A 15 star American Flag waves over the historic River Raisin Battlefield in Monroe. It commemorates the Battles of Frenchtown and the deadliest battle in Michigan’s history.
The first battle was fought on January 18, 1813, when a small American force under the command of Colonel William Lewis attacked a British and Native American force at Frenchtown. The Americans were victorious, driving the British and Native Americans from the town.
The British and Native Americans retaliated four days later. Many of the Americans were inexperienced troops from Kentucky sand they were ill-prepared and unable to retreat. Of the thousand American soldiers 397 were killed, and 547 were taken prisoner. The prisoners were marched to Detroit and those to weak to walk were killed.
The battleground officially began operation as a national park on October 22, 2010 and is the only national battlefield marking a site of the War of 1812. A newly constructed visitor’s center is open seven days a week.
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