Major Adam Charles Muir (1770 – 11 May 1829) was an officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, who played a significant but little-known role in the Anglo-American

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Early life

Muir was born in Scotland. The date is not definitely known; it may have been 1766 or 1770.

Military career

Early service, promotions

He enlisted as a private soldier in the

41st Regiment of Foot The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Early h ...

in 1778. He was evidently well-educated and very quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in only five months and later

Sergeant-Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

, and being commissioned as an

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

in 1793. He became an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

shortly afterwards, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

the next year. He served with the regiment in the West Indies.

Arrival in Canada, marriage, further promotion

In 1799, the regiment was posted to Canada. In 1801, Muir married Mary Elizabeth Alexowina Bender in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. The couple would eventually have ten children. Muir was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1804. In 1811, the regiment, noted by Major-General

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. He is best remembered for his victory at the Siege of Detroit and his death at the Battle of Quee ...

as being one of the steadiest units available in Canada, was sent to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

War of 1812

In 1812, when war with America broke out, Muir was in charge of the detachment of the regiment at

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

. In this part of the province, there were few British troops, but large numbers of

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

inspired by the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

leader

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

aided the British. Muir was present at the

Battle of Brownstown The Battle of Brownstown was an early skirmish in the War of 1812. Although the United States military outnumbered the forces of Tecumseh's Confederacy 8 to 1, they lost the battle and suffered substantial losses while Tecumseh's forces were a ...

where Indians under Tecumseh routed an American detachment and captured vital despatches. Shortly afterwards, he commanded British troops and Indians at the

Battle of Maguaga The Battle of Maguaga (also known as the Battle of Monguagon or the Battle of the Oakwoods) was a small battle between British troops, Canadian militia and Tecumseh's natives against a larger force of American troops, Ohio Volunteers and Michigan L ...

. Muir's troops were forced to retreat, but rallied, and the Americans withdrew without accomplishing their mission which was to clear a route for supplies to reach their army at

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Muir was wounded at Maguaga, but recovered to lead the main body of the 41st at the

Siege of Detroit A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

. Later in the year, Muir commanded another detachment sent to aid the Indians attacking

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

. The attack failed, but Muir retreated successfully to Detroit. During the following year, he took part in the Battles of Frenchtown,

Fort Meigs Fort Meigs was a United States fortification along the Maumee River in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio during the War of 1812. The British Army, supported by Tecumseh's Confederacy, failed to capture the fort during the siege of Fort Meigs. It is ...

and

Fort Stephenson Fort Stephenson (first known as " Fort Sandusky") was built in the early 1800s on the west side of the lower Sandusky River. It was the site in 1813 of an American victory in the Battle of Fort Stephenson during the War of 1812. The town that ...

. He was one of several officers who became critical of the leadership of the commander of the division, Major General Henry Procter. Finally, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Moraviantown, when the by now starving and demoralised 41st Regiment gave way before a charge of Kentucky mounted riflemen. After some months in captivity, Muir was released by an exchange of prisoners. He was promoted brevet

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1814, and was appointed to command the militia in the Grand River district on the Niagara Peninsula, and played a small part in the

Battle of Malcolm's Mills The Battle of Malcolm's Mills was the last battle of the War of 1812 fought in the Canadas. A force of American mounted troops overran and scattered a force of Canadian militia. The battle was fought on November 6, 1814, near the village of Oa ...

Post-war activities

After the war, the 41st returned to Britain. Muir was crippled by a fall from a horse in Ireland in 1816. He resigned from the Army two years later and returned to take up land in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

. He was forced to sell his farm and retired to an invalid hospital at William Henry, where he died in 1829, leaving large debts.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Adam 1829 deaths 41st Regiment of Foot soldiers 41st Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the War of 1812 1770 births Immigrants to Lower Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United States