ANN ARBOR —“Remember the Raisin!” was the rallying cry of American soldiers during 1813. “The first year of the War of 1812 had been a disaster for U.S. forces in the ‘Old Northwest’,” says John Dann, director of the University of Michigan’s Clements Library.

“Detroit, Mackinac and Chicago were all lost to the British and Indians. Then in January 1813, an attempt to recapture Detroit came to grief at a tiny settlement on the banks of the River Raisin in the southeastern corner of Michigan Territory.

“A number of the American wounded, left unguarded in the aftermath of the fighting, were killed by Native American allies of the British. This widely publicized atrocity proved a valuable propaganda tool as American victories led to the recapture of Detroit in the fall of 1813. The little settlement on the Raisin was nearly 30 years old when the events of 1813 unfolded there,” Dann points out.

The settlement was founded in 1785 and settled largely by French families from Detroit. “It was, in effect,” Dann says, “the first suburb of the Michigan metropolis.” The town’s French character began to fade after the War of 1812, and its name was changed when President James Monroe visited the territory in 1817.

“Monroe retains many traces of its origins, however,” Dann says, “in its ‘ribbon farm’ land pattern, a few buildings and a local delicacy—muskrat.”

Monroe is the destination of the Clements Library Associates‘ fall field trip on Oct. 25. The Library holds much of importance to Monroe, including the original deed from the Potawatomi Indians to Francois Navarre and the only known copy of the famous engraving of the River Raisin Massacre.

The day’s events will focus on early settlement and events of the War of 1812, with a smattering of later history, particularly the town’s most famous 19th century resident, Gen. George Armstrong Custer.

The trip, including transportation, fees, light refreshment on the bus, and lunch, costs $50 per person for Clements Library Associates. To become an Associate and/or to make a reservation for this trip, call (734) 764-2347 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. All reservations must be received by Oct. 19.

John DannClements Library Associates