Before calling the extra session of the Legislature Brock had made up his mind to lead his men in person against the invaders. The loyal volunteers gathered round him. Chief among these were the United Empire Loyalists and their descendants, men who had not forgotten the treatment they or their fathers had received from the nation that was now again threatening their lives and their liberty. But even with this loyal support Brock had his troubles. It meant sacrifice for the farmers to drop their scythes and enlist, for harvest time was at hand, and they could not afford to lose their crops. Many, having enrolled, begged for permission to return and harvest the wheat, which permission Brock felt he had unwillingly to give. His great fear was of desertions which would certainly multiply unless he could forestall complaints by action. He wrote impatiently, but justifiably so, to Prevost, pointing out that he had wretchedly poor supplies of ammunition and even clothing.
On August 5th, his volunteer army reinforced by the handful of regulars set out for Detroit. They went by Burlington Bay and Lake Erie, and so passed the Mohawk settlement. This gave him an opportunity to ascertain the attitude of the Indians. What he found did not cheer him. The work of the United States agents had had its effect. The Indians were distrustful and sulky. Sixty of them gave a sort of promise to follow him, but Brock now knew beyond peradventure, that unless he had the initial success, he would have to fight the Indians as well as the Americans.
Long Point was reached on August 8th, and here Brock, with a force of three hundred, embarked. After a stormy voyage lasting five days they reached Amherstburg. It was lucky that Brock was a seabred man as well as a soldier. That voyage would have disheartened many a brave man.
News of Brock’s expedition had reached General Hull who had turned tail and recrossed the river with his men. Captain Dixon, who entered Sandwich in pursuit of the departing Hull, took the opportunity of strengthening the defences of the town and placed five guns in position covering Fort Detroit.
There now comes into the story of how Brock saved Canada, a romantic figure, Tecumseh. Tecumseh was a Shawanese chief and a brave man. When the choice had to be made as to whom he and his should serve, he decided that his loyalty should be to Britain. “I have more confidence” he said to his tribesmen, “in the word of a Briton than in the word of a Big Knife!” Tecumseh’s decision was a very important factor in the War of 1812. Having set his hand to the plough he lost no time. He and all the Indians had been greatly impressed with Brock’s occupation of Sandwich and Hull’s fear and retreat. This was as Brock had surmised. By a clever trap Tecumseh ambushed a force under an American officer, Major Van Horne, which was bringing supplies from the Raisin River to Detroit. He had not yet met Brock.
Arrived at Fort Malden, Brock received from Colonel Proctor there a number of papers captured by Tecumseh in his brief engagement with Van Horne. They turned out to be General Hull’s further instructions from his government and Hull’s replies. These latter revealed the fact that the braggart quality of Hull had gone. He was very much down in the mouth. Sickness was prevalent in his camp. His constant maraudings were his only source of food and supplies, it appeared, and as his communications had been cut off, starvation faced him and his men.
Brock, like the great commander he was, saw that the real significance of the captured correspondence was its demonstration of the lowered morale of Hull’s men even more than their dwindling supplies. He decided to act. He knew that it would not be easy to conquer a force of 2,500, but he remembered Nelson’s threat at Copenhagen and that it was successful. The old Greeks had a saying which might very well have been running through Brock’s mind at this time, “They did it because they thought they could do it.” He was not overwhelmingly confident, but he knew he could not afford to be unsure of himself. He sent his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonell, and Captain Glegg, under a flag of truce, to General Hull with this message: “The force at my disposal authorizes me to require of you the surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my inclination to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware that the numerous body of Indians, who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences.”
Hull was caught between the devil of his own self-contempt and the deep sea of this supposed force of Indians. He longed to hand Brock his sword, but he dared not give in without some attempt at resistance. He had boasted so much that he was compelled to make some sort of showing. He said he was ready to meet the British forces.
The rest of the day was occupied in planning the attack, while the guns at Sandwich were pouring forth a desultory fire to which Fort Detroit replied. Brock wanted to lead his army across the river. Nearly all his staff opposed him, but he had two brave men who agreed with him. One was his quartermaster-general, Colonel Nichol, and the other was Tecumseh.
Brock had confidence in Tecumseh and he in Brock. On the occasion of their meeting, Brock, though it was past midnight, was busy at his table with his plans and despatches. In the dimly lighted room these two warriors looked at each other. Brock saw an Indian brave. Tecumseh saw a brave Briton. He turned to his followers, and almost in the words of Brutus describing Antony long ago, he said: “This is a man.” Brock reciprocated this high regard. Of the Indian warrior he wrote: “A more sagacious or a more gallant warrior does not, I believe, exist. He was the admiration of every one who conversed with him.”