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This is Lieutenant Porter Hanks. He is the commander at Fort Michilimackinac (pronounced: Mish-a-la-mack-a-nack). Fort Michilimackinac is on Mackinac (pronounced: Mack-I-naw) Island in the channel joining Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and was built on a limestone bluff overlooking the harbor. This fort is weak and was armed with 9 cannons, but can’t defend the waterway linking Lake Michigan to Lake Huron or even their water supply. Lieutenant Hanks had a stronghold of 61 U.S regulars to defend this position.


And this is Captain Charles Roberts, the British Commander of Fort St. Joseph. He was in no better position than Lieutenant Hanks, in fact Captain Roberts’ fort was even worse! This Fort only had 45 regulars from the 10th Royal Veterans. When the war was declared, the Captain received the news on July 8th and an order to attack Fort Michilimackinac.


Captain Roberts received help from 180 Canadian and half-breed employees, the schooner Caledonia, 300 Ojibways and Ottawas and 110 Sioux, Menominee and Winnebago Indians. The Caledonia and a fleet of canoes reached Mackinac Island at 3am on July 17. During the 50-mile journey, they captured an American scout. When they arrived to the island, Captain Roberts told the scout to warn the villagers to move to the other side of the island. Instead, the doctor warned Lieutenant Hanks.


But it was too late; the Canadians were able to bring a cannon on top of a hill that overlooked Fort Michilimackinac. Since Lieutenant Hanks was outnumbered 10-1 and was afraid of his troops being slaughtered by all the natives, he immediately surrendered with the full honors of war at 10 am.

Afterwards, three British traitors from the garrison were taken and the natives pilled back into their canoes problem free. In the result of his victory, Roberts moved his base to Fort Michilimackinac.


Now, who's gonna say each part? part their names on those lines