LANSING — State Representative Bill LaVoy (D-Monroe) introduced House Resolution 218, which the body unanimously approved, commemorating the fight to liberate Michigan from British forces in the War of 1812 on its bicentennial anniversary.
“The fight to recapture Michigan, starting with the Battle of Lake Erie and ending with the liberation of Detroit, is a testament to the courage and spirit of America’s military,” LaVoy said. “Though many lives were lost when the British captured Frenchtown, the resolve of our brave fighting men never wavered, and it’s that dedication we honor today.”
According to the resolution, the British captured Frenchtown, which is present-day Monroe, in January 1813, a defeat which then-Maj. Gen. William Henry Harrison would call a “national calamity.” American naval forces under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British at the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813. Seventeen days later, on Sept. 27 and 28, the American military liberated Frenchtown, moving on to retake Detroit on Sept. 29. On Oct. 5, the Americans drove the British into Upper Canada with their victory at the Battle of the Thames.