Historical Marker: Newport - War of 1812

Newport - War of 1812
Kentucky Historical Marker 0507

Kentuckians crossed here August 1812 marching to relieve Gen. Hull at Detroit. Took Frenchtown (Monroe) on January 18, 1813. Four days later all but 30 were killed or captured. Other Kentuckians gathered here Aug. 31, 1813. Led by Governor Shelby these men defeated British and Indians in Battle of Thames in Canada Oct. 5, 1813. This ended fighting in the Old Northwest.

Have only 200 years passed since the War of 1812 occurred? Seems like it should have been a 1000 years ago. So much has changed in what really is a brief bit of time. Do you ever imagine how a war would have progressed if they had access to modern technology? Paul Revere's midnight tweet just does not have as much of a heroic punch behind it.

War of 1812 AKA that war after the Revolution where stuff happened.

Little do we think of Kentucky's involvement in the War of 1812, however Kentucky had quite a significant role.  25,010 Kentuckians fought in the war and Kentucky had the most battle casualties of all other states combined. This large number was due to the fact that Kentucky had no fortifications that needed protection, so they fought more actively against the enemy.

 Kentucky Mounted Militia War of 1812

This marker is to honor those who crossed this area of Newport to fight in important battles of the war. The first of which is trying to help General William Hull in Detroit. However this did not work out as Hull surrendered Fort Detroit on August 16, due mainly to a trick by the British.  The British convinced a group of Native American to make a lot of noise around the fort, this convinced Hull that he was outnumbered and was facing an impossible battle. Hull then surrendered. It was like the Alamo except the Mexicans were pretending and everyone gave up. Notice how you never hear anyone say "Remember Fort Detroit."

We at least won the battle of not sullying our dress whites.

I personally recommend remembering Fort Detroit over the Alamo. I mean the Alamo teaches "Impossible odds are probably impossible." Fort Detroit teaches "Stop being a wuss." Now in Hull's defense, the government had failed to give him adequate backup at this time nor accurate information. There could have been 200,000 British officers for all he knew.

The second thing mentioned is the taking of Monroe in January which was a pretty big deal. This victory did not last long because soon there was The Battle of River Raisin. Which sounds delicious but was also one of the bloodiest battles and the largest fought on Michigan soil of the war. You can read a great detailed report of it here. I hope I don't spoil anything but despite the United State's loss of this battle, Kentucky came out looking pretty good.

"Remember the River Raisin" National Guard Heritage Print by by Ken Riley

The last thing the sign mentions is The Battle of Thames. This time the US came away with a much needed victory.  It took place on October 5, 1813. Five brigades of Kentucky militia led by Issac Shelby  (first and fifth Governor of Kentucky) fought amongst 3,760 men.

This battle had a major impact such as re-establishment of American control over the Northwest frontier and the killing of Chief Tecumseh. As a result of Tecumseh's death the confederation of Indians fell apart and the possibility of an independent Indian state in the Midwest ended.

Luckily we got better at our treatment of Native Americans...

Two men are credited as possibly killing Tecumseh, one is Colonel Richard Johnson (9th Vice President of the United States and a Kentuckian) and the other is William Whitley who was killed during the attack. Whitley was from Crab Orchard, KY and was a very interesting fellow. At the age of 64 he volunteered for service in the war of 1812. He also reportedly requested that if he fell in battle that his own scalp would be sent to his wife.

My scalp will make a great dinner topic.

I was personally fascinated by Kentucky's involvement in the War of 1812. 1812 is not a shining moment in United State's history but I do believe it was a one for Kentucky. As for who shot Tecumseh, all I can say is: "Who died on the battlefield and who lived and used this achievement to further their own political career?"

"Rumpsey Dumpsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh"

In the future I will have to profile Johnson and Whitley in more detail. I have just barely touched the surface of their fascinating and storied lives. Perhaps I will even begin a series about Kentuckians you should already know about.