Frenchtown Charter Township, MI – The deadliest conflict ever on Michigan soil and the worst single American defeat in the entire War of 1812 took place along the River Raisin in 1813.
The Battle of Frenchtown resulted in 397 Americans being killed and 547 taken prisoner after surrendering to the British Army and Native American coalition. The fighting took place from January 18th to 23rd.
The first engagement sometimes referred to as the First Battle of the River Raisin, was a success for the American forces. The British and Native Americans counterattacked four days later at the same location along the River Raisin. Many of the troops, from Kentucky, were ill-prepared and unable to retreat.
The day after the battle, dozens of captured Americans too wounded to walk were killed by the Native Americans, mostly Potawatomi, in apparent reprisal for atrocities the Kentuckians had committed against them. This is referred to as the River Raisin Massacre. Prisoners who could walk were marched toward Detroit.