops were busy fighting in Europe.

      During the three-year-long stay of the 49th at York, Brock familiarized himself with the territory he might be called upon to defend — a vast frontier that stretched from Cornwall to Michilimackinac. It was obvious to the young commander that the defence of Upper Canada was going to have to depend on its inhabitants, most of whom were farmers.

      Brock was also concerned about the loyalty of the people of Upper Canada, many of whom he said believed that “the province must inevitably succumb.” Many Canadians had friends and family still living on the other side of the border and might welcome annexation to the United States.

      In 1805, Brock became a colonel and was temporarily put in charge of all the forces in the Canadas until a new commander-in-chief arrived in 1807. Later that year he was promoted to brigadier general, and in the summer of 1810 he took command of the troops in Upper Canada.

      Brock was also given the job of political administrator of Upper Canada when Lieutenant-Governor Francis Gore took a leave of absence in England, where he would stay until the war was over.

      Isaac Brock, who was well-loved and respected by his men, had now reached the rank of major general. A tall, blond, imposing figure, he had other interests besides the military. The expert horseman was also a sociable person who enjoyed dinner parties and dancing. He loved to read the epic stories of Greek heroes and could speak fluent French.

      As the tension between Britain and the United States increased, Brock kept asking for more troops and supplies from Commander-in-Chief George Prevost in Quebec. He also tried to convince the legislature of Upper Canada that they must prepare for war.

      Faced with leaders who felt any military effort was doomed to failure, with Prevost who really didn’t want to upset the Americans, and with a force of only 1,500 regulars spread out from Kingston to Fort Amherstburg on the Detroit River, Brock turned for help from Britain’s allies, the Indians.

      After being driven from their homelands northwest of New England, the Indians had declared the Americans their sworn enemies. In spite of Native resistance, thousands of American settlers began moving into the area south of Lake Erie and north of the Ohio River. Brock sympathized with the plight of the Native people and believed that all of the area known as Michigan Territory should belong to them.

      Although Prevost disagreed with it, Brock’s strategy was to strike first at the Americans in the west. He sent a letter to Robert Dickson, a Scotsman who ran a trading post at Lake Traverse and who had lived amongst the Sioux Nation. Dickson had married a Sioux woman and had learned the language and customs of the Native people, gaining their trust. In his letter, Brock asked for their support in the area of Michilimackinac where there was a fort held by the Americans. Whoever held the fort controlled the straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and, ultimately, the fur trade. Naturally, Brock wanted it back in British hands.

      Although Prevost had given his reluctant consent to the defence of Upper Canada, he had ordered Brock to wait until the Americans made the first move.

      On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war against Great Britain, and Brock sent orders to Captain Charles Roberts, who commanded St. Joseph’s Island near Michilimackinac, to attack the fort. Dickson had 130 Native warriors at the ready, waiting for orders from Captain Roberts.

      The Americans at Fort Michilimackinac had not yet heard about the declaration of war, and when Roberts attacked on July 17 they were taken by surprise and surrendered at once, with no loss of life.

      This early victory for the British, Canadian, and Native forces resulted in many more volunteers coming forward to join the militia and, in the eyes of the Native people, Brock was regarded as a victorious warrior. With the capture of Fort Michilimackinac, the British were able to hold the Midwest for the rest of the war. After the peace treaty was signed late in 1814, Fort Michilimackinac would be returned to the United States.

      When Tecumseh, the famous Shawnee war chief, heard how Brock had defeated the Americans in the first battle of the war, he led hundreds of his warriors north to be of assistance.

      On July 25, American forces led by Brigadier General William Hull crossed the river from Fort Detroit to invade Canada, occupying Sandwich (now Windsor) above Fort Amherstburg.

      Brock was at York in a meeting of the legislature when he heard about Hull’s invasion of Canada. Expecting that the Americans’ next move would be to try to take Fort Amherstburg at the northwest end of Lake Erie, he sent Colonel Henry Proctor to take command.

      As soon as possible, Brock left York with his troops and headed for Amherstburg himself, travelling the length of Lake Erie, into the teeth of the wind and rain that swept across the water. When Hull heard that Brock was coming he retreated to the safety of the stockade at Fort Detroit, at the gateway to Michigan Territory.

      Across the river at Fort Amherstburg, Brock and Tecumseh met to develop their plan of attack. When all was ready, Brock advanced on Detroit and demanded General Hull surrender the fort. He let Hull know that if he didn’t surrender, Brock couldn’t be responsible for the behaviour of his Native troops. The idea of Native warriors running amok in Detroit frightened General Hull.

      While Brock waited for Hull’s reply to his demand for surrender, he marched a handful of his regulars, the militia who were also dressed in discarded British uniforms, and Tecumseh’s braves back and forth, crossing and re-crossing the same trails where they were visible to the troops holding Fort Detroit across the river. This bit of theatre made it appear as if Brock had twice the number of professional troops and a much larger Native force at his disposal.

      Earlier in the week, under cover of darkness, Brock’s men had set up a battery in a grove of trees opposite the fort. When Hull’s reply came that he would not surrender, in the night the trees that hid the battery were cut down. The next day, August 16, 1812, Brock’s men crossed the Detroit River and began the march toward the fort. One source states that the first shot in the War of 1812 was fired from the battery on the Canadian side, slamming into Fort Detroit.

      Hull’s guns returned the fire, and for a while shots flew back and forth across the river. Only after an 18-pound British shell shattered the officers’ mess, killing four men, did Hull surrender.

      By taking Fort Detroit, and with it most of the Michigan Territory, the militia and the government of Upper Canada felt more confident of success. The victorious British forces took hundreds of prisoners as well as a cache of much-needed weapons and supplies.

      The American prisoners of war were sent in groups to Quebec, some going by warship from York to Kingston, some in small boats along the shore of Lake Ontario and across the Carrying Place portage to the Bay of Quinte. Most of them were kept prisoner in old ships docked at Quebec that were no longer seaworthy, until they could be exchanged.

      William Hull was court martialled for cowardice. He said in his defence that he truly believed