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July 17, 1814 On July 17, 150 British troops with 400 Native American allies marched into Wisconsin and arrived at Prairie du Chien. Late in the morning, the British approached Ft. Shelby to deliver a note demanding the Americans' unconditional surrender. The American commander refused and prepared to defend the fort. The battle began early in the afternoon when the British opened fire on the Americans using a single field piece. Rather than firing on the fort, they fired on a gunboat on the Mississippi River, the Governor Clark. This fire eventually damaged the gunboat and compelled it to retreat downriver. British fire on Ft. Shelby proved less effective. Gunfire was exchanged until July 20th when US forces ran short of both ammunition and water. (How you run out of water next to the greatest river in North America is beyond me.) In any case, attempts to obtain more water caused the forts well to collapse and the Americans officially surrendered. The 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment was permitted to march back to St. Louis. The fort remained in British hands until it was abandoned and burned on May 25, 1815. July 19, 1814 In Illinois, a band of 500 Sauk warriors allied with the British Army attacked an American flotilla on July 19, 1814 led by Lt. John Campbell of the 1st US Infantry Regiment on a mission to carry military supplies to Ft. Shelby. The British-allied Native Americans forced Campbell to turn back.
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