Which American general surrendered Fort Detroit in 1812?

Which American general surrendered Fort Detroit in 1812? Brigadier General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit to the British on August 16, 1812. The decision ended the Siege of Detroit and handed over the fort, the town, and Hull's entire command.

Hull had entered Canada earlier in the campaign with an American army, but he withdrew to Detroit after supply problems, military setbacks, and fears of attacks by Indigenous forces allied with the British. Major General Isaac Brock then used artillery, a demand for surrender, and a carefully managed display of strength to make his force appear larger than it really was.

Hull surrendered even though his American force was numerically strong. He later argued that the decision protected his soldiers and civilians from what he feared would be a massacre. The surrender was widely condemned, however, and Hull was court-martialed in 1814 for cowardice and neglect of duty. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but President James Madison pardoned him because of his earlier service in the American Revolution.