Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Frenchtown

Battle of Frenchtown was a battle fought in January 1813 at Frenchtown Charter Township, in what is now Michigan, United States. It was part of the War of 1812, which ran from 1812 to 1815. The recorded result: British-Indigenous victory. Recorded strength: 1,397 against 1,000.

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Battle of the River Raisin by Tim Kurtz ( River Raisin Battlefield Park Visitor Center)
Battle of the River Raisin by Tim Kurtz ( River Raisin Battlefield Park Visitor Center). Tim Kurtz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtJanuary 1813
WhereFrenchtown Charter Township, Michigan, United States41.914N, 83.378W
OutcomeBritish-Indigenous victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom; Wyandot; PotawatomiagainstUnited States
Battlefield todayRiver Raisin (Frenchtown) battlefieldNPS site MI404, 2,564 acres studied, 866 core
Part ofWar of 18121812 to 1815

Where it sits in the War of 1812

Siege of Fort Harrison, 1812Battle of the Mississinewa, 1812Engagements on Lake Ontario, 1812Battle of River Canard, 1812Siege of Fort Mackinac, 1812First Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1812Battle of Brownstown, 1812Battle of Maguaga, 1812USS Essex vs HMS Alert, 1812Siege of Detroit, 1812Battle of Fort Dearborn, 1812USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere, 1812Siege of Fort Wayne, 1812Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812Capture of HMS Frolic, 1812Battle of St. Regis, 1812USS United States vs HMS Macedonian, 1812Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1812Battle of Wild Cat Creek, 1812Battle of Frenchman's Creek, 1812Battle of La Guaira, 1812Battle of Frenchtown, 1813Battle of Fort George, 1813Battle of Ogdensburg, 1813Battle of Tipton's Island, 1813Battle of Rappahannock River, 1813Battle of Africa Point, 1813Battle of York, 1813Siege of Fort Meigs, 1813Raid on Havre de Grace, 1813Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1813Capture of USS Chesapeake, 1813Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813Battle of Craney Island, 1813Battle of Beaver Dams, 1813Raid on Black Rock, 1813Battle of Fort Stephenson, 1813Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Second Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Capture of HMS Boxer, 1813Battle of Lake Erie, 1813Battle of the Thames, 1813Battle of the Chateauguay, 1813Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813Capture of Fort Niagara, 1813Battle of Buffalo, 1813Siege of Prairie du Chien, 1814Battle of Big Sandy Creek, 1814Battle of Fayal, 1814Battle of Longwoods, 1814Battle of Valparaíso, 1814Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1814Battle of Fort Oswego, 1814Sinking of HMS Reindeer, 1814Battle of Chippawa, 1814Battle of Rock Island Rapids, 1814Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814Battle of Mackinac Island, 1814Battle of Conjocta Creek, 1814Siege of Fort Erie, 1814Battle of Bladensburg, 1814Raid on Alexandria, 1814Battle of Caulk's Field, 1814Sinking of HMS Avon, 1814Battle of Hampden, 1814Battle of Credit Island, 1814Battle of Plattsburgh, 1814Battle of North Point, 1814Battle of Baltimore, 1814Battle of Cook's Mills, 1814Battle of Malcolm's Mills, 1814Battle of Pensacola, 1814Battle of Lake Borgne, 1814Siege of Fort St. Philip, 1815Battle of New Orleans, 1815Battle of Fort Peter, 1815Capture of East India Company ship Nautilus, 181518121815Battle of Frenchtown, 1813
77 placed engagements of the War of 1812 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateJanuary 1813 (month precision)
PlaceFrenchtown Charter Township, Michigan, United States
41.914N, 83.378W
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength1,3971,000
Casualties and losses40 killed; 162 wounded; 3 captured410 killed; 94+ wounded; 547 captured (30–60 of whom were killed in ensuing Indigenous massacre)
Commanders
  • Roundhead (Wyandot)
  • Walk-in-the-Water
  • James Winchester (general)
  • George Madison
Battle of FrenchtownBattle of FrenchtownBattle of BrownstownBattle of MaguagaBattle of River CanardBattle of BrownstownBattle of Maguaga20 km41.914N, 83.378W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1813

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the River Raisin (Frenchtown) battlefield (site MI404): a study area of 2,564 acres, with a core area of 866 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 120 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Battle of Frenchtown is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (10 in Michigan).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q586801, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Frenchtown, revision 1383426928, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.