On the morning of August 5, 1837, fifty soldiers from the Dearborn Arsenal marched on the property of Daniel Thompson. Though he had lived there for a decade and a half, a U.S. district court ruled the previous day that his land belonged to the military. As the soldiers prepared to tear down his cabin, barn, and tavern, a group of townspeople gathered to fight back. With spectators looking on, the forces of two arsenal commandants clashed to determine the fate of Thompson’s property. One man died.
Source : YouTube Video made by Dearborn Historical Museum intern Jonathan Vartonoff.