American troops landed on Mackinac Island to try to retake it from British and Native forces during the War of 1812. The fort there was strategically located due to its importance for controlling navigation between Lakes Huron and Michigan. 150 Menominee warriors from the Wisconsin River, fought off the American troops in a decisive victory. Americans left the fort in British and Native control for the remainder of the war. The reasons why some Indigenous peoples fought on the side of the British in the War of 1812 are complex, but in this case, the Menominee and other local Indigenous peoples strongly opposed United States expansion and encroachment in the area. The Americans lost 19 killed and 45 wounded, while the British and Native forces had no losses.