The lack of discipline among the army persisted. On or about July 13th, Fisher copies into his ledger General Hull’s order -very similar to McArthur’s of June 15th - regarding the continuing gambling and unrepentant drinking among the troops:
There is a standing General order against any Officer or soldier playing at cards in or about the encampment or quarters of the Army of the U.S. This order will be strictly enforced; the practice in future will be considered as a disobedience of Orders and punished with severity. All cards now in camp will be destroyed and none will be brought in for the future. No sutler or follower of the Army will sell or deliver to any non-commissioned officer, music, artificer, or private of the Army any distilled liquors, wine, cider, ports, ale or beer, unless the N.C. officer, music, artificer or private applying to purchase the same has a written permission from the commanding officer of the regiment or company to which he belong[s].
This order was issued by Hull while much of the army is encamped on Canadian soil near Sandwich. The troops crossed the Detroit River on July 12th, and on the 13th, a reconnaissance force sent from the Sandwich camp towards British-held Fort Malden reported back on the presence of American Indians nearby, and in response, the camp is fortified with breastworks. The report probably leads to Hull issuing an order restricting troops to the camp, which Fisher again copies into his ledger.
Commanding officers of regiment or company will not leave the encampment without permission from the General, and all other officers of regiment will consider themselves restricted to their regiment unless they have permission from the commanding officers of regiment or confir(m) to be absent. Adjutants who obtain permission to be absent will previously to leaving camp make report of the same in writing to the Brigade Major with the names of the officers left to perform their duties.
Discipline wasn’t the only problem plaguing Hull’s army. The inexperience of the Ohio militiamen became more apparent under the pressure of combat. On July 24th, under orders of Colonel McArthur, Major Denny led a detachment out of the Sandwich camp to locate and attempt to ambush a group of British-allied American Indians reported near the Canard River. The ambush fails, however, when the militiamen themselves are surprised by the enemy. Believing themselves under attack from a larger force, most of the soldiers fled in panic, ignoring Denny’s commands to make a stand. Denny is thus forced to pull his remaining troops back and engage in a running fight while retreating. Following the battle, Denny demands a court-martial to absolve himself of blame for the debacle. On July 30th, Denny is cleared by a court of inquiry presided over by Colonel Findley. Hull issues a general order acknowledging this:
The court of inquiry of which Colonel Findley is Pres., having reported to the General the testimony which was had before them, respecting the conduct of Major James Denny of Col. McArthur's Regiment of Ohio volunteers, as commanding officer of a detachment of about one hundred and fourteen men, which advanced near the Aux Canard the morning of the 25th was attacked by the enemy and compelled to retreat. The General after having carefully examined the testimony with all the circumstances attending the expedition is of the opinion that Major Denny commanded like a prudent and brave officer and that no imputation rests upon him in consequence of the retreat of the detachment. The court of enquiry of which Col. Findley is President is dissolved.
Hull had returned to Detroit on July 21st to consider plans to assault Fort Malden. However, on the 28th, he learned that the British had taken Fort Michilimackinac by surprise on July 17th. The fort was a key American position located on Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. The loss of Fort Michilimackinac shifted the balance of power in the region, and seemingly unnerved Hull; he soon abandoned plans to capture Fort Malden. On August 5th, the Battle of Brownstown on the Michigan side of the Detroit River took place with heavy losses for the Ohio troops. With supply lines almost cut and the prospect of reinforcements slim, Hull withdrew most of the army from Sandwich, leaving a garrison of 150 men at so-called “Fort Hope” under the command of Major Denny. It would seem that John Fisher was among them, as once again, he transcribes Denny’s orders on August 10th. Denny included an attempt to raise the spirits of his command by reminding them of the heroic stand of the ancient Spartans in 480 BC:
The commandants of companies will parade with their men at the first beat of the Reveille in front of their part of the works they are to defend. Capt. Cook will defend the storehouse and what had been the stable; Capt. Walker the southeast side of the stockades; Capt. Jones the southeast; Capt. Robinson that part from the gate to the angle occupied by the artillerists; Capt. Sheets the upper part of the store and the stockades between that was the warehouse; a detail of one corporal and six men to take charge of the boats and have them in order at all hours. The commanding officer expects that every commissioned officer will be particularly careful to cultivate harmony amongst the troops and confidence in one another in (which) the safety of this post depends; we are the remaining hope of our country; remember the little band of Thermopylae.
On August 9th, in an effort to open the supply route, the army attempted to break through on the “River Road” leading along the Michigan shoreline of the Detroit River. The resulting fight, known as the Battle of Monguagon, was hard fought but ultimately unsuccessful and resulted again in casualties.
Following the battle, Hull withdrew his forces into Fort Detroit to wait for hoped for reinforcements. The withdrawal included the troops at Fort Hope in Upper Canada, which was abandoned on August 14th. The British moved quickly to reoccupy Sandwich and placed artillery in position along the shore to shell Detroit. Shelling from the guns and boats in the river began around noon on the 15th of August.
On August 16th, the British and their allied American Indians crossed the Detroit River and were in position to advance on Detroit. Citing fears for the civilians under his protection and unable or unwilling to mount much of a defense or offense, Hull surrendered the fort and Detroit to the British, a controversial and bitter loss for the Americans.