River Raisin

https://www.nps.gov/rira/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Raisin_National_Battlefield_Park The River Raisin National Battlefield Park is located in the city of Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan. The area was the site of the costly Battle of Frenchtown, in which 397 Americans were killed and 547 taken prisoner after surrender to the British Army and Indian coalition during the War of 1812. The fighting took place from January 18–23, 1813. The first engagement, sometimes referred to as the "first" Battle of the River Raisin, was a success for the American forces against the British and Indian alliance. Angered by their forced retreat, the British and Native Americans counterattacked the unsuspecting American forces four days later on January 22 in the same location along the River Raisin. River Raisin NBP preserves, commemorates, and interprets the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath. Battles that resulted in the greatest victory for Tecumseh’s Confederation and the British and the greatest defeat for the U.S. The aftermath led to U.S. Indian laws that forced the removal, relocation, and assimilation of native nations, an aftermath that continues today. River Raisin National Battlefield is located in SE Lower Michigan along the western shoreline of Lake Erie, in the city of Monroe. Park headquarters is 35 miles south of Detroit, and only 270 miles east of Chicago. By Car: Take Interstate 75 to exit 15 and go south on Dixie Highway to 333 North Dixie Hwy on the right. River Raisin National Battlefield Park Visitor / Education Center The NEW Visitor Center is OPEN and offers a Diorama of the River Raisin Settlement, orientation maps, ranger programs, basic park orientation, gift shop, passport stamp and the NEW Theater. The NEW Education Center is still under development however. Please note that although you can get your passport book stamped, our unigrid (park) brochures are being updated and will be in production for some time. Thank you for your understanding. River Raisin National Battlefield is located in Southeastern Lower Michigan along the western shoreline of Lake Erie, in the city of Monroe. Park headquarters is 35 miles south of Detroit, and only 270 miles east of Chicago. By Car take Interstate 75 to exit 15 and go south on Dixie Highway to the address, 333 North Dixie Hwy. on your right. Battle of the River Raisin Painting of the Battle of the River Raisin The January 22, 1813 Battle raging in the snowy village of Frenchtown Remember the Raisin! re-enactors firing in a battle line Annual Commemoration of the Battle in January British Sled Cannon a sled cannon in the snow British ingenuity - adopting their cannons for the snowy conditions at the Battle Summer in the Park period gardens Visitors enjoy the period gardens and trails in the Park River Raisin National Battlefield Park Grounds and structure River Raisin National Battlefield Park River Raisin National Battlefield Park Grounds and structure River Raisin National Battlefield Park Battlefield Protection The American Battlefield Protection Program helps to identify and preserve important battlefield sites connected to the War of 1812 and other armed conflicts fought on American soil to benefit future generations of citizens and scholars discovering their lessons. Map of eastern US showing concentration of War of 1812 battlefield sites by state Things to Do in Michigan Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Michigan. Dunes rise above shoreline under blue sky. Series: Things to Do in the Midwest There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation. Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below. Community Volunteer Ambassadors: National Early Service Training held at River Raisin National Battlefield Park The Community Volunteer Ambassador September 2022 Cohort had a successful four-day long National Early Service Training held at River Raisin National Battlefield Park. A group photo of interns posing in front of a USA flags while wearing navy blue polos.

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior River Raisin National Battlefield Park Michigan What produced the rallying cry "Remember the Raisin!" was not the two battles of Frenchtown but the killing of American prisoners the day after the second battle. It heaped humiliation on defeat. Native © COURTESY CRAGFONT MUSEUM HOUSE. ARTIST; RALPH E.W. EARL GEN. JAMES WINCHESTER led Kentucky volunteer militia and regular army troops in the US invasion force's western flank. His pistol is at Fort Amherstburg in today's Ontario, Canada. American allies of the British regulars and militia swept down on the Americans. In chaotic flight, some 60 Americans were killed or mortally wounded. In the first battle, January 18, 1813, US forces drove out the British garrison force. On January 22, British and allied forces routed the Americans. Native Americans returned the following day, killing US wounded prisoners: Remember the Raisin! PAINTING OF SECOND BATTLE January 22 British regulars, Upper Canada militia, and native allies 1 ^approach Frenchtown before d a w n . As the battle progresses, Americans burn a barn 2 j s o the enemy can't use it for shelter. American regulars in their open camp flee as the enemy cuts through their ranks. Americans soon flee 3 helter-skelter across the frozen River Raisin and d o w n the Hull Road 4 they had taken north. © TIM KURTZ PARKS CANADA Officer's saber carried by Lt. Gabriel Jones Floyd, 17th US Infantry. ©COWAN'S AUCTION No frustrated general will need to prod the Kentuckians across the Canadian border; they will, if necessary, swim the Detroit River to get at the British. — Pierre B e r t o n , Pierre Berton's War of 1812 The Land War in the Old Northwest River Raisin National Battlefield Park commemorates the War of 1812 battles of Frenchtown on the Raisin River, January 18 and 22, 1813. American strategy bet on a land war, with one prong to invade Upper Canada via the Old Northwest (see top map, other side). US forces invade at three points in 1812, and all three campaigns fail. To retake lost territory, Indiana Gov. and militia Gen. William Henry Harrison musters 1,300 Kentuckians in August 1812. Before setting out, they learn that Gen. William Hull surrendered Detroit to the British. To recover Detroit is now their goal. War veteran Gen. James Winchester, reaches its Maumee River rapids rendezvous point. There Winchester hears of a plea from Americans in Frenchtown (now Monroe) to save them from a nearby British army. Harrison sends a letter telling Winchester not to attack, but the letter arrives too late to stop him. Winchester sends 667 Kentucky militia to Frenchtown, who are joined by about 100 local militia. Early on January 18,1813, the Americans meet residents fleeing Frenchtown. Pitched fighting ensues at the settlement itself from mid-afternoon until dark. The British, with their Canadian militia and Native American allies, are driven oft. They withdraw to Brownstown, 20 miles to the north. They take the primitive military road cut by General Hull. Controlling the Hull Road is crucial to US action in the Old Northwest, because British ships control the Great Lakes. After months of marching m summer clothes, Harrison's left flank, under Revolutionary US Gen. James Winchester's camp at the Maumee River, Ohio January 2 2 , 1 8 1 3 « USRA8.Y Qf CQNSRESS Humiliation of Defeat Fresh-won Frenchtown seems a paradise after five months on the march north. Imagine: apples, cider, butter, sugar, and whiskey. On January 20, General Winchester arrives with 300 more men, including the 17th US infantry. He finds undisciplined militia difficult to control and unprepared to defend the settlement enclosed by livestock fence on three sides on the river's north bank. Winchester has his Army regulars camp 300 yards east, apart from the militia in town. He and his staff use a house across the river. He takes the guest room with fireplace. In case of attack, Winchester's quarters and the regulars' camp are too far from their militia. Even worse, the general twice ignores intelligence of a coming attack. Another officer also ignores a third report. No ammunition has been distributed. No pickets have been posted on the roads. On January 22, before dawn a British force of 1,200—half Native Americans—are outside Frenchtown. They lose total surprise only by pausing to place artillery. A Kentuckian sees them, and a British BATTLES OF FRENCHTOWN Reenactors are dressed more warmly than most original American combatants were, w h o left home in summer clothes. They had expected a quick victory—and glory. soldier is shot dead. The British now lose more time firing at the livestock fence whose split logs, in the dark, look like formed-up troops. Meanwhile, Upper Canada militia and native allies cut through the American regulars, who flee across the frozen river. The noise wakes Winchester. On a horse from his host's barn he tries to rally retreating men panicked to find Nativ