Before the War of 1812, William Hull was known as a man of sound judgment,
courage, and leadership. But Hull’s stellar reputation, rooted in his exploits during the American Revolutionary War,
would be completely overshadowed by the events of a single day; his surrender at Detroit on August 16, 1812. Hull’s
breakdown at Detroit became legendary and stood in sharp contrast to Issac Brock's
decisive command in the early days of the conflict .
Hull was born in Massachusetts in 1753, and graduated from Yale College
by the age of nineteen. He studied seriously for the ministry, but eventually found law more attractive. Hull rose to the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel during the Revolutionary War, was thanked formally by Congress for his services, and was appointed
Governor of the Michigan Territory by President Thomas Jefferson in 1805.
As governor, one of Hull’s main objectives was to secure land
concessions from the First Nations of the Northwest. He was fairly successful and as a result angered many of the tribes.
This fact undoubtedly contributed to his fears that swarms of warriors hungry for American (or perhaps specifically, his own)
blood would storm Fort Detroit.
With the war quickly approaching, Hull wanted the Michigan Territory
to be protected. He hoped however, that he could avoid this responsibility in exchange for a higher position. He was aiming
to become Secretary of War. When William Eustis received that posting, Hull agreed to become brigadier general of the Army
of the Northwest as long as he could maintain his position as governor. He gathered militia from Ohio and Kentucky, and along
with hundreds of regulars, started the long march to Detroit.
The weakness of Hull’s command began to reveal itself after
his invasion of Canada. His strongly-worded proclamation was not followed by forceful action. As his officers grumbled about
his reluctance to attack the British at Amherstburg, Hull claimed to be waiting for perfect conditions to strike. But as he
stalled, the British secured reinforcements and Hull lost a real opportunity for success.
After his retreat back to Detroit, Hull was even more indecisive.
His officers became increasingly dissatisfied. Some of them went so far as to circulate a petition “requesting the arrest
and displacement of the General.”
Hull apparently lost all confidence in his mission as well as his
ability to command. Some of his concerns however, about the viability of his campaign were justified. To start with, he had
been assigned weak senior commanders and a U.S. war administration which was slow to provide adequate supplies and accurate
information about British movements. Most significantly, the administration failed to provide support in the form of simultaneous
American attacks on other fronts as they had promised.
When challenged directly by Brock, Hull was overcome by doubt
and subsequently capitulated. He reasoned that surrender was the only way to prevent the slaughter of the troops and civilians
at Detroit. But Hull’s critics couldn’t see past the fact that he had surrendered more than 2,200 soldiers and
33 cannon to a significantly weaker enemy whom he hadn’t even engaged in battle.
