In 1777 Normand MacLeod, a British army officer, assumed the post of town major of Detroit, then a British colony on the frontier of late eighteenth-century America. Although it was not in the forefront of action in the American Revolution, the fort at Detroit had an important role because its strategic location made it a point of interest to military leaders on both sides.Detroiters, under the leadership of Captain Normand MacLeod, played a role in the War for Independence that is described in detail in this journal. During the bitter winter of 1778-79, MacLeod led a party of Detroit Volunteer Militia in advance of Henry Hamilton's main force. Hamilton was attempting to hold Fort Sackville (modern Vincennes, Indiana) against George Rogers Clark and his troops.MacLeod was a shrewd and witty reporter. His diary, published for the first time in this volume, details the daily routine of the arduous midwinter military campaign. He describes daily life within the walls of the fort at Detroit, the military adventures planned within those walls, and the rumors, the gossip, and the personal relationships within the community.Offering an unprecedented personal glimpse of Detroit life in the years 1778-79, the diary preserves the flavor of one bitter winter of the American Revolution of special significance for historians of Michigan and Detroit. It is presented in an attractive clothbound volume suitable as a gift for history buffs, a volume which will be treasured by the collector.William A. Evans's introduction to the journal places MacLeod's expedition in the context of Hamilton's strategy and provides a biographical account of MacLeod himself that has not been available previously.Norman MacLeod (1731?-1796) is now a relatively minor figure in American history, but he was a man of some position and power in the early life of Detroit. Born in Scotland, he came to the American colonies as an ensign in the famous Black Watch regiment. He remained primarily a military man throughout his American career, first transferring to the Eightieth Regiment (Gage's Light Infantry), and eventually holding posts at Ontario and as town major, the chief executive officer of the garrison, at Detroit. He also tried his hand at farming and was for a time a partner in a fur-trading company. In 1796 he died in Montreal as he had lived, a loyal subject of the British crown.

Detroit to Fort Sackville, 1778-1779: The Journal of Normand Macleod : From the Burton Historical Collection

Normand MacLeod

Biographies & Memoirs

Wayne State Univ Pr (T)

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Books by Normand MacLeod

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Detroit to Fort Sackville, 1778-1779: The Journal of Normand Macleod : From the Burton Historical Collection