British occupation of the Michigan Territory

British Michigan Territory
1812–1813
Flag of British Michigan Territory
Union Flag (1801 version)
Anthem: "God Save the King"
British occupied Michigan Territory during the War of 1812
British occupied Michigan Territory during the War of 1812
StatusMilitary occupation by the British Empire
CapitalDetroit
Common languagesEnglish
GovernmentMonarchy
• King
George III
Sir George Prevost
Henry Procter
Augustus B. Woodward
Historical eraWar of 1812
16 August 1812
• Liberation of Detroit
29 September 1813
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
Today part ofState of Michigan

The British occupation of the Michigan Territory began when the territorial governor of Michigan, Brigadier General William Hull, surrendered the Territory of Michigan to the British Empire on 16 August 1812. The territory 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

Hull surrendered Detroit after a short siege, led by a coalition of British and indigenous forces from Upper Canada, led by Major General Isaac Brock and Chief Tecumseh. After the surrender of Michigan, Colonel Henry Procter, Brock's second-in-command was appointed as civil governor. The reaction of the American public and government officials to Hull's surrender was that of disbelief and fury. 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. American control over Michigan was restored.

Notes

  1. ↑ 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

  1. ↑ "Early flags". Government of Canada. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  2. ↑ "Royal Union Flag". The Flags of Canada. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  3. ↑ "Capture of Detroit, War of 1812". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
  4. ↑ "The Detroit Frontier in the War of 1812". American Battlefield Trust.
  5. ↑ "Michigan - Native American, French, British | Britannica". www.britannica.com. November 3, 2025.