Battle of Fort Mackinac - July 17, 1812 |
A Bloodless TakeoverOn July 17, 1812, British Captain Charles Roberts, 306 soldiers, and 700 Native Americans, confronted a small garrison of 60 American soldiers under the command of Porter Hanks. Hanks quickly realized he was badly outnumbered, and agreed to surrender Fort Mackinac, located on an island in between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, with no bloodshed. Parks was charged with cowardice for surrendering without a fight, although he was killed in the Siege of Detroit awaiting court martial. The British took over the fort and renamed it Fort George. The Americans Attempt to Win Back the FortTwo years later, in 1814, American forces attempted to regain the fort. In part of a larger plan to gain control over the Great Lakes and destroy the fur-trade alliance between the British and Native Americans. American forces under the command of Andrew Forbes attacked the fort. The attack, however, was unsuccessful as the British had built a stockade at the highest point on the island. The British would ultimately control the fort until after the war. A Bloodless TakeoverOn July 17, 1812, British Captain Charles Roberts led over 1,000 soldiers and Native allies to Fort Mackinac, which was defended by only 60 American soldiers under Porter Hanks. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Hanks surrendered without a fight, and the British took control of the fort, renaming it Fort George. Hanks was later accused of being a coward, but he died during the Siege of Detroit before his trial. The Americans Try to Take It BackIn 1814, American forces tried to win back Fort Mackinac as part of a larger plan to control the Great Lakes and break the British-Native fur trade alliance. Led by Andrew Forbes, the Americans attacked, but failed because the British had built a strong fort on the island’s highest point. The British kept control of the fort until the war ended. |
