The Fall and Recapture of Detroit in the War of 1812: In Defense of William Hull

7. The Trial of Brigadier General William Hull

[ 7 ] The Trial of Brigadier General William Hull The Court’s Accusations and Hull’s Rebuttals After he was paroled by the British in September 1812, Hull went to his home in Newton, Massachusetts, and waited to be exchanged for British prisoners of war so that he could return to active duty. Despite General Dearborn’s repeated overtures to Governor-General Prevost regarding Hull’s exchange, the British were in no hurry to act. Dearborn argued that since an exchange was in the process, Hull no longer was on parole. The British denied his claim.1 Despite the arguments over Hull’s status, on January 19, 1813, now almost five months after the surrender, Secretary of War Eustis issued the following General Orders: A general court martial of which Brigadier General Wade Hampton is appointed President and Alexander I. Dallas Esqr., Judge Advocate , will sit in such place in Philadelphia as may be provided for the purpose, on the 25th day of February next at 12 o’clock for the trial of Brigadier General William Hull. Brigadier Generals Joseph Bloomfield, Henry Burbeck and John R. [P.] Boyd, Colonel George Izard, Alexander Macomb, James Burn, Jacob Kingsbury, Jonas Simonds , Thomas Parker, Peter F. Schuyler, William H. Winder and Hugh Brady, Lieutenant Colonels Winfield Scott, John Christie and Richard Dennis are to attend as members and supernumeraries.2 No doubt those selected to serve on the court, each an experienced officer, could be expected to conduct a fair trial. They were not “closet soldiers ”—that is, soldiers who had never tasted battle. Wade Hampton, the The Trial of William Hull 107 court’s president, had fought with distinction during the Revolutionary War and after retiring had returned to the army in 1808. Joseph Bloom- field, another Revolutionary War veteran, had since been elected governor of New Jersey. General John Boyd had served under Harrison during the battle of Tippecanoe. Colonel Kingsbury had been in command of Fort Detroit prior to the outbreak of the war and originally had been selected to head the North Western Army, until taken ill. Colonel Izard eventually would become a major general in charge of American forces at Plattsburg, Colonel Macomb also would become a major general and defeat British forces at the battle of Plattsburg in 1814, and Colonel Winder would be captured in the battle of Stoney Creek. Winfield Scott, another career army officer, would win fame at the battle of Lundy’s Lane and also become major general. Indeed, the court-martial board was a stellar cast of professional army men, not political appointees, and could be expected to be more understanding of the problems Hull faced that led to the surrender of Detroit. As ordered, Hull appeared in Philadelphia on the 25th of February and his trial was begun. Scarcely a week later, before any charges were filed against him, the court received a surprising General Orders from the secretary of war dated March 1. Eustis wrote: “The meeting of the General Court Martial for the trial of Brigadier General Hull is postponed until further orders, and the President and members of the said court martial will return to duty.” A second General Orders dated the same day stated, “The meeting of the General Court Martial of which Brigadier General Hampton is President, ordered to sit in Philadelphia on the 25th of February last, for the trial of Brigadier General Hull, having been postponed indefinitely, the attendance of the witness summoned for this trial will not be required, until further notified.”3 No explanation for the postponement was given. The administration was silent on the matter. Hull was left in limbo—under arrest but with no indication as to when the court would be reconvened again, during which time his reputation continued to be exposed to public scorn. The only rationale for the postponement that seems likely is that the administration came to the conclusion that the officers selected to the board might be sympathetic to Hull’s plight and find him not guilty of the charges brought against him, whatever they might be. Each member was experienced in the responsibilities of command (two were fellow Revolutionary War officers), and therefore would have a more realistic understanding of the problems Hull faced in the Detroit campaign. One Chapter 7 108 member who might be particularly sympathetic to Hull’s situation was Colonel...