The Battle of the River Raisin, also known as the River Raisin Massacre, occurred during the War of 1812 near the River Raisin in Frenchtown, Michigan Territory, now Monroe, Michigan, from January 18 to January 23, 1813. This significant engagement pitted American forces against a combined British, Canadian militia, and Native American alliance. The conflict arose as part of American efforts to recapture Detroit, which had been surrendered to the British by General William Hull in August 1812. Leading a force of about 1,000 men, including regular US troops and Kentucky militia, Brigadier General James Winchester aimed to push back British, Canadian, and Native forces in the region.
The battle began with an American success on January 18, when Winchester’s troops drove a smaller Canadian militia and Native contingent out of Frenchtown, securing the settlement. The battle, although small, was hard fought, Kentucky volunteer William Atherton described it in his memoirs "the fight now became very close, and extremely hot ... I received a wound in my right shoulder." The moment before Atherton was hit, he witnessed two of his fellow riflemen move too far forward. One was killed and the other wounded. Atherton described the tactics used by the Canadians: "Their method was to retreat rapidly until they were out of sight, and while we were advancing they were preparing to give us another fire; so we were generally under the necessity of firing upon them as they were retreating."
This victory boosted morale, but the American general Winchester, a seemingly arrogant commander, insisted a British response would be some days away, bivouacked in a home over a mile away from his men along with their extra gunpowder and failed to fortify the position or prepare for a counterattack. On January 22, British Colonel Henry Procter, commanding around 600 British regulars and Canadian militia, along with approximately 800 Native warriors from 17 tribes under Chief Roundhead, launched a surprise assault in the early morning. The Americans for some unknown reason failed to post pickets on the northern road into Frenchtown and were caught completely off guard. Roused from their sleep they fought fiercely in what turned into close fighting. The battle is described from first hand accounts as the following:

"Only 20 minutes into the battle the US regulars under British artillery fire and flanked by Procter’s Indians, withdrew from the fencerow toward the river. Two companies of Kentucky militiamen rushed to stabilize the regulars but they too were overwhelmed. As the regulars retreated Captain James C Price and the fifty men in his Jessamine Blues sought to retrieve the American wounded. Price’s men quickly discovered that the Indians had encircled Frenchtown leaving a narrow road as the only avenue of escape. As the Kentuckians withdrew down the lane the Indians poured a withering fire into their ranks.”

Winchester was awakened that morning by artillery and gun fire and the sounds of Indian attacks. Jumping from bed and the comfort of the isolated farmhouse, he forgot his uniform coat. Minutes later Winchester arrived on the right flank just as it was crumbling. He tried to re-form the regulars on the opposite side of the river. This proved impossible. Winchester, his sixteen year old son and several aides were swept-up in the retreat, and were captured by Indians loyal to Chief Roundhead and taken to Proctor.

“During the rout, the US regulars broke into small groups and despite being outnumbered, continued to fight until overwhelmed. Lieutenant Ashton Garrett and about 20 men were surrounded and laid down their arms. Their Indian captors then began shooting them. Garrett was the only one to escape the massacre. Another group of Americans retreated about three miles before being over taken. About half of whom were shot or tomahawked. Some regulars removed their shoes so they could run through the snow in their stockings to leave deceptive footprints for the Indian pursuers. One of the men who employed this trick was Captain Richard Matson. He and about thirty others were the only regulars to escape death or capture.”

“As the Americans right flank collapsed, the Kentuckians in the picketed area on the left side of the line repulsed three British assaults with “coolness and intrepidity”. At one point during the battle, the Americans discovered that the British were moving to occupy a large barn 150 yards in front of the US positions. Ensign William O Butler volunteered to set the barn on fire. Carrying a firebrand in the face of steady enemy gunfire, Butler raced to the barn and set it ablaze. He then returned to the barn to place more straw on the fire. By the time the ensign safely returned to his lines his clothing was riddled with bullets.”

“Around 11:00 am the British fire slackened. The Kentuckians on the left flank suffered five killed and about forty wounded. British losses were a staggering one-third killed and wounded. One British observer later noted that if the Americans had left their fortifications and charged, Proctor’s right flank might have collapsed.”

“Unaware of the defeat of the US regulars, the Kentuckians’ confidence rose as a flag of truce advanced from the British line. However confusion replaced confidence when the volunteers saw that the bearer was Major James Overton, General Winchester’s aide. Colonel Proctor who accompanied Overton delivered a letter from Winchester suggesting that the Kentuckians lay down their arms. Proctor had convinced Winchester that if the Kentuckians did not surrender the town buildings would be burned and the Indians would kill the US wounded. Winchester later claimed that he recommended the surrender because he believed the men behind the palisades were in a state of desperation.”

(At this point the Kentuckians refused the commanders orders to surrender and continued to fight for another 3 hours.)

"Winchester seeing no other options looked to surrender which shocked the Kentuckians. The Kentuckians had vowed to fight to the end no matter what the consequence. Other members of the Kentucky Militia pleaded with other officers “they would rather die on the field” than surrender. Major George Madison (a distant relative to President Madison) looked to the other American officers for advice. Madison then asked Proctor if the Americans would remain safe if he ask his troops to lie down their weapons. Proctor then replied “Sir, do you mean to dictate to me?” Madison then indicated that his men would rather die in battle than be massacred. Proctor agreed that all American property and wounded would be protected. Madison then surrendered knowing he was short of ammunition and surrounded by British and Indians. The Kentuckian reluctantly laid down their weapons. It was shortly after the Indians began robbing the Kentuckians. Madison objected to their behavior and threatened to have his men shoulder arms if Proctor did stop the Indians. Proctor then replied “The Indians are fierce and unmanageable”, but when Proctor waved his sword the Indians stopped."

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The following day, January 23, the situation turned tragic. After the British withdrew with able-bodied prisoners, they left the wounded Americans behind with minimal protection. Native warriors, possibly driven by anger over prior losses, returned and massacred between 30 and 60 of the wounded prisoners. The killings were brutal, involving scalping and other atrocities, and some buildings sheltering the injured were burned. American losses totaled around 300 to 400 killed, including those massacred, with hundreds more captured, while British and Native casualties were lighter, with about 24 killed and 160 wounded.

Surgeon's mate Gustavus Bower stated in his later deposition, “I saw the Indians take off several prisoners whom I afterwards saw in the road, in a most mangled condition, and entirely stripped of their clothing. ... Private Blythe whilst in the act of pleading for mercy, an Indian more savage than the other stepped up behind, tomahawked, stripped and scalped him." Bower further stated "While in the midst of marching, the Indians halted some of their prisoners at Sandy Creek, about three miles from the battleground and commenced cooking and eating, when an Indian came up to one Mr. Searls. The Indian proposed exchanging moccasins which was speedily done. They then exchanged hats, after which the Indian inquired how many men General Harrison had with him and at the same time calling Searls a “Washington” or “Madison". The Indian then raised his tomahawk and struck him on the shoulder which cut into the cavity of the body. Searls then caught hold of the tomahawk and appeared to resist and upon my telling that his fate was inevitable, he closed his eyes and received the savage blow which terminated his existence. I was near enough to him to receive the brains and blood, after that fatal blow on my blanket. A short time after the death of Searls, I saw three others share a similar fate"

At the time there was a small controversy over why exactly the massacre happened. Some claimed the Indians who had previously been offered bounties for American scalps didn't understand the European rules of war standard and that a POW couldn't be scalped, others claimed Proctor ordered it as he feared a large amount of POW's in his lines if the Americans counter attacked, others claimed it was just out of pure malice for America.

The massacre stunned the American public, sparking outrage and giving rise to the rallying cry “Remember the River Raisin!” which inspired troops in later campaigns. It exposed the difficulties of managing Native alliances and strained British-Native relations during the war. The defeat also delayed American efforts to retake Detroit until later in 1813, following Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory at the Battle of Lake Erie. The Battle of the River Raisin remains a poignant chapter in American history, reflecting the harsh realities of frontier warfare and the determination of the United States in its early years.

The River Raisin Battle Flag, which the Kentuckian volunteers carried, was captured by t the British and not again discovered until WW1 when Major Sir John Evelyn Leslie Wrench, KCMG, brought it to the authorities attention at a meeting of the English-Speaking Union held in Louisville, Ky., in early 1919.

The flag, torn and tattered lie in a case at the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, London. No American sources could even recall a Kentucky battle flag being captured until R. C. Ballard Thruston, president of the Kentucky Society, Sons of the American Revolution, was able to provide a description of the flag from his records. The British refused to return the flag and for years informal attempts were made by Americans only to be et with the British demand that all captured British flags be returned. Unfortunately in 2004 it was discovered that not only the Kentucky flag but all the captured banners were destroyed after centuries of improper storage, but thanks to a photograph and sketch of the photo that R C Thurston had procured, as well as a one British Captain Ford, who illustrated and wrote "The Flag Book," in the 1840's with a watercolor fo the flag a fairly accurate depiction exists.

Further details from R C Thruston’s records describe the flag’s imagery. It included a ribbon, gold in color, transitioning to a brownish-red hue at one end, adorned with eleven five-pointed golden stars—likely representing a portion of the eighteen states in the Union at the time, with the rest possibly lost on the torn section (we have added them back in). The flag also depicted an eagle with a shield on its breast, outlined in gold, featuring five vertical red stripes on a grayish-buff background. The shield’s upper portion was described as white and the lower portion blue by one observer, Captain Ford, though Thruston noted that photographer Mr. McQuire did not distinguish these colors clearly. The eagle held three arrows in its sinister claw, adding to the martial symbolism