Patrick Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Patrick Sinclair (1736 – 31 January 1820) was a British Army
officer and governor in North America
. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac
on Mackinac Island
in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan
.
, Scotland
, and enlisted in the Army at about age 18. In 1758 he was commissioned Ensign
in the 42nd Foot and was involved in the attack on Guadeloupe
later that year.
By 1760, Sinclair was at Oswego, New York
, where he was promoted Lieutenant
, and involved in the Seven Years' War
. His battalion were part of the force heading to attack Montreal
under the command of Major-General Amherst
. They captured a French brig near Fort Lévis
and Sinclair was given command. After Amherst's force captured Fort Lévis in what became known as the Battle of the Thousand Islands
, Sinclair was assigned to the area for the rest of Amherst's campaign. In 1761 he exchanged into the 15th Foot in order to stay in the area.
This contact with the Great Lakes
attracted Sinclair and he was able to change his commission to serve on the lakes. He started out commanding ships on Lake Ontario
but, in 1764, he was moved to the upper lakes where he served until 1767. In 1767, he was removed from active service at Fort Sinclair, which he had built in 1764 under orders from Colonel John Bradstreet
.
In 1769, he went to England on a recruiting trip and tried to be reassigned to the Great Lakes. He was promoted Captain
in 1772, but retired to his home in Lybster at half-pay later the same year.
However in 1775, his wish to return to the Great Lakes was granted with an appointment as lieutenant-governor and superintendent of Michilimackinac
. He was thwarted in taking up his post by unrest in the thirteen colonies
and he reached his posting via Nova Scotia
and Quebec
in 1779. He almost immediately began to move Fort Michilimackinac
and its community to Mackinac Island. There, after an extreme effort and large expense, Fort Mackinac was occupied in 1781. In 1781, Sinclair joined the 84th Foot. By 1782, when he was promoted Major
, his expenses had come under investigation and he returned to Quebec to untangle his finances.
Sinclair was not able to clear up his problems but he was allowed to return to Lybster. He continued to work on clearing up unpaid bills and ended up in debtors prison for a time. He never recovered financially and spent his remaining years on his estate drawing his half pay from the military and also from his time as lieutenant-governor of Michilimackinac. The latter must have been a reminder of his brief position of power in that endeavour.
In 1793 he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, in 1797 Colonel
, in 1803 Major-General, and in 1810 Lieutenant-General.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and governor in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Sinclair was born in LybsterLybster
Lybster is a village on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland.It was once a big herring fishing port, but has declined in recent years, due to problems in the industry....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and enlisted in the Army at about age 18. In 1758 he was commissioned Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 42nd Foot and was involved in the attack on Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
later that year.
By 1760, Sinclair was at Oswego, New York
Oswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
, where he was promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, and involved in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. His battalion were part of the force heading to attack Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
under the command of Major-General Amherst
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
. They captured a French brig near Fort Lévis
Fort Lévis
Fort Lévis, a fortification on the St. Lawrence River, was built in 1759 by the French. They had decided that Fort de La Présentation was insufficient to defend the St. Lawrence against the British. Named for François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis, the fort was constructed on Isle Royale, three...
and Sinclair was given command. After Amherst's force captured Fort Lévis in what became known as the Battle of the Thousand Islands
Battle of the Thousand Islands
The Battle of the Thousand Islands was fought 16–24 August 1760, in the upper St. Lawrence River, amongst the Thousand Islands, along the present day Canada–United States border, by British and French forces during the closing phases of the Seven Years' War, as it is called in Canada and Europe, or...
, Sinclair was assigned to the area for the rest of Amherst's campaign. In 1761 he exchanged into the 15th Foot in order to stay in the area.
This contact with the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
attracted Sinclair and he was able to change his commission to serve on the lakes. He started out commanding ships on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
but, in 1764, he was moved to the upper lakes where he served until 1767. In 1767, he was removed from active service at Fort Sinclair, which he had built in 1764 under orders from Colonel John Bradstreet
John Bradstreet
Major General John Bradstreet was a British Army officer during the French and Indian War, King George's War, and Pontiac's Rebellion...
.
In 1769, he went to England on a recruiting trip and tried to be reassigned to the Great Lakes. He was promoted Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1772, but retired to his home in Lybster at half-pay later the same year.
However in 1775, his wish to return to the Great Lakes was granted with an appointment as lieutenant-governor and superintendent of Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
. He was thwarted in taking up his post by unrest in the thirteen colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
and he reached his posting via Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1779. He almost immediately began to move Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower...
and its community to Mackinac Island. There, after an extreme effort and large expense, Fort Mackinac was occupied in 1781. In 1781, Sinclair joined the 84th Foot. By 1782, when he was promoted Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, his expenses had come under investigation and he returned to Quebec to untangle his finances.
Sinclair was not able to clear up his problems but he was allowed to return to Lybster. He continued to work on clearing up unpaid bills and ended up in debtors prison for a time. He never recovered financially and spent his remaining years on his estate drawing his half pay from the military and also from his time as lieutenant-governor of Michilimackinac. The latter must have been a reminder of his brief position of power in that endeavour.
In 1793 he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, in 1797 Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, in 1803 Major-General, and in 1810 Lieutenant-General.