The River Raisin National Battlefield Park preserves the site of the Battle of Frenchtown as the only national battlefield marking a site of the War of 1812. It was established as the 393rd unit of the United States National Park Service under Title VII of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which was signed into law on March 30, 2009. The park is located in the city of Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on February 18, 1956 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1982. The house at 1403 East Elm Avenue was added to the National Register listing in 2019. It officially began operation as a national park unit on October 22, 2010. Background The area was the site of the costly Battle of Frenchtown, in which 397 Americans were killed and 547 taken prisoner after surrender to the British Army and Native American coalition during the War of 1812. The fighting took place from January 18–23, 1813. The first engagement, sometimes referred to as the First Battle of the River Raisin, was a success for the American forces. Angered by their forced retreat, the British and Native Americans counterattacked the American forces four days later, on January 22, at the same location along the River Raisin. Many of the Americans were inexperienced troops from Kentucky; they were ill-prepared and unable to retreat. During the Battle of Frenchtown, American brigadier general James Winchester reported that only 33 of his approximate 1,000 men escaped the battlefield. 397 were killed, and 547 were taken prisoner, which marked the deadliest conflict ever on Michigan soil and the worst single defeat the Americans suffered in the entire War of 1812. The day after the battle, dozens of captured Americans too wounded to walk were killed by the Native Americans, mostly Potawatomi, in apparent reprisal for atrocities the Kentuckians had committed against them. This is referred to as the River Raisin Massacre. Prisoners who could walk were marched toward Detroit. Recent history The River Raisin Battlefield Site was listed as a Michigan Historic Site on February 18, 1956, although the exact date at which the park was first organized is unknown. The location of the site is bounded by North Dixie Highway, the River Raisin, Detroit Avenue, and Mason Run Creek. The Battle of Frenchtown is so named because it