This was more of a skirmish than a battle. On 5 December 1813, Lt. Medcalf and 18 men were on their way to collect a herd of cattle near Chatham. They found that the herd had been commandeered by an American force, which had taken them to McCrea's farm about 30 miles away to the west. Picking up troops as he moved along, Medcalf attacked the McCrea farm, capturing the Americans, who were taken as prisoners to Port Dover. Most of the captured Americans escaped because there were too few guards but it was still an embarrassment for the American forces.

Lt.Col. Butler commanding the American forces at Detroit then decided to retaliate by capturing one of two posts in the area, Port Talbot or Delaware. He sent a raiding party under Captain Andrew Holmes to do the job. About twenty kilometres from Delaware, the American party was spotted by Captain Caldwell and his Western Rangers, who immediately reported them to Delaware.

Meanwhile, the American force built entrenchments on the west side of the Twenty Mile Creek and waited for the British to attack. Captain James Basden, in command of the small British and native force, deployed the Western Rangers to outflank the Americans to the north and the natives to outflank from the south. Then he made an error. He ordered the British troops make a frontal attack on an entrenched enemy. The British were slaughtered, losing about one quarter of their strength in casualties. After the short fight, both sides withdrew; the British to Delaware and the Americans to Detroit.