James Winchester

This article is about the American officer. For the football player, see James Winchester (football player) .

James Winchester

James Winchester (born February 26, 1752 in Carroll County , Maryland Province , † July 26, 1826 in Gallatin , Tennessee ) was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a brigadier general in the United States Army during the War of 1812 . He commanded the American troops in the Battle of Frenchtown , which led to the so-called River Raisin Massacre. Winchester was also active as a politician .

Early life

Born in Carroll County in what is now the state of Maryland , Winchester enlisted in the Maryland militia during the American Revolution . He served in General Hugh Mercer's Flying Camp Battalion during the early months of the War of Independence. The British captured him when General John Sullivan failed in the attack on  Staten Island on August 22, 1777.

Winchester returned to freedom in May 1778 as part of a prisoner exchange. He was promoted to lieutenant in the 3rd Maryland Regiment . During the surrender of Charlestown (today's spelling: Charleston ) on May 12, 1780, he was captured again. He was released in December. He was promoted to captain . He served the remainder of the war under General Nathanael Greene .

Life in Tennessee

In 1785, Winchester moved to what is now central Tennessee. At the time, this area was North Carolina's border district . He became a militia officer and promoted to brigadier general . After Tennessee joined the Union in 1796, Winchester was elected to the first Tennessee Parliament ( Tennessee General Assembly ). He sat in the State Senate and was its speaker from 1796 to 1797 . In 1802 he completed his Cragfont plantation .

War of 1812

In March 1812, three months before the war against the British, Winchester was named brigadier general in the United States Army . When the war began, he was given command of the Northwest Army. This army camped near Cincinnati . There was a conflict over leadership and General William Henry Harrison took command of Winchester's troops in the campaign against Fort Wayne . The army command confirmed Winchester eligibility in September, but he had to submit to Harrison when he was appointed major general.

During the attack, Winchester commanded part of the army under Harrison. After several skirmishes with the British and Indians, he camped at the Maumee Rapids (in present-day Toledo, Ohio ) in December 1812.

River Raisin Massacre

In early 1813, Winchester took part in an attempt to retake Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan (now Monroe, Michigan ). The reconquest was successful on January 18th. Four days later, British-Canadian-Indian forces attacked him under Col. Henry Procter , which led to the Battle of Frenchtown . Winchester was captured by Chief Roundhead ( Wyandot ). He agreed to a partial surrender, against the assurance that his men would be safe. Despite the assurance, Indians allied with the British killed 68 seriously wounded Americans in the so-called massacre on the River Raisin .

Winchester was incarcerated in Canada for more than a year. As part of a prisoner exchange, he returned to freedom and then commanded the district of Mobile . In March 1815 he returned to Tennessee.

post war period

In 1819 Winchester served on the state commission to regulate the Tennessee-Missouri border. Together with Andrew Jackson and John Overton , he founded the city of Memphis on May 22, 1819.

Winchester died in Gallatin at the age of 74. He is buried in Winchester Cemetery there.

swell

• McHenry, Robert. Webster's American Military Biographies , Springfield, Mass .: G & C. Merriam Co., 1978.

Web links

• James Winchester in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• War of 1812 - People & Stories: James Winchester
• Tennessee Documentary History, 1796-1850: General Orders, 1812 July 8, Nashville (to) Captain John Ballinger, New Orleans / General J. Winchester
• Digitized images of James Winchester logbook, 1812 , held at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center

Individual evidence

1. ^ Early Members of the Tennessee General Assembly
2. ↑ James Winchester . In: Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture . Tennessee Historical Society. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
3. ^ Memphis History and Facts . Memphis Public Library. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 24, 2008.