midnight
On the first alarm the weak bodies of troops , as a last measure of security , shut themselves up in their respective forts , where they were as incapable of rendering assistance to others as of receiving it themselves . In this emergency the prudence and forethought of the governor of Detroit were eminently conspicuous ; for , having long foreseen the possibility of such a crisis , he had caused a plentiful supply of all that was necessary to the subsistence and defence of the garrison to be provided at an earlier period , so that , if foiled in their attempts at stratagem , there was little chance that the Indians would speedily reduce them by famine . To guard against the former , a vigilant watch was constantly kept by the garrison both day and night , while the sentinels , doubled in number , were constantly on the alert . Strict attention , moreover , was paid to such parts of the ramparts as were considered most assailable by a cunning and midnight enemy ; and , in order to prevent any imprudence on the part of the garrison , all egress or ingress was prohibited that had not the immediate sanction of the chief . With this view the keys of the gate were given in trust to the officer of the guard ; to whom , however , it was interdicted to use them unless by direct and positive order of the Governor . In addition to this precaution , the sentinels on duty at the gate had strict private instructions not to suffer any one to pass either in or out unless conducted by the governor in person ; and this restriction extended even to the officer of the guard . Such being the cautious discipline established in the fort , the appearance of a stranger within its walls at the still hour of midnight could not fail to be regarded as an extraordinary event , and to excite an apprehension which could scarcely have been surpassed had a numerous and armed band of savages suddenly appeared among them .