HMS General Hunter was a 10-gun brig of the Upper Canada Provincial Marine then, in 1813, the Royal Navy for their squadron on Lake Erie.

In 1810, General Hunter and Earl of Camden were sent to Pelee Island to transport cedar timber for the construction of Queen Charlotte at Amherstburg.

With the launch of Queen Charlotte in 1810, Earl of Camden was discarded and General Hunter became the only Provincial Marine vessel capable of operating on Lake Huron.

However, by December 1811, the Provincial Marine had left the vessel's condition deteriorate enough that General Hunter was identified as a candidate for replacement should war break out.

Rolette, with six to seven of his crew, entered a longboat, rowed to the American vessel which had not heard of the declaration of war, and seized the ship at gunpoint by surprise.

General Hunter, alongside Queen Charlotte supported the attack and capture of Detroit on 16 August, firing on the American defensive installations.

[6] At the time of Barclay's arrival, the Americans were constructing larger, more powerful ships at Erie in a bid to wrest control of the lake.

Barclay intended to raid Erie and burn the new construction before the vessels could enter service, but was prevented from enacting the plan by the Army, which refused to give him the troops he needed.

[9] The vessel, now under Royal Navy command and captained by Lieutenant George Bignell, took part in the Battle of Lake Erie on 10 September.

During the battle, USS Caledonia pounded General Hunter with more powerful armament, to which the British vessel was inadequately unable to reply to.

The artifacts and a 3⁄4-size ship deck replica of General Hunter are on display at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Southampton, Ontario.