Franklin County, KYGenWeb
War of 1812
Battle of the River Raisin
The
most dire calamity that ever befell the people of Franklin County happened
during the decade (1810-1820). The history of the war between the United
States and Great
Britain; the causes which led up to and the sequences which followed are
a part of national history. The United States army in the northwest
was composed almost
exclusively of Kentuckians, a history of which is properly a part of history
of the State.Franklin County, however, did more than just a proportional
part. She furnished more
men, and more money, and she gave more of her heroic blood for the honor
and glory of this great country than could have reasonably been expected
from one community.
Captain Paschel Hickman's Company, First Riffle Regiment Kentucky Militia
Two
full companies enlisted from Franklin County, the first under Paschel or
Perchal Hickman. As Captain he was mustered into the service, August
15, 1812 and his
company was known as Captain Paschel Hickman's Company, first rifle regiment,
Kentucky Militia. It was engaged on October 14,
1812.
The
eighty-six men composing this company were all killed at the Battle of the
River Raisin, except thirteen of them. To this date, only twelve of
these men are known to
have returned to their homes in Franklin County: Lieut. Peter Dudley,
Alexander Renick,Joseph Clark, Lewis Fenwick, Elisha Herndon, John A. Holton,
Z. B. Lewis, Francis
Mayhall, John Mayhall, John
Richardson,
Alexander Robertson and James
Wilson.
| Joseph
Armstong, Private Berrisford Arnold, Private James Bassett, Private James Biscoe, Private Samuel Blackburn, Private Isaac Boone, Private William Bratton, Private John Brock, Private Overton Brown, Private William Brown, Private Martin Calvert, Private Richard Chism, 3rd. Corporal Joseph Clark, Private Phillip Clark, Private Garland Cosby, Private John Cox, Private Lemuel Davis, Jr., Private Lemuel Davis, Sr. Private Peter Dudley, Lieutentant Lewis Fenwick, Private Nathan Goodrich, Private John Hays, Private Benjamin Head, 2nd. Sergeant Moses Head, Private Willian D. Hensley, Private Elisha Herndon, Private Paschel Hickman, Captain John A. Holton, Private James B. Humphreys, Private Benjamin B. Johnson, 4th Corporal Geo. T. Johnston, Private Simon Kenton, Private Gideon King, Private John Koons, Private John Lane, Private Zachariah B. Lewis, Private Jacob Lively, Private Lapsley McBride, Private Otho McCracken, Private Timothy Marshall, Private David E. Mathews, Private Francis Mayhall, Private John Mayhall, Private |
Joshua
Moore, Private Timothy T. Moore, Private Joseph Mosely, Private John G. Mullican, Private John Nailor, 4th Sergeant George Nichols, 3rd Sergeant John Noland, Private Robert Owen, Private Benjamin Pannell, Private James Parker, Private William T. Pemberton, 2nd. Corporal John Phillips, Private Joseph Pitts, Private Jesse Poe, Private Meriwether Poindexter, Private William Pruett, Private David Quinn, 1st. Sergeant Samuel Reading, Private Alexander Rennick, 1st. Corporal Jas. Richardson, Private Jno. Richardson, Private Geo. Robertson, Private Alexander Robinson, Private Jno. Rossen, Private Jno. Sanders, Private William Sanders, Private Francis Slaughter, Private Jesse Smiley, Private John Smith, Private Samuel Smith, Private Reuben Sparks, Private Rankin Steel, Private Wm. Stevens, Private John Tate, Private Thomas Tate, Private Samuel Throckmorton, Private Benjamin Underwood, Private Wm. Updike, Private Peter G. Voorhies, Ensign Van West, Private William West, Private James Wilson, Private George Yancy, Private |
The Battle, January 21, 1813
On January
21, 1813, the Battle of Raisin River begins.
The
order of the Battle of River Raisin was as follows: Lieut. Colonel John Allen
commanding the right
wing: Major Graves, the left; and Major Madison, the center; Captain
Ballard (acting Major) was placed in advance of the whole with two companies,
one
company commanded by Captain Hickman, Subaltern Lieut. Chinn, the other by
Captain
Graves. The
American force, commanded by General Winchester,
surrenderd
to British General Proctor, 500 dead and 100 wounded.A. B. Woodward, Judge
of the Supreme Court of the Michigan territory, in a letter
to General Proctor, dated February 2, 1813, stated that some of the prisoners
after the capitulation of the 22nd of January had been tomahawked and
others
had
been shot and still others had been burned at the stake by the
savages.
The
Indians were permitted by General Proctor to slaughter his wounded and
defenseless captives, "Captain Hickman was rudely dragged to the door, his
brains dashed out with a tomahawk and his body thrown back into the
house."
Captain
Hickman was severely wounded and was carried from the battlefield, both of
his legs were shot off, or were so badly mangled that they were amputated
the
next morning, January 23, 1813.
Paschel
Hickman was the Jailer of Franklin County at the time he enlisted for military
service, He was the son of the
Rev.
William Hickman, a noted Baptist preacher and teacher of pioneer days.
Paschel Hickman was six feet two inches tall and weight over two hundred
pounds.
He was a very handsome man and one of the most popular of the
day.
Lapsley McBride,
son of Colonel William McBride, and great uncle of Judge W.
Lapsley Jett, and for whom said Jett was named; and Berrisford Arnold, who
was a very handsome man, the son of James Arnold, another great uncle of
Judge Jett
were
killed at the River Raisin.
The records
in the Adjutant General's office at Frankfort fail to show when any member
of this noted company was discharged from
service.
The discharge of Sergeant Rennick is dated Urbana, Ohio, February 21,
1813.
After
the slaughter at River Raisin the few Franklin County men who
returned
straggled in one at a time, and each time one came home the cannon fired
asthe whole surrounding country, as far as it could be heard, would
hasten
to
Frankfort to inquire about the lost ones.
Source:
The
History of Franklin County, Kentucky: by L. F. Johnson,
1912
Note:
It has
been brought to my attention a much better and complete account of this battle
was given in Remember the Raisin, by G. Glenn. Clift, originally published
by the KHS. Reprint by Clearfield Company, Baltimore, MD, 1995 may
be purchased at the River Raisin Battlefield Visitor Center, 1403 E. Elm
Street, Monroe, MI 46162.
Michigan's Tribute to River Raisin
The
Franklin County, Kentucky GenWeb website was built during the month of September
1998 by Anne Holder Lee.
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© 1998 - 2009 Anne H. Lee