Hearing that a band of Indians had gone toward the River Thames by an inland route, Col. McArthur was sent in pursuit. Isaac Hull, nephew of the general, was found living near Moraviantown and several British officers were captured in his house. The expedition found several large boats at the Thames and returned with 200 barrels of flour, 400 blankets and other military stores discovered in that locality. At Beldoon opposite Walpole Island they found 800 sheep belonging to a Scotch settlement and drove them to the camp.

At this time Malden was defended by less than 500 men and could have been taken with ease, but Gen. Hull refused to let his men make the attempt. A small detachment went down for another survey of the situation and found the bridges gone at Turkey Creek and River Canard and breastworks thrown up on the opposite side. The brig Queen Charlotte had also been brought to the mouth of Turkey Creek to assist in the defense

of the road.

While this dallying went on at Detroit the fort at Mackinac, unwarned as to the declaration of war, was surprised and taken by British troops sent over from St. Joseph's Island. Presently Hull brought most of his force back to Detroit, leaving a small detachment at Sandwich. Word came that Capt. Henry Brush was at River Raisin with 230 more troops for Detroit, 100 head of cattle and other stores. His further advance was opposed by Tecumseh and a force of Indians so he asked for help to bring his men and supplies through.

Maj. Thomas Van Horne of Col. Findlay's regiment was sent with 200 men. When they were near the site of Trenton two of their scouts were ambushed and scalped. They went on and near Brownstown the whole command walked into an ambuscade. At the first fire of their unseen enemies 17 men were killed and a still larger number were wounded. Van Horne retreated, maintaining a rear guard fight, and sent for a reinforcement of 500 men from Detroit.

CHAPTER XXVIII

DETROIT SURRENDERED TO THE BRITISH

G

EN. HULL seemed to be in a panic. He refused at first to spare any more men from the fort to support Van Horne, and the latter returned with his command. As the weakness of the defense of Fort Malden was well understood by the rank and file of soldiers at Detroit an order to attack the fort was expected, but Hull kept his own counsel and refused to take any action. Presently a reinforcement of about 700 Indians arrived at Malden from Mackinac. The detachment of troops which had remained at Sandwich was ordered on August 7 to break camp. This was supposed to be in preparation for an advance on Malden, but instead of that another order came for them to return to Detroit.

As this force at Sandwich had been joined by 650 FrenchCanadians who were eager to fight the British, the order created general astonishment. There were now 2,300 men at the fort, the 650 Canadians across the river and Brush's 230 men waiting reinforcements at River Raisin. Opposed to them across the river were about 400 soldiers and less than 1,000 Indians.

It was learned at the fort that a large part of the enemy forces at Malden had crossed to the American side of the river and were opposite Grosse Ile, barring the way of communication between Detroit and Ohio. The American troops were on the verge of mutiny because of the conduct of Hull, so he sent down the river a company of Ohio volunteers in charge of Lieut. Dixon Stansbury, 60 Frenchmen under Capt. Antoine Dequindre, Lieut. John L. Eastman with a six-pound cannon and gun crew, Lieut. James Daliba with a howitzer and crew, and detachments of Smith's and Sloane's cavalry to attack the enemy on the line of communication and help Capt. Brush through to Detroit.

This small detachment, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Miller, marched in three columns with the artillery in the middle. Near the house of Chief Walk-in-the-Water, near the site of Trenton, they ran into an ambuscade of 100 British regulars, 100 Canadian militia and about 300 Indians, under command of Maj. Muir. Two volleys of grapeshot drove the enemy out of their concealment and the Canadian militia broke and fled. The regulars, unsupported, retreated fighting. The Indians under Tecumseh tried to make a stand, but they were gradually driven back to their boats at the foot of Grosse Ile and the entire command retreated to Fort Malden.

This engagement is recorded as the Battle of Brownstown. The Americans lost 18 killed and 57 wounded, most of these casualties having been incurred in the first fire of the enemy from their place of concealment. The British regulars had 24 men wounded and one killed. The militia and the Indians left 60 men killed on the field.

Reinforcements were sent for to help break the way to River Raisin and Col. McArthur was dispatched with 100 men and 600 rations. This expedition had been under command of Lieut.-Col. Miller, but in the battle Miller's horse had thrown its rider and Miller was too badly injured to go on. Col. Lewis Cass sent a messenger asking authority to lead the expedition while Miller and the other wounded men were being sent back to Detroit. Col. Cass also sent a messenger south, asking Gov. R. J. Meigs to come to the relief of Detroit, as the present commander of the post would do nothing himself, nor would he permit his subordinates to accomplish anything in an aggressive way.

This message was written in the form of a round robin and it was signed by Cass, Findlay, Elijah Brush, MacArthur and Taylor. The expediton returned to the fort and Gen. Hull from that time kept aloof from his subordinate commanders and remained shut up in his room, holding conversation with none but his son, Capt. Abram F. Hull.

While opportunity was being waited by Hull, Gen. Brock came up from Niagara in boats with 300 militia and 30 regulars

to reinforce Malden, while a band of Iroquois Indians made the journey on foot. Brock was given a full report of all that had transpired. Convinced that he had to do with an incompetent commander whose policy made a superior force ineffective, he sent a battery of two guns up the Canadian shore. The guns

were placed in an excavation for a cellar near the water front on the site of Windsor. Brock decided to take his entire command of about 800 soldiers, mostly militia, and about 1,000 Indians, to the American side. Before this news came to the fort another expedition was sent to help Brush, proceeding several miles back from the river so as to avoid contact with the Indians holding the river road.