Defence of Brigadier General W. Hull

In 1812, Hull reluctantly accepted a commission as brigadier-general and the command of the army to defend the Michigan Territory and attack Upper Canada from Detroit. Hull made a suggestion to the Madison administration that a superior American force at Detroit might force the British to abandon their ships, thus allowing the Americans to take possession of these ships and saving the government the cost of building a fleet. In July of 1812, he arrived in Detroit and a short time later crossed into Amherstberg with his superior force, but he delayed the invasion assuming that the Canadian militia would desert. From that point, it all went wrong: His communications were cut off by the British and the Indians, the British captured Fort Mackinac, British forces reached Amherstberg, Hull returned to Detroit where he eventually surrendered his army. The court martial tried him for treason, cowardice and neglect of duty; he was found guilty on the last two charges and sentenced to be shot. Pres. Madison, who went along with Hull's suggestion, fully supported the decision but remanded the execution due to Hull's service in the Revolution.