Tecumseh First Nations The Fall of Detroit Tecumseh ’s speeches as he gathers support for his confederacy in early 1812. Captain John B. Glegg's description of Tecumseh during the first meeting between Brock and the Shawnee chief.

Tecumseh at Detroit The fruits of Tecumseh's efforts to create a united First Nations Confederacy became obvious in Amherstburg, where the first major confrontation of the recently declared war was brewing. Tecumseh had gathered close to eight hundred warriors who eagerly awaited a battle with the American troops. Heartened by the knowledge that the Americans troops were afraid of Natives, and that First Nations warriors helped seize Michilimackinac, an increasing number of the neutral tribes attached themselves to Tecumseh's growing alliance. Tecumseh met Isaac Brock for the first time after midnight on August 14. He was impressed with the General and deemed him a capable warrior and commander. He also felt that Brock understood the desperate situation facing the First Nations of the Northwest. Tecumseh addressed his followers the next morning. He pledged his allegiance to the King, who he said has finally come to help his people repel the Americans. After marching to Sandwich and assessing the situation, Tecumseh and Brock decided that the Natives should make their presence known to the American force within the walls of Fort Detroit. In Brock, Tecumseh had found a man who shared his decisiveness and personal courage. To initiate the confrontation, Tecumseh crossed the river with most of his force and surrounded Detroit in the early hours of August 16. The long-awaited battle with the Americans never happened. The surrender of Fort Detroit was quick. Some warriors felt deprived of an opportunity to demonstrate their bravery; they would welcome the chance to harass survivors. But Tecumseh's influence prevented a slaughter. For the Natives, the American capitulation without a fight was yet another strange example of the white man's style of warfare. No doubt, this surrender lead Tecumseh to worry that his own allies might exhibit similar weakness at a crucial moment. These concerns about the British commitment to the war deepened when Tecumseh learned of the armistice Governor General George Prevost had signed with the U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn. He knew that the hopes of his confederacy, and the possibility of an Indian homeland, depend on the British determination to defeat the Americans. Although Tecumseh’s warriors were essential to the success at Detroit, there was little official mention native participation in British records. Brock mentioned their bravery in one of his dispatches, but left the impression that they were regarded as little more than British supporters and not equal allies that they really were.