Capture of USS Tigress and USS Scorpion

The capture of USS Tigress and USS Scorpion in September 1814 was a pair of daring cutting-out operations that eliminated the last American naval presence on Lake Huron and confirmed British dominance of the upper Great Lakes for the remainder of the war.

Following the failed American attempt to recapture Mackinac Island in August 1814, Commodore Arthur Sinclair had left the two schooners to blockade the island and prevent British supply. The vessels were stationed in the channel between Mackinac and St. Joseph Island, tasked with intercepting any canoe or bateau traffic. It was a sound strategy in theory — in practice, the two small vessels were isolated, under-crewed, and vulnerable to exactly the kind of assault that British frontier forces excelled at.

Lieutenant Andrew Bulger, commanding the British garrison at Mackinac, assembled a boarding force of approximately 225 men: Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, fur traders experienced in small-boat operations, and Indigenous warriors. They embarked in four boats on the night of 3 September.

Tigress was attacked first. The boarding party approached in darkness, achieving complete surprise. The assault was launched from multiple boats simultaneously, overwhelming the small crew before they could bring their guns to bear. The engagement was hand-to-hand — cutlasses, pistols, and boarding pikes on a deck barely large enough for the combatants. Tigress was taken in minutes, with three Americans killed and three wounded.

The British then sailed Tigress toward Scorpion, flying the American flag. On 6 September, they closed alongside the unsuspecting second vessel and boarded her before her crew realised that the approaching ship was no longer in American hands. Scorpion was taken with equal speed. Lieutenant Daniel Turner was captured in his cabin.

Both vessels were commissioned into British service and operated on the upper lakes for the remainder of the war. The loss of these schooners, combined with the failed Mackinac expedition, meant that the United States had no military presence whatsoever on the upper Great Lakes after September 1814. British control — exercised through the fur trade networks, Indigenous alliances, and the small but effective garrison at Mackinac — was complete.