ESSEX REGISTER, Salem, Mass., Sept. 26, 1812  

* Siege of Detroit - surrender
* General William Hull

The front page has: "Gen. Hull's Dispatches" signed in type: W. Hull. This is followed by a lengthy report dated "Fort George, Aug. 26, 1812" with the details of the fall of Detroit & which begins: "Enclosed are the articles of capitulation by which the Fort of Detroit has been surrendered to Major General Brock commanding His Britannic Majesty's forces...and by which the troops have become prisoners of war...". This account continues to take over half of page 2 where it is signed in type: W. Hull, Brig. Gen.
A terrific account of this military tragedy for the Americans in the War of 1812.
Four pages, very nice condition.

Background: This September 26, 1812 issue of the Essex Register is a exceptionally scarce piece of War of 1812 primary source history, featuring Brigadier General William Hull’s full, unabridged dispatch detailing the catastrophic surrender of Fort Detroit to British Major General Isaac Brock and Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. Dominating the front page and spanning over half of page two, Hull’s defense—written while held captive at Fort George—captures one of the most infamous military embarrassments in early American history, where an entire army was surrendered without a shot fired. Period newspapers containing full-length, front-page dispatches of seminal wartime disasters are highly sought after by early American collectors; finding a complete, four-page issue from 1812 in very nice condition is increasingly rare, as surviving rag-paper issues from this era are frequently damaged, cropped, or missing pages.