Monroe and the River Raisin: "Remember the Raisin"

Before Monroe had its present name, this French settlement on the River Raisin was called Frenchtown. In January 1813, American forces moving toward British-held Detroit fought here twice. They drove allied forces from the settlement on January 18. Before dawn on January 22, British regulars, Canadian militia, and warriors from a Native confederacy counterattacked.

The result was a devastating American defeat. The National Park Service says 934 American troops heard reveille that morning and only 33 escaped to the Maumee River; the rest were killed, wounded, or captured. After the British withdrawal, some badly wounded American prisoners left in Frenchtown were killed. Sources disagree on the precise number. The event became known as the River Raisin Massacre, and “Remember the Raisin!” became an American rallying cry later in the war.

There is a larger aftermath, too. NPS explains that the battles and the story told about them helped fuel policies that forced Native nations from the Old Northwest and pushed relocation and assimilation. The park now interprets the American, British, Canadian, French-settler, and Native experiences rather than stopping at a victory-and-defeat scoreboard.

Today River Raisin National Battlefield Park sits inside Monroe. NPS describes it as the only national battlefield marking a War of 1812 site. Start at the free Visitor and Education Center at 333 North Dixie Highway, where a film and a 24-foot settlement diorama give the ground some shape before you walk it. The paved 0.6-mile battlefield loop is accessible, and the grounds are open during daylight hours. Indoor schedules change by season, so check the park’s current hours before making the drive.