War of 1812 in Michigan - British Capture of Fort Michilimackinac

At dawn on July 17 1812, two weeks after war was declared, a combined force of British regulars, Canadian voyageurs, and hundreds of Ojibwa, Ottawa, Sioux, Menominee, and Winnebago warriors paddled through the mist toward Fort Michilimackinac on Mackinac Island. The 61-man American garrison had no idea hostilities had begun. One cannon blast and a single demand for surrender ended U.S. rule in five breath-stopping minutes—and handed Britain the key to the Northwest fur trade. This 4-minute video montage blends period maps, original artwork, and eyewitness quotes to show how Captain Charles Roberts and his Indigenous allies outfoxed Lieutenant Porter Hanks, why the fall of Mackinac shocked General Hull at Detroit, and how a bloodless coup changed the balance of power on the Great Lakes.