The Battle of Prairie du Chien was a British victory in the far western theater of the War of 1812. During the war, Prairie du Chien was a small frontier settlement with residents loyal to both American and British causes. By 1814, both nations were anxious to control the site because of its importance to the fur trade and its strategic location at the intersection of the Mississippi River and the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway, a transportation route linking the Mississippi with the Great Lakes. Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Sign seen in Prairie du Chien, WI on entering from Iowa. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... Major William McKay (1772 – 18 August 1832) was a military officer during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Tecumsehs confederacy United States Commanders Tenskwatawa William Henry Harrison Strength 500+ 1,000 regulars and militia Casualties 50+ killed 70+ wounded 68 killed 120 wounded The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and forces of... Combatants Britain Native Americans United States Commanders Captain Charles Roberts Lieutenant Porter Hanks Strength about 600 61 Casualties 0 61 surrendered The Battle of Mackinac Island (1812) was a British victory in the War of 1812. ... The Battle of Maguaga was a small battle fought between British troops, Canadian militia and Tecumsehs natives against a larger force of American troops in Maguaga, Michigan. ... Combatants Potawatomi United Kingdom United States Commanders Chief Blackbird Nathan Heald Strength 500+ 69 military + civilians Casualties 15 39 military + 27 civilians The Fort Dearborn massacre occurred on August 15, 1812 near Fort Dearborn in the United States during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Isaac Brock William Hull Strength 100 regulars 300 militia 150 natives 2,500 Casualties None 2,500 captured For the 1763 action in Pontiacs Rebellion, see the Siege of Fort Detroit The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit or the... The Battle of Fort Harrison was a decisive victory for the United States against an Indian force which greatly outnumbered their own. ... The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the War of 1812, between American and Indian forces in the wake of the successful British campaigns of 1812. ... The Battle of the Mississinewa also known as the Battle of Mississineway was an expedition ordered by William Henry Harrison against Miami villages in response to the attacks on Fort Wayne. ... Combatants Britain American Indians United States Commanders Henry Procter Tecumseh James Winchester Strength 200 regulars 300 militia 450 natives 1,000 regulars and militia Casualties 182 killed or wounded 958 killed, wounded or captured {{{notes}}} The Battle of Frenchtown also known as the River Raisin massacre, was a severe defeat... The Siege of Fort Meigs took place during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio. ... The Battle of Fort Stephenson was an American victory during the War of 1812. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Commanders Robert Heriot Barclay Oliver Hazard Perry Strength 6 warships 9 small warships Casualties 41 dead 94 wounded 6 ships captured 27 dead 96 wounded 1 ship lost The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought... Combatants Britain Tecumsehs confederacy United States Commanders Henry Procter Tecumseh † William Henry Harrison Strength 800 regulars 500 natives1 2,380 militia 1,000 cavalry 120 regulars 260 natives1 Casualties 155 British dead or wounded 477 captured 33 natives dead 15 dead 30 wounded {{{notes}}} The Battle of the Thames... The Battle of Longwoods was a battle of the War of 1812 on March 4, 1814, fought near present-day Wardsville, Ontario. ... Combatants British Empire United States Commanders Robert McDouall George Croghan Andrew Holmes† Strength about 300 700 Casualties 1 dead, 1 wounded 13 dead, 51 wounded The Battle of Fort Mackinac was a British victory in the War of 1812. ... Combatants Great Britain United States Commanders Miller Worsley Arthur Sinclair George Croghan Casualties 3 killed 9 wounded 1 schooner destroyed 6 killed 6 wounded 2 gunboats captured The Engagement on Lake Huron was actually a series of minor engagements, which left the British in control of the Lake, and thus... The Battle of Malcolms Mills was a brief skirmish during the War of 1812, in which a force of American cavalry overran and scattered a force of Canadian militia. ... Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3... Sign seen in Prairie du Chien, WI on entering from Iowa. ... // Indian trade The fur trade (also called the Indian trade) was a huge part of the early history of contact in North America between European-Americans and American Indians (now often called Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada). ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the longest river in the United States; the second-longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... The Fox-Wisconsin Waterway is a waterway formed by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ...

Background

Although Prairie du Chien became a part of the United States following the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the Americans made little effort to maintain a presence in the far western settlement. Thus, it remained largely under British influence into the 19th Century. In the spring of 1814, American forces decided to secure the location, realizing that if it fell to the British, there would be no obstacle to a British attack on St. Louis. William Clark, the governor of Missouri Territory, organized a force in St. Louis that included 61 regulars from the Seventh Infantry under Brevet Major Zachary Taylor, as well as 140 volunteers who agreed to join the force for sixty days under the command of Frederick Yeizer and John Sullivan. Shortly after the force was assembled, Taylor left for personal reasons. In his place, Lieutenant Joseph Perkins of the 24th Infantry took command of the regulars. On May 1, Governor Clark and the combined forces under Perkins, Yeizer, and Sullivan began up the Mississippi River en route to Prairie du Chien. Painting by Benjamin West depicting (from left to right) John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: Country United States State Missouri County Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area    - City 66. ... William Clark (August 1, 1770 - September 1, 1838) was a Scottish-American explorer who accompanied Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ... Missouri Territory was a historic, organized territory in the United States. ... Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. ...

Soon word of the American advance reached the British force at Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in Michigan. The British commander here, Robert McDouall, did not want the Americans to gain a foothold in the northwest, fearing that it would disrupt the British fur trade and possibly upset Britain's numerous alliances with the region's American Indian tribes. To respond to the American threat, the British at Mackinac organized a militia captained by Joseph Rolette, Thomas G. Anderson, and Pierre Grignon. This was sent along with one British regular, a detachment of the Michigan Fencibles, and several hundred Dakota, Winnebago, and Fox warriors to meet the Americans at Prairie du Chien. Lieutenant Colonel William McKay was put in command of the force, which was estimated at 650. Fort Mackinac painting Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Mackinac Island (pronounced , note the silent c) is a small island, 4. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDouall was a military officer during the War of 1812. ... An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... The Sioux (also: Lakota) are a Native American people. ... The Ho-Chunk or Winnebago (as they are commonly called) are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what are now Wisconsin and Illinois. ... The Fox tribe of Native Americans are an Algonquian language-speaking group that are now merged with the allied Sac tribe as the Sac and Fox Nation. ... Major William McKay (1772 – 18 August 1832) was a military officer during the War of 1812. ...

In the meantime, the American force led by Governor Clark and Joseph Perkins had arrived in Prairie du Chien. They reached the village on June 2, and a few days later, on June 6, the began building themselves a fort on a large mound just north of the main village. The fort was named Fort Shelby in honor of Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky. Seeing that construction of the small wooden fort was underway, Governor Clark left to return to St. Louis on June 7. The American's made steady progress on the fort, and although the defenses were unfinished, the barracks were occupied by June 19. Around the time that the fort was being occupied, the sixty day terms of service for the volunteers led by Yeizer and Sullivan expired. Most of these men went home with Sullivan, although Yeizer and some men in his company agreed to stay aboard the American river gunboat Governor Clark, a thirty two oar, fourteen gun wooden vessel anchored in the Mississippi River beside Fort Shelby. Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750-July 18, 1826) was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and the first Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1792 to 1796 and from 1812 to 1816. ... Official language(s) English Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

The battle

On Sunday, July 17, the British force arrived at Prairie du Chien. Late in the morning, Thomas Anderson approached Fort Shelby to deliver Perkins a note demanding the Americans' unconditional surrender. Perkins refused, and prepared to defend the fort. The battle began early in the afternoon when the British opened fire on the Americans using their brass field cannon. Keeping their initial fire focused on the Governor Clark, the British force was able to damage the gunboat and compel it to retreat downriver. This was much to the dismay of the American forces in Fort Shelby, for not only did the boat carry the American's cannons, but also a substantial supply of goods and ammunition as well as the volunteers still under the command of Frederick Yeizer.

With the gunboat gone, the British concentrated their fire on Fort Shelby, but the British cannon proved less effective here. The Americans and the British maintained a steady exchange of gunfire throughout the next day, but to no avail for either side. However, by the third day of battle the Americans inside Fort Shelby were beginning to run short of ammunition and other supplies. More pressing, the well inside the fort had run dry, and an attempt to deepen it led to its total collapse. Meanwhile, upset at the lack of progress, Col. McKay began making plans to break the stalemate by sending red hot cannonballs into the fort to set it ablaze. Sensing the British plans, Lt. Perkins offered to surrender if the British would guarantee his men's safety. McKay agreed, but asked that Perkins delay formal surrender until the next day so that he could ensure that the Indian forces accompanying the British would not threaten the Americans.

On July 20, the Americans officially surrendered and vacated the fort. Under the terms of the surrender, the British were given control of the fort and the American's arms, ammunition, and provisions, while the American troops were allowed to return to St. Louis. The Battle of Prairie du Chien resulted in no deaths, and only minimal casualties on either side.

Aftermath

Following the American surrender, the British force took possession of Fort Shelby, which was renamed Fort McKay after the British commander. Meanwhile, the Americans had returned to St. Louis by August 6. In September, the United States sent a second force upriver towards Prairie du Chien with the intent of recapturing the fort, but it was turned back at the Battle of Rock Island Rapids. The British maintained a presence at Fort McKay until word of the Treaty of Ghent reached Prairie du Chien in the spring of 1815. The treaty returned Prairie du Chien to the United States, so the British force abandoned the fort on May 25, burning it in their retreat. In the following year, the United States would construct Fort Crawford over the site of the battle in order to gain tighter control over the region. Signing of the Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Flanders (Belgium), United Kingdom of the Netherlands, ended the War of 1812 between the United States and United Kingdom. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Crawford was the name of two fortifications of the United States Army built in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ...

External Links

• Articles from the Upper Mississippi Brigade
• http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/pduchien.html