The standard guide; Mackinac Island and northern lake resorts . THE MISSION by Rossiter. That it should fare hard garrison of Fort ^[ackinac was underthe circumstances a foregone conchision. Lieut Porter Hanks was in command. His entire command comprised aforce of 57 effective men. 5 men in hospital, and a drummer boj-. Against him was arrayed a British force of 306 regulars and Canadians,and 718 Indians, all told. They were under command of Capt. CharlesRoberts, stationed at St. Josephs Island. Capt. Roberts received intelli-gence of the declaration of war on
The standard guide; Mackinac Island and northern lake resorts . THE MISSION by Rossiter. That it should fare hard garrison of Fort ^[ackinac was underthe circumstances a foregone conchision. Lieut Porter Hanks was in command. His entire command comprised aforce of 57 effective men. 5 men in hospital, and a drummer boj-. Against him was arrayed a British force of 306 regulars and Canadians,and 718 Indians, all told. They were under command of Capt. CharlesRoberts, stationed at St. Josephs Island. Capt. Roberts received intelli-gence of the declaration of war on July 15, and was directed to attack FortMackinac immediately. He sailed on the next day. the i6th. in the North-west Fur Companys ship Caledonia, with an armament of two six-pounders, ten batteries and sixty canoes. Among the force of a thousandfind odd must have been many who knew Mackinac well; indeed, as aformer British post, fort and island must have been familiar in everv de- MACKINAC THE MISSION by Rossiter. tail to the officers in command, and on this knowledge, no doubt, wasbased the plan of attack. Coming to anchor ofif the northwest shore, at the point ever since knownc-s the British Landing, the troops debarked in the early mornffig hours;before daybreak the artillery had been hauled into position, one of the gunson the heights in the rear of the fort commanding its weakest points; andthe force of whites and Indians was disposed for the attack. Then underflag of truce the British commander sent an officer to demand of theAmericans immediate surrender. This call to give up his fort was the firstthat Lieut. Hanks knew of the declaration of war. There was nothing elseto be done; the garrison bowed to the inevitable, surrendered the fort,marched out with the honors of war, gave up their arms, and were sentaway under parole to Detroit and other American posts. This is the story of the affair as Lieut. Hanks reported it to : I take the earliest
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