British occupation of the Michigan Territory
British occupation of the Michigan Territory | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Occupied country | United States |
| Occupying power | United Kingdom and Upper Canada |
| Surrender of Detroit | 16 August 1812 |
| Henry Procter becomes Civil Governor | 24 August 1812 |
| Declaration of martial law | 4 February 1813 |
| Battle of Lake Erie | 10 September 1813 |
| Liberation of Detroit | 29 September 1813 |
| Administrative centre | Detroit |
| Government | |
| • King | George III |
| • Governor General | Sir George Prevost |
| • Civil Governor | Henry Procter |
| • Chief Justice | Augustus B. Woodward[a] |
The Territory of Michigan was occupied by the United Kingdom during the War of 1812 and was at least nominally a part of the Province of Upper Canada.
History
Fall of Detroit
On 16 August 1812, after a short siege, American Governor and General William Hull surrendered Detroit to a coalition of British and indigenous forces from Upper Canada, led by Major General Isaac Brock and Chief Tecumseh. Colonel Henry Procter, Brock's second-in-command was appointed civil governor. The reaction of the American public and government officials to Hull's surrender was that of disbelief and fury.[1] For the first time since the American Revolutionary War, British forces occupied American territory.
End of the occupation
Following the American naval victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, the British abandoned the Michigan Territory. On 29 September 1813, elements of Major General William Henry Harrison's Army of the Northwest arrived in Detroit.[2] American control over Michigan was restored.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Woodward stayed in Detroit and maintained his judicial status. When the British requested he become Secretary of the Territory, Woodward refused and was later expelled.
References
- ↑ "Capture of Detroit, War of 1812". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
- ↑ "The Detroit Frontier in the War of 1812". American Battlefield Trust.
- ↑ "Michigan - Native American, French, British | Britannica". www.britannica.com. November 3, 2025.