Monroe and the River Raisin: "Remember the Raisin"

Long before it was Monroe, this spot on the River Raisin was a French settlement called Frenchtown — and in January 1813, during the War of 1812, it was the scene of one of the conflict’s bloodiest battles. American troops were pushing toward British-held Detroit when British soldiers, Canadian militia, and Native American warriors allied with the British launched a surprise attack here. It was a crushing American defeat: of roughly a thousand American soldiers, only a few dozen escaped death or capture, and in the aftermath a number of wounded prisoners were killed. The shock of it gave the rest of the war a rallying cry — “Remember the Raisin!” — that helped drive the American war effort.

Today that ground is the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, right in the city. It’s a genuinely rare place: the only national battlefield park in the country that marks a battle of the War of 1812. The free visitor center has a film, a large model of the 1813 battlefield, and hands-on exhibits, and the park holds a memorial service each January honoring everyone who fought and died here. The River Raisin National Battlefield Park Visitor Center is at 333 North Dixie Highway, Monroe, and you can find it through the National Park Service at nps.gov/rira.