CANADA/USA HISTORY YOU PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN TAUGHT #5
To continue with "Canada - A People's History":
On the 18th of June President Madison signs the declaration of
war against Britain.
It begins as a "gentleman's war" - the news takes a week to reach
General Brock in "Upper" Canada. The night it arrives Brock is
entertaining at Fort George, a groups of American officers from
across the border. They all insist the evening be not interrupted
- they dine as there is to be no war. In the next days they will
all be trying to kill each other.
(You talk about the crazy mind-set the demons can have with
people, this war was a classic demonic mind play of stupidity and
contradictions that ended in death and injury hard to fathom for
a normal mind in tune with God - Keith Hunt)
THE DETROIT BLUFF
The immediate threat to upper Canada in August 1812 is at Fort
Detroit. A 2,500 American army is poised to invade the Province -
upper Canada. General Brock's objective is to remove that threat.
With 300 men Brock takes the offensive. His audacity electrifies
the Indians. Tecumseh is waiting at Detroit with 600 warriors. A
Canadian militia man watches their ritual dance and writes:
"It was an extraordinary spectacle, a European witnessing this
for the first time would have thought he was standing at the
entrance of hell, to see the gates open, to let the damned out
for an hour of recreation on earth."
Brock has also recruited 400 militia from upper Canada - and he
disguises them in the red coats of the regular army, to bluff the
Americans into thinking they're all professional soldiers.
At dawn on August 16th, Brock's mismatched little army moves on
the Fort of Detroit. They are out-numbered 2 to 1, but they have
one big advantage - the Americans are terrified of the Indians.
Tecumseh knows this and openly parades his warriors in full view
of the Fort.
It's all a bluff, but Brock backs it up with a note to the
American General:
"Sir, it is far from my inclinations to be in a war of
extermination, but you must be aware that the enormous body of
Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond
my control, the moment the contest commences."
In other words expect a massacre!
It is what the Americans fear the most!
While the threat is sinking in Brock orders his heavy guns to
open fire. For more than two hours the Fort is pounded by
artillery fire.
Brock waits and the American General looses his never. The order
of attack from Brock never comes. One of Brock's soldiers writes:
"After a while an officer from the Fort came with a flag of
truce. I was on the advance with General Brock. From what we
could hear the officer wanted 3 days cessation, to which our
General Brock replied, if they did not yield up in 3 hours he
would blow up every one of them."
Hull surrendered without a fight. Am American observer writes to
President Madison that the whole fiasco is a most weak and coward
imbecile he's ever seen.
Detroit is a stunning victory for Brock and Tecumseh. Won without
a single casualty. 2,200 prisoners and enough captured muskets
and canon to equip an army.
(Hull was probably the only sane one in this stupid war - Keith
Hunt)
Best of all the news, it raised hopes in upper Canada that the
Americans can be beaten. But Brock knows Detroit is a stolen
victory and there is another far greater contest looming. He
writes:
"You will hear of some decisive action in the course of a
fortnight. Or in all probability we shall return to a state of
tranquility. I say decisive because, should I be victorious I do
not imagine the chaps on the other side will be anxious to return
to the charge. And if I should be beaten, the Province is
inevitably gone."
............
To be continued
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