Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Skirmish At The River Canard


Taken from the War on the Detroit - the chronicles of Thomas Verchères de Boucherville and The capitulation, by an Ohio volunteer, edited by Milo Milton Quaife:

The war began with the Detroit campaign of General Hull, and its first blood was shed in one of the tiny skirmishes at the River Canard, where the highway from Windsor to Amherstburg crosses this unimpressive stream.

According to Wikimapia:

"River Canard was the site of an engagement between British and American forces on July 16, 1812, during the War of 1812. An American force of 280 men under Colonels Cass and Miller skirmished with British troops near the bridge. Two British soldiers, James Hancock and John Dean were captured. Hancock would die of his wounds later in the day, becoming the first British casualty of the war. Dean was taken prisoner to Detroit where his left arm was amputated due to wounds. He would be liberated with the capture of Fort Detroit by the British one month later."

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