Raisin, river, 115 mi (185 km) long, rising in S Mich. and flowing E to Lake Erie at Monroe, Mich. After Detroit's surrender in the War of 1812, U.S. troops under Gen. James Winchester, sent to retake Frenchtown (the present Monroe), were crushed there by the British and their Native American allies. The Native Americans, after promising protection, attacked and killed (Jan. 22, 1813) the remaining Americans, and “Remember the River Raisin” became the American rallying cry to the war's end. River Raisin National Battlefield Park (est. 2010) preserves the site of the battle (see National Parks and Monuments, tablenational parks and monuments, table).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Physical Geography