Peter Navarre (c. 1785–1874) was an early settler of the Maumee valley. He was said to be the grandson of a French army officer, who visited this section in 1745. Navarre was born 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 ...

in about 1785, where his father before him was born. In 1807, with his brother Robert, he erected a cabin near the mouth of the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a river running in the Midwestern United States from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph River (Maumee River), St. Joseph and St. Mar ...

(east side), which continued to be his residence for the remainder of his life. Besides

Canadian French Canadian French (, ) is the French language as it is spoken in Canada. It includes multiple varieties, the most prominent of which is Québécois (Quebec French). Formerly ''Canadian French'' referred solely to Quebec French and the closely re ...

he could speak the Pottawatomie dialect, and partially those of other tribes. He was skillful in woodcraft and Native American methods, while his bearing was ever that of a "born gentleman". For several years he was employed by a Detroit house in buying furs of the Miamis near

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 ...

, where he made the acquaintance and friendship of

chief Little Turtle Little Turtle () (1747 July 14, 1812) was a Sagamore (chief) of the Miami people, who became one of the most famous Native American military leaders. Historian Wiley Sword calls him "perhaps the most capable Indian leader then in the Northwest ...

War of 1812

The War of 1812 closed the fur trade, when Navarre and his three brothers—Robert, Alexis and Jaquot (James)--tendered their services to General

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American military officer and politician. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he later served as governor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1813), where he negotiated land cessi ...

. He also besought Hull to accept the services of the

Miamis The Miami ( Miami–Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking the Miami–Illinois language, one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is no ...

, which were declined, and they afterwards took part with the British. Before seeing active service, the Navarres were included in the surrender of Hull, and paroled, although they denied the right to treat him as a prisoner of war and at once took an active part for the United States; whereupon General Proctor, the British commander, offered a reward of $1000 for Navarre's head or

scalp The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...

. Peter Navarre assisted in delivering sharpshooters to the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shores of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the British ...

and delivered

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christo ...

's message "We have met the enemy, and they are ours" to

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. Peter Navarre survived the

Battle of Frenchtown The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...

. Until the close of the war he acted as a scout for General

. He used to say that the worst night he ever spent was as a bearer of a despatch from Harrison, then at

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 ...

, to

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 ...

. Amid a thunderstorm of great fury and fall of water, he made the trip of over thirty miles through unbroken wilderness, and the morning following delivered to Harrison a reply.

Postwar

Because his name was not on an enlistment roll, the law provided no pension for his service, but by special

act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

his last days were made more comfortable by pecuniary relief. At the close of the war he returned to his home, near the mouth of the Maumee river, where he spent the balance of his life, dying in East Toledo, 20 March 1874, aged 89. For several years previous to his death he served as President of the Maumee Valley Pioneer Association.

Legacy

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

celebrates Peter Navarre Day on September 9. Navarre Park, Navarre Elementary School, and Navarre Avenue (part of

Ohio State Route 2 State Route 2 (SR 2), formerly known as Inter-county Highway 2 until 1921 and State Highway 2 in 1922, is an east–west highway crossing most of northern Ohio. Its western terminus is at the Indiana state line near Hicksville, Ohio, Hicksvill ...

through Toledo and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

), are named in honor of Peter Navarre.

References

Sources

Henry Howe's History of Ohio
{{PD-notice

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

American military personnel of the War of 1812 Ohio pioneers American people of French descent 1780s births 1874 deaths