River Raisin, because of its proximity to that river. The engagement may be divided into the First Battle of the River Raisin (January 18) and the Second Battle of the River Raisin (January 22). The name "River Raisin Massacre" is used to describe January 23, the day after the second battle, when British-allied Native Americans killed dozens of the mostly volunteer soldiers from Kentucky who were too badly injured to march overland to Canada. Background On August 17, 1812, Brigadier General William Hull, commanding the American Army of the Northwest, surrendered his troops and Fort Detroit to the British army following the Siege of Detroit. This early success convinced many Native Americans to side with Britain in the war. General Hull was later tried by a military court and sentenced to death for his "disgraceful conduct" at Detroit. However, President James Madison commuted the sentence to dismissal from the army in recognition of Hull's honorable service during the American Revolution. At that time, Fort Detroit was a strategic outpost and a potential base for any US invasion of British Upper Canada. Its loss to the British gave them a base to increase their presence in the Michigan Territory. When the British captured Detroit, the Frenchtown militia also surrendered and were disarmed. Just south of Fort Detroit, Frenchtown's residents were helpless against the British and Native Americans who now were almost on their doorstep. They urged the Americans to regroup and drive the invaders back to Upper Canada. Following Hull's dismissal, Brigadier General James Winchester was given command of the Army of the Northwest. Instead of pushing north to retake Detroit, Winchester had a less ambitious plan. His resulting unpopularity caused the command to be given to Major General William Henry Harrison. Winchester was retained as second-in-command. Harrison's first plan on taking command was to march his men north and recover Detroit. To accomplish this, he divided the army into two columns. Harrison would lead one column, with the other led by Winchester. Meanwhile, Colonel Henry Procter, commanding the British Army around Detroit, assembled all the British troops available, supported by about 500 Native Americans under the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. While Tecumseh was present during the Frenchtown fighting, he did not participate and left before the massacre. First Battle of the River Raisin James Winchester, the second-in-command of the Army of the Northwest, led a column consisting of approximately 1,000 inexperienced