Isaac Brock British Brock at Detroit The Mourning of Isaac Brock Battle of Queenston Heights   The Death of Isaac Brock Pierre Berton

By the time war was declared, Brock had already set in motion the strategy that was to characterize his wartime command: make preparations early and take the initiative whenever possible. Despite Prevost's constant warnings not to go on the offensive, Brock knew that a cautionary stance would not gain him the backing of Upper Canada's settlers, let alone the crucial alliance with First Nations. He procured the support of trader Robert Dickson who was a man of considerable influence among Natives of the Northwest. Brock made plans to take the strategically important Fort Mackinac as soon as a war declaration was official. This no-nonsense move was a demonstration of commitment to the conflict on the part of the British, and that a British-First Nations force could work well together. These facts were not lost on many First Nations people who were being pressured to choose sides. Brock recognized the absolute need for an alliance with First Nations and after his coup in Mackinac, he sought to deepen this initial affiliation with a more substantial agreement. The American invasion at Sandwich gave Brock the excuse he needed to overstep Prevost's cautious directives. When Brock met Tecumseh and committed immediately to an attack of Fort Detroit, he won himself the support of one of the most influential leaders among the First Nations. Brock's capture of the fort, which would not have been achieved without the presence of Tecumseh's forces, gave the British more than just badly needed supplies; it gave the population of Upper Canada the sense that a defense of Canada was actually possible. Brock committed to much more than decisiveness in battle when he allied with Tecumseh. He also committed the British to the Shawnee's vision of an independent native homeland. Brock's promise not to negotiate a peace treaty without addressing this key concern undoubtedly emerged when the small British Army was faced with protecting the King's North American holdings. Brock's appreciation of Tecumseh may have been genuine, but his correspondence suggests that his feelings for First Nations' struggles against injustices ranged from slight empathy to indifference. Yet everything about Brock's character suggests that, had he lived, his sense of honour may have led him to stand by his word and negotiate favourably for First Nations. After Detroit, Brock's momentum was disrupted when Prevost signed an armistice with the U.S. commander-in-chief Henry Dearborn. This gave the Americans much-needed breathing room and allowed them to prepare for their eventual strike in Canada along the Niagara River. Not being able to predict where the Americans would try to invade, Brock did his best to prepare the defenses of the region. When the invasion came at Queenston, Brock rushed out alone from Fort George to take command of the battle and was among the soldiers repulsed from the Heights by an American attack. Remaining true to his word that he would never ask his men to go where he would not lead them, Brock led two disastrous attempts to regain the guns during which he was shot. He died almost instantly.