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           HISTORICAL SOCIETY.


                            NUMBER ONO.


BATTLE AND MASSACRE AT FRENCLRTOWN, MXC1 GHI[XN,
                          JANUARY, 181:3.

     BY REV. THOMAS P. DUDLEY, ONE OF THE SURVIVORS.



The following incidents relating to the
march of a detachment of Kentucky troops
under Colonel Lewis to Frenchtown, on the
River Raisin, Michigan, January, 181E; the
battles of the 18th and 22d; the massacre of
the prisoners, and the march to Fort George,
on the Niagara river, were written by the
Rev. Thomas P. Dudley, of Lexington,
Ky., May 26th, 1870, and indorsed as
follows:
A. T. Goodman, Esq., Secretary Western
  Reserve Historical Society:
  DEAR SIn: I take pleasure in forwarding
to your society an interesting and reilt e
narrative by the Rev. Thomas P. Dudley, of
this city.    Very truly yours,
                      LESLIE CooMBS.
 LEXINGTON, June 1, 1870.
 On the 17th day of January, 1813, a de-
 tachment of 550 men, under command of
 Colonel William Lewis, with Colonel John
 Allen, and Majors Ben. Graves and
 George Madison, from the left wing of the
 Northwest army, was ordered to French-
 town, on the river Raisin, where it was un-
 derstood a large number of British had col-
 lected, and were committing depredations
 on the inhabitants of that village. On. the
 17th. at night, the detachment encamped at
 the mouth of Swan creek, on the Niatmee
 of the lake. On the 18th, they took up the
 line of marcb, meeting a number of the in-
 habitants retreating  to the  American
 camp, opposite to where Fort Mleigs
 was  subsequently  built.  Our  troops
 inquired whether the British had any
 artillery,  to  which  the  reply  was,



"They have two pieces about large
enough to kill a mouse." They reached the
River Raisin about 3 o'clock in the after-
noon, and while crossing the river on the ice
the British began firing their swivels, when
the American troops were ordered to drop
their knapsacks on the ice. Reaching the
opposite shore, they raised a vell, some
crowing like chicken cocks, some barking
like dogs, and others calling, "Fire away
with your mouse cannon again." The
troops were disposed as follows: The right
battalion commanded by Colonel Allen, the
center by Major Madison, the left by Major
Graves. The latter battalion was ordered
to dislodge the enemy from the position
occupied by them, "being the same occu-
pied by the American troons in the battle of
the 22d," during which the right and center
were ordered to remain where they were,
in the open field. until Major Graves' com-
mand should force the enemy to the woods.
While Graves was drivingr the enemy occa-
sional balls from the woods. opnosite Col-
onel Allen's command, wounded some of
his men. Hence Colonel Allen ordered a
partial retreat of forty or fifty yards, so as
to place his men out ot the reach of the In-
dian guns. Just as this order was accom-
plished, we discovered, from the firing, that
Major-Graves ha driven the enemv to the
woods, when he was ordered to advance the
right and center. Up to this time the fight-
ing was done by Major Graves' battalion.
So soon as the right and center reached the
woods the fighting became generai and
most obstinate, tne enemy resisting every
inch of ground as they were compelled