II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3247 

To provide for the designation of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park 

in the State of Michigan. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 10 (legislative day, JULY 9), 2008 

Mr. LEVIN (for himself and Ms. STABENOW) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To provide for the designation of the River Raisin National 

Battlefield Park in the State of Michigan. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘River Raisin National 

5 Battlefield Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the War of 1812, often referred to as 

9 ‘‘America’s Second War of Independence’’, was sigVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:47 Jul 12, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3247.IS S3247

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1 nificant in the development of the United States be2 cause the War— 

3 (A) helped forge a national identity; 

4 (B) retained and solidified the northern 

5 border with Canada; and 

6 (C) firmly established the sovereignty of 

7 the United States; 

8 (2) in section 603 of division I of the Omnibus 

9 Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 

10 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5 note; Public Law 104–333), Con11 gress found that ‘‘the historical integrity of many 

12 Revolutionary War sites and War of 1812 sites is at 

13 risk’’; 

14 (3) the River Raisin battlefield is the site of a 

15 major engagement of the War of 1812; 

16 (4) the battles and subsequent massacre at the 

17 River Raisin were some of the most significant mili18 tary events of the entire War; 

19 (5) approximately 65 United States prisoners 

20 were killed or burned alive the day after the second 

21 battle; 

22 (6) out of the nearly 1,000 United States sol23 diers and militia members who participated in the 

24 battle, only 33 escaped death or capture; 


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1 (7) the defeat of the United States forces at 

2 Frenchtown, now Monroe, Michigan, the subsequent 

3 massacre, and the burning of the settlement were 

4 described by General William Henry Harrison as a 

5 ‘‘national calamity’’; 

6 (8) the outrage stemming from the catastrophe 

7 aided recruitment efforts for the successful United 

8 States campaign in the spring of 1813; 

9 (9) soldiers marching to Canada the following 

10 summer passed through the ashes of Frenchtown 

11 and were so moved by the tragic scene that the sol12 diers were spurred on to victory at the Battle of the 

13 Thames, where the soldiers shouted the emotional 

14 battle cry, ‘‘Remember the Raisin!’’; 

15 (10) the events that occurred on the River Rai16 sin battlefield remain a significant moment in 

17 United States history; and 

18 (11) the River Raisin battlefield where so many 

19 citizens died defending the United States deserves 

20 the highest degree of Federal protection and inter21 pretation. 

22 SEC. 3. RIVER RAISIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—If Monroe County or Wayne 

24 County, Michigan, or other willing landowners in either 

25 County offer to donate to the United States land relating 


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1 to the Battles of the River Raisin on January 18 and 22, 

2 1813, or the aftermath of the battles, the Secretary of the 

3 Interior (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 

4 accept the donated land. 

5 (b) DESIGNATION OF PARK.—On the acquisition of 

6 land under subsection (a) that is of sufficient acreage to 

7 permit efficient administration, the Secretary shall des8 ignate the acquired land as a unit of the National Park 

9 System, to be known as ‘‘River Raisin National Battlefield 

10 Park’’. 

11 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

13 the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep14 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

15 Resources of the Senate a report describing the progress 

16 made with respect to— 

17 (1) acquiring real property under subsection 

18 (a); and 

19 (2) designating the River Raisin National Bat20 tlefield Park. 

Æ 


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