When he heard that Fort Mackinac in the north had surrendered to a surprise attack, Hull retreated back to Detroit. General Hull decided that he would not be able to take the fort without heavy artillery. The Americans landed at the town of Sandwich and sent detachments out to seize supplies and to scope out the British defenses. The British only had a small garrison at Fort Amherstburg and Hull decided to launch his invasion on July 12. General Hull’s army finally reached Detroit on July 5, 1812. Upon reaching Tecumseh’s village of Prophetstown, he reported a discovery of arms and supplies from British agents in Canada which he believed provided proof of British involvement in attacks on American settlements.Ĭiting free trade, sailors’ rights, and peace on the northwestern frontier, President James Madison signed an Act of Congress formally declaring war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. In 1811, William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, directed military attacks on the villages and camps of Tecumseh’s followers throughout the territory. From 18, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh sought to unite the Northwestern tribes against the American expansion into their lands. Although treaties between the US Government and American Indian tribes banned settlement and military occupation of tribal lands, these treaties were disregarded. In the Old Northwest Territory, consisting of the state of Ohio and the territories of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, settlers were encroaching on American Indian lands. President Thomas Jefferson responded with the Embargo Act of 1807 and his successor James Madison continued with the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 to stop exports to those warring powers. Numerous American citizens were pressed into services in the British Royal Navy and American merchant ships and cargo were seized by both sides. The fledgling United States, while trading supplies with both France and Great Britain, found itself in the middle of the conflict as the European countries vied for supremacy on the Atlantic. From the 1790s to the early 1800s, wars raged between France and the world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |