The Relief of Fort Michilimackinac: When the Americans defeated the British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, the water route to Fort Michilimackinac was blocked. The British at the fort and their native allies were desperately in need of supplies. In February, 1814 the British army decided to relieve the fort by sending men from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. The battle of Lake Erie: American commander Perry set out to defeat the British fleet on Lake Erie late in the summer of 1813. He sailed up to Put-in-Bay, south east of the Detroit River, threatening supply routes. The British fleet confronted them, but the winds suddenly turned and they lost the battle. At the Battle of the Thames in October, 1813, Tecumseh was killed, and the British were outnumbered and defeated. The natives lost heart, and their dream of an Indian Nation died with their great leader, but their assistance during the war was vital to its outcome. The Settlers: In the late summer of 1813, after the Americans had defeated the British and the militia were torn between harvesting their crops and defending their land. American troops would land on the Lake Erie shore and attack nearby settlements. Many historic homes, pioneer villages, churches and cemeteries in south western Ontario remain today as a testimony to the hard-working settlers and immigrants who were so important in the history of this area.

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Includes 3 vignettes: 1. The relief of Fort Michilimackinac (7 min.). 2. The battle of Lake Erie (7 min.). 3. The settlers (8 min.)The relief of Fort Michilimackinac The battle of Lake Erie The settlers