Just one month earlier, the American Army landed unopposed on Canadian soil at Sandwich. For a brief time, General Hull believed his army was capable of defeating the enemy, despite it's lack of supplies, military training and cohesive leadership. The Americans however, hesitate to confront their opponents at Fort Malden and British reinforcements arrive. The indecisive Hull retreats to Fort Detroit on August 7, 1812.

The withdrawal causes the morale of the poorly-fed troops to plummet. A week after the American army's return to Detroit, Colonels Cass and McArthur openly plot to depose their commander. Hull dispatches both officers, along with 350 men, in a last-ditch attempt to open up a supply line. This is an odd strategy in the face of an imminent battle.

The following afternoon the Americans engage in an artillery battle with the British across the river at Sandwich; an exchange of hundreds of pounds of fiery cast-iron that lasts well into nightfall.

With Tecumseh's forces marching unopposed through the town, Hull quickly loses his stomach for fighting. The troops are eager to engage their opponents, but the commanding officer gives no such order. The repositioned British cannons are now wreaking havoc inside the fort. Hull sees his men being killed and dismembered by the hot iron shot. Unlike his soldiers, who are spurred on to avenge the carnage, Hull sees only what a prolonged battle could bring to his family and friends within the fort.

Hull orders a white tablecloth hung outside the fort to signal a cease fire. The American men and officers are shocked. All semblance of order is lost, along with the will to fight, as news travels that their commander is seeking terms for a temporary truce. This truce soon dissolves into a full surrender. The Americans lose 2,200 men, the fort, all their military equipment, and control of the Michigan Territory.