Kentucky’s revenge: the slaughter that doomed Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames

The Massacre That Forged America’s Fiercest War Cry

River Raisin National Battlefield Park tells the story of America’s most powerful battle cry. In January 1813, Kentucky soldiers fought British forces at Frenchtown, Michigan.

After the battle, Native warriors returned and massacred wounded Americans in their makeshift hospitals, killing up to 100 men.

News of the slaughter spread fast, especially in Kentucky and “Remember the Raisin! ” became the war cry that filled recruitment drives.

Here’s how one massacre created the rallying cry that helped win the War of 1812.

Brave Kentuckians Marched North in Summer 1812

Over 1,000 Kentucky volunteers met in Georgetown on August 15, 1812, ready to head north into Michigan territory.

These men came from counties later named Allen, Ballard, Graves, Hart, and Hickman, after officers who died in the coming battle.

General James Winchester led about 1,000 untrained troops with no battle experience.

His group included 666 Kentuckians and roughly 100 local French-speaking Michigan militiamen. None of them knew about the bloodshed waiting for them at River Raisin.

Desperate French Settlers Begged for Protection

General Winchester got word that settlers at River Raisin needed help fast. Their town sat under British control, and locals wanted American forces to push the redcoats out.

Winchester ignored direct orders from his boss, General William Henry Harrison, to stay close by. He sent troops north right away.

Colonel William Lewis got near Frenchtown on January 18, 1813, and decided to attack immediately. The town only had about 200 militiamen and Native Warriors defending it, making it look like an easy win.

Quick Victory Boosted American Confidence

Lewis sent his 700 men across the frozen Raisin River and quickly drove the British force out of town. The First Battle of River Raisin ended with an easy American win.

The American troops faced just 63 soldiers from the Essex Militia with one small cannon and about 200 Potawatomi warriors.

When Winchester heard about this success, he rushed north with more troops to join Lewis, thinking they could hold the position.

Careless General Left His Men Vulnerable

Winchester brought the rest of his forces to Frenchtown, adding up to about 900 men total. He had the 1st Kentucky Volunteer Regiment, 1st Kentucky Rifle Regiment, and 5th Kentucky Volunteer Regiment.

Two days after the first battle, 250 soldiers from the US 17th Infantry Regiment showed up and camped just outside town. With locals, Kentuckians, and the 17th Infantry, the Americans had almost 1,000 men at River Raisin.

Winchester felt sure the British wouldn’t attack for several days.

Surprise Attack Caught Sleeping Americans

British Colonel Henry Procter gathered nearly 1,400 men, including British regulars, Canadian militia, and warriors from seventeen tribes led by war chief Roundhead.

Before sunrise on January 22, Procter’s men sneaked toward the American position. The attack caught the sleeping Americans completely off guard.

Poor placement of guards the night before left the troops scrambling to defend themselves. General Winchester, sleeping a mile away from his men, woke up to battle sounds and arrived just in time to see his right flank falling apart.

Brutal Defeat Turned Into Surrender

Procter’s cannons pounded the American position, forcing the 17th and 19th US Infantry to back up toward the frozen river. As they pulled back, Native warriors swarmed among the soldiers, causing many deaths.

The British couldn’t break through the Kentucky line, so Procter made General Winchester carry a surrender flag to his own men.

Winchester agreed, and the battle ended with 397 Americans dead and 27 wounded. The British took 547 prisoners, and only 33 Americans got away from the battlefield.

British Made Empty Promises of Safety

Almost 700 Kentucky soldiers refused to give up at first. They had few wounded men and held a strong spot behind a picket fence.

The Kentuckians finally agreed to surrender after Colonel Procter promised to protect them from the Native warriors.

The surrender terms clearly included protection for wounded Americans from further attacks, which the British agreed to.

After the battle, British forces pulled back eighteen miles to Brownstown. They took all healthy American prisoners but left behind 60-100 badly wounded soldiers.

Morning Brought Unspeakable Horror

When the sun rose over Frenchtown on January 23, 1813, a war party with painted faces walked into town around 10 o’clock.

Warriors went into houses where wounded Americans lay recovering.

They took the men’s blankets and clothes, then forced them outside into the freezing cold. As naked, wounded soldiers tried to hobble or crawl outdoors, the warriors set fire to the houses.

Those who got away faced shooting, tomahawks, scalping, and cutting. Between 60 and 100 wounded Americans died in what became known as the River Raisin Massacre.

Kentucky Families Mourned Their Lost Sons

News of the massacre spread fast across America, shocking and upsetting citizens everywhere. Kentucky felt the blow hardest, having sent most of the soldiers who died.

The state lost many of its leading citizens in the battle and massacre.

Governor Isaac Shelby wrote that the “sad event has filled the state with mourning, and every feeling heart bleeds with pain.”

Of the 1,050 men who marched north, fewer than half made it home.

Kentucky later named nine counties after officers who died: Allen, Ballard, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Edmonson, McCracken, Meade, and Simpson.

Three Words Sparked a Recruitment Boom

Congress quickly called the River Raisin incident a terrible massacre and war crime done by the British and their Native American allies.

“Remember the Raisin” became the most powerful slogan at army recruitment events across the country. Americans rushed to join up, eager to get back at their enemies.

The battle cry echoed through frontier towns, making more men from Kentucky join the army than from any other state. The massacre created such anger in Kentucky that thousands of new volunteers signed up to fight.

Revenge Came at the Battle of Thames

On October 5, 1813, General William Henry Harrison finally caught up with Colonel Procter’s forces along the Thames River in Upper Canada.

Colonel Richard Johnson led 1,000 Kentucky volunteer cavalry into battle.

Most of these men came from Kentucky, motivated by memories of their slaughtered friends and neighbors. Shouting “Remember the Raisin,” Johnson’s Kentucky Mounted Volunteers broke through Procter’s line.

The famous Native leader Tecumseh died in the fighting, and his confederation fell apart afterward. The British lost control of Southwestern Ontario, and the American victory sealed the War of 1812 in the western theater.

Visiting River Raisin National Battlefield Park

River Raisin National Battlefield Park at 1403 East Elm Avenue in Monroe, Michigan tells the story behind America’s famous “Remember the Raisin!” battle cry.

You can visit for free daily from 9am-5pm and walk the 0. 6-mile paved Battlefield Loop Trail with markers showing where the massacre happened.

Check out the diorama of the 1813 Frenchtown settlement and plan for the Rally on the Raisin living history event June 21-22, 2025.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Abraham Lincoln’s “birthplace cabin” was actually a traveling circus scam that fooled America for decades
• River Raisin: where Kentucky lost more men in the War of 1812 than any other state combined
• This Civil War surrender was so embarrasing, the Confederate Congress sent one of its generals to prison and called him a coward