Battle of Frenchtown

Battle of Frenchtown
Part of the War of 1812
a drawing of the outside of a multi-room log cabin during winter
General Winchester's Headquarters on the River Raisin during the Battles of Frenchtown in 1813
DateJanuary 18–23, 1813
Location
Frenchtown, Michigan Territory, US, present-day Frenchtown Charter Township, Monroe County, Michigan
41°54′49″N 83°22′42″W / 41.91361°N 83.37833°W / 41.91361; -83.37833 (Battle of Frenchtown)
Result British and Native American victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom
Wyandot
Chippewa
Lenape
Ottawa
Potawatomi
Kickapoo		 United States
Commanders and leaders
Henry Procter[a]
Roundhead
Walk-in-the-Water		 James Winchester (POW)
George Madison (POW)
Strength
1,397 1,000
Casualties and losses
40 killed
162 wounded
3 captured		 410 killed
94+ wounded
547 captured (30-100 of whom were killed in ensuing massacre)
30–100 killed in ensuing Native American massacre

The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the United States of America and a joint force of British and Native Americans near the River Raisin in Frenchtown (present-day Monroe, Michigan).

On January 18, 1813, the Americans forced the retreat of the British and their Native American allies from Frenchtown, which they had earlier occupied, in a relatively minor skirmish. The movement was part of a larger United States plan to advance north and retake Fort Detroit, following its loss in the Siege of Detroit the previous summer. Despite this initial success, the British and Native Americans rallied and launched a surprise counterattack four days later on January 22. Ill-prepared, the Americans lost 397 soldiers in this second battle, while 547 were taken prisoner. Dozens of wounded prisoners were murdered the next day in a massacre by the Native Americans. More prisoners were killed if they could not keep up on the forced march to Fort Malden. This was the deadliest conflict recorded on Michigan soil, and the casualties included the highest number of Americans killed in a single battle during the War of 1812.[3][4][5]

Parts of the original battlefield were designated as a state historic park and added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009 Congress authorized its upgrade into the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, one of four such parks in the nation and the only one commemorating the War of 1812.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Antal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Ridler, Jason. "Henry Procter (Proctor)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BATTLE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Eaton, J.H. (2000) [1st published in 1851]. Returns of Killed and Wounded in Battles or Engagements with Indians and British and Mexican Troops, 1790–1848, Compiled by Lt. Col J. H. Eaton. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. p. 7.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference DUNBAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Janiskee, B. (2009). "The New River Raisin National Battlefield Park Highlights One of the Bloodiest Conflicts of a Seldom Mentioned War". Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  7. ^ Monroe Evening News staff (March 31, 2009). "Battlefield bill signing celebrated". Monroe Evening News. Monroe, Michigan. Retrieved April 3, 2009.


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