Strength in Alliance: Force Multiplication

How two men beat an army

Two people working together and combining skills can give them abilities greater than either one has alone. The War of 1812, between the British and the American Republic, was fought along the border of what is now Canada and the United States. The British were trying to protect the remainder of their North American interests after having lost to the Americans in the War of Independence. The Americans were looking to ideally get the British out of North America completely or at least obtain a bargaining chip for their ongoing negotiations regarding British naval behavior. Canada was of interest on account of abundant resources and a small settled population.

The British, however, were embroiled in war with France, and so their North American territory was imperial priority number two. Therefore, only a fraction of their potential resources was devoted to stopping the Americans. It was apparent to those on the ground in Canada that some creative thinking was required.

The Americans thought taking Canada would be the equivalent of taking a walk. The land was vast, and the people willing to defend it were few in comparison. They were not expecting much of a challenge. So it was to their great surprise that the critical position of Fort Detroit was surrendered to the British. The alliance between two men helped bring about that result.

Tecumseh was a Shawnee chief and leader of the native confederacy. His “consuming passion was the establishment of a native state on American territory.” His war was not the one of 1812, but a separate effort to secure native territory. Major-General Isaac Brock had spent his career with the British army, and although he would have preferred a posting in France to Canada, he staunchly defended British interests there. As James Laxer writes in Tecumseh & Brock: The War of 1812, “their backgrounds and life experience could not have been more different.”

When the Americans declared war, these men realized that an alliance with each other gave them an improved chance of success. For Brock, Tecumseh brought experienced warriors and an extensive knowledge of the territory. For Tecumseh, an alliance with the British was important to check American control of land on the continent. In Brock, he also found an ally to his goal of a native state. “Tecumseh and Brock understood each other. Together, they could do what neither could do alone.” Both men felt that the upper hand would be gained by going on the offensive. So they set their sights on Fort Detroit.

Their coordinated psychological pressure helped secure the American fort’s surrender. Brock and Tecumseh coordinated their efforts to give the impression there were thousands more Native Americans waiting to fight at Fort Detroit than there were. Brock played on the fear of Native Americans held by the American commander of the fort, and Tecumseh used his men to provide a calculated visual manipulation. The Americans rode out with a white flag and surrendered.

The surrender of Fort Detroit took the Americans by surprise. “During the battle for Detroit, Tecumseh and Brock reinforced each other’s strengths, marrying the speed and flexibility of the native force to the firepower and solidity of the British regulars. That potent combination proved lethal for the cumbersome Americans and their shaky commanders. The consequence was a victory that should not have been won.”

Both men continued to fight for their causes and died during the war. The British retained their North American territory at the war’s end. When the end of the war was negotiated, and with neither Tecumseh nor Brock present, British support for native territory in America was not included in the treaty.