Fort Mackinac
| Fort Mackinac | |||
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| Location: | Michigan , United States | ||
| Next city: | Mackinac Island | ||
| Surface: | 7 km² | ||
| Founding: | National park since 1875, state park since 1895 | ||
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Fort Mackinac is a late 18th century fortress on Mackinac Island in the US state of Michigan . It secured the strategically important Straits of Mackinac (Mackinacstrasse), the transition between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron .
history
American War of Independence
Before 1763, the French had controlled the Straits of Mackinac through Fort Michilimackinac on the southern coast of the passage. After the end of the French colonial empire through the French and Indian War ( Seven Years War ) and the subsequent Peace of Paris , British troops took over the fort. Since the British military considered its location too exposed and difficult to defend, they built it during the American War of Independence in 1780 –1781 a new stone fort on the rocks of Mackinac Island. Like several other fortifications in the west ( Fort Niagara , Fort Oswego , Fort Detroit ), Fort Mackinac remained in British hands after the end of the war, although the area had been annexed to the United States. It was not until 1796, after the Jay Treaty was signed , that the British garrison withdrew.
War of 1812
At the beginning of the war of 1812 , Fort Mackinac was occupied by an American garrison of 60 men under the command of Lieutenant Porter Hanks . British Major General Sir Isaac Brock , who had foreseen the outbreak of war, sent an expedition of British and Indian troops early on to surprise Fort Mackinac before the declaration of war was known. The attackers landed on the morning of July 17, 1812 at the northern end of the island, surrounded the fort and aimed two guns on it. The Americans then capitulated without a fight. After the island was taken, the new British garrison under Colonel Robert McDouall built a fortification called Fort George on the highest point of the island . The conquest of Fort Mackinac was an extremely important psychological achievement, which made a great impression on the Indians and led them to join the British.
In July 1814, the Americans attempted to retake the island. The attack was part of a campaign devised by Colonel George Croghan and his superior General Harrison , which aimed to cut the fur trade links between the British and the Indians. On July 27, a squadron of five US warships with 700 soldiers reached the island. However, Croghan found that Fort George was too high for the guns of the warships to reach. The Americans therefore concentrated on Fort Mackinac and bombarded it for two days, but with no significant effect, as most of the projectiles landed in the vegetable gardens of the garrison.
After the Americans were forced to retreat from the island for a week by a thick fog, they landed their troops under Major Andrew Holmes on the southern end of the island. The Americans had to fight their way through thick forest and were eventually caught in a carefully positioned British ambush. In the ensuing battle, the Americans had to mourn 12 deaths - including Major Holmes - and 51 wounded and fled to completely evacuate the island afterwards. This failure was rounded off by the loss of two ships left behind by Croghan, taken in September by a coup d'état by British sailors and soldiers. The British held Fort Mackinac until the end of the war.
19th and 20th centuries
After the end of the war and the withdrawal of the British garrison, US troops again took over the fort, which was named Fort Holmes after the commander of the unsuccessful attack in 1815 . During the 19th century, the fort was the starting point for important voyages of discovery into the northern area of what is now the state of Michigan , including Lewis Cass’s research trip to the sources of the Mississippi River . The post of Indian agent was temporarily held in the 1830s by Henry Schoolcraft , who was a pioneer in the study of Indian languages.
From 1875 to 1895, the fort and a large part of the island were part of the Mackinac National Park , the second national park in the United States after Yellowstone National Park . It was then transferred to the State of Michigan and converted into Mackinac Island State Park , the first state park in Michigan. Fort Mackinac Museum comprises 14 historic buildings and attracts approximately 800,000 visitors each year.
