The Army of the Northwest was a U.S. Army unit formed at the outset of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

and charged with control of the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

and Illinois Territory.

Campaigns

The first commander,

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Am ...

, was in charge while the regiment was at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, before he

surrendered Surrender, in military terms, is the relinquishment of control over territory, combatants, fortifications, ships or armament to another power. A surrender may be accomplished peacefully or it may be the result of defeat in battle. A sove ...

it to the British. James Winchester was appointed to lead the army back up north to retake Detroit, but he turned to defend Fort Defiance instead. Due to Winchester's unpopularity, President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

soon appointed General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

as commander of the army in late 1812. Harrison led the army in the Siege of Fort Meigs and the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The Britis ...

. Under him, in actions that caused the greatest number of deaths in a battle in the War of 1812, Winchester led a contingent in what is called the Battles of Frenchtown, or the Battles of the River Raisin on January 18 and 22, 1813; in the second conflict, United States (US) forces were taken by surprise and overwhelmed by allied British and Native American warriors. After the Battle on the 22nd About 100 US soldiers Heads were cut off and were stuck on pickett fences for their fellow soldiers to see while being marched off. "The Ghastly wounds of the Dead sickend the Battlefield". The River Raisin Massacre of January 23 took place with 65 killed by the Native American warriors. As many American soldiers, And at least 12 children, 2 women and 12 men after the Americans had surrendered and the Prisoners Of War (POWs) were being marched to

Fort Malden Fort Malden, formally known as Fort Amherstburg, is a defence fortification located in Amherstburg, Ontario. It was built in 1795 by Great Britain in order to ensure the security of British North America against any potential threat of America ...

in British Ontario it would later be known as the Nations Biggest calamity during the war even the founding fathers knew of this disaster. Out of 1,060 US troops, more than 410 were killed and another 551 with the brigade staff were made POWs, with the US Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) suffer killed & missing: 375 /POW's: 471 Total NCO's killed, Missing, & made POW's:846 .Out of 1,060 us Troops only 33 soldiers or less survive. In Winchester's Army he also had 300 on the sick list all at one time from typhus fever. Today there is The National Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers of 1812 Society & "The Old 1812 Guard volunteer Infantry Regiment" these are The Guards and Sentinels of the National Tomb of Unknown Soldiers of 1812 at the River Raisin. Known as the Old 1812 Guard volunteer Infantry Regiment, Nicknames "Volunteers in the North Western Army of the United States" & “The Old Army of the Northwest” composed of civilian volunteers & volunteers of the Army Reserve, Army National Guard & Army ROTC. as the visitors experience the True early 19th-century military. Their Latin motto is ''Haec Protegimus'' (This We Guard) To Preserve, Protect, Remember - (''Ad Hanc retinete, protegere recordabor''). The events at the River Raisin remain a significant moment in United States history and the battlefield where so many Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice for the defense of the United States deserves the highest degree of Federal protection and interpretation. H.R.401 - River Raisin National Battlefield Act 111th Congress (2009–10) “National Tomb of the unknown Soldiers of 1812” which soon comes to symbolize the sacrifices of all service members in the war of 1812. The death toll total of some 41,700 Americans in proportion to a population of roughly eight million (circa 1813) places the War of 1812 as the third most lethal foreign war in U.S. history.

Commanders

The following men served as commanders of the Army of the Northwest: *

* James Winchester (September 5, 1812–September 24, 1812) *

(September 24, 1812–June 1, 1814) *

Duncan McArthur Duncan McArthur (1772April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th governor of Ohio. When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in th ...

(June, 1814. McArthur submitted his resignation on June 4, having not yet received a letter sent several days previously informing him of his promotion; the resignation was subsequently refused.–May 17, 1815)

Notes

References

* * * {{Warof1812-stub Military units and formations of the United States Army by war American military units and formations of the War of 1812