War of 1812 - Battle of Frenchtown

The British wanted to gain more power over the Great Lakes region, its waterways, and the fur trade. They did not want to give up any more of the North American continent to the United States and wanted to maintain world dominance over the young nation.

The French habitants who had settled in Frenchtown wanted to continue to live peacefully with little interference from the United States or British. The French had developed a prosperous working relationship with local Native Americans and wanted to continue to grow their successful settlement – Frenchtown. Frenchtown was the second largest settlement in the Michigan Territory (Detroit was the largest).

The Americans wanted to re-take the Michigan Territory and continue their land campaign into the British controlled Upper Canada to increase the size of the United States and remove British control in North America. The United States also wanted to remove any threat of Native American interference with the expansion of the country.

The Native Americans wanted to protect their land and native ways from the American expansion.

During the second Battle of the River Raisin, the American Kentucky Militia forces were located inside the Frenchtown fence line, the American Regular Army was camped just outside the fence, and General Winchester’s headquarters and the American extra supplies were setup south of the River and Frenchtown. When the British and Native Americans launched their surprise attached at dawn on January 22, 1813, they were able to quickly overrun the American regulars camped outside of Frenchtown and capture General Winchester. This left the Kentucky Militia inside the Frenchtown fence with little ammunition. Ultimately, the British convinced the Kentucky Militiamen to surrender. After the Battles were over, only 33 of the nearly 1,000 Americans escaped death or capture.