Event record · battle
Mackinac Island, Michigan Territory · Western theater
Battle of Mackinac Island
4 August 1814
British regulars, local militia, and Indigenous allies defeat an American attempt to recover the island and its strategic post.
Participants
- British regulars under Robert McDouall
- local militia
- Odawa and other Indigenous allies
- American force under George Croghan
Outcome
The American landing force withdrew after its attack failed, leaving the island in British hands through the war.
Why it matters
The defense preserved the western post and the alliance network connected to it despite the British defeat at the Thames.
Location evidence
45.858, -84.625 · site precision
Coordinates locate the named site, city, or broad region; they do not reconstruct unit movements.
Where it sits in the story
This record belongs to a connected military, political, and human sequence. The chapter supplies causes, consequences, competing perspectives, and the limits of the surviving evidence.
Follow the evidence
Evidence behind this event
- The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict, Bicentennial EditionUniversity of Illinois Press · scholarly monograph
Donald R. Hickey's synthesis of the war's politics, campaigns, finance, diplomacy, and memory.
- The War of 1812Osprey Publishing · scholarly survey
Carl Benn's concise military and social overview, particularly useful for Canadian and Indigenous participation.