I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6470 
To provide for the designation of certain sites in Monroe County and Wayne 
County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during 
the War of 1812 as a unit of the National Park System. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2008 
Mr. DINGELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the designation of certain sites in Monroe 
County and Wayne County, Michigan, relating to the 
Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812 
as a unit of the National Park System. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘River Raisin National 
Battlefield Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The War of 1812, often referred to as 
America’s Second War of Independence, was a sig-
nificant event in the development of the United 
States in that the war helped forge a national iden-
tity for the country, retained and solidified the 
northern border with Canada, and finally settled any 
question of the permanence of American sovereignty. 
(2) In section 603 of division I of the Omnibus 
Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 
(Public Law 104–333; 110 Stat. 4172), Congress 
expressed its concern that ‘‘the historical integrity of 
many Revolutionary War sites and War of 1812 
sites is at risk’’. 
(3) The River Raisin Battlefield is the site of 
a major engagement of the War of 1812, and the 
battles and subsequent massacre at the River Raisin 
were some of the most significant military events of 
the entire war. 
(4) Out of the nearly 1,000 American Regulars 
and Militia who participated in the battle, only 33 
escaped death or capture, including some 65 de-
fenseless prisoners who were killed or burned alive 
the day after the second battle. 
(5) The defeat of the Americans at Frenchtown, 
now Monroe, Michigan, the subsequent massacre, 
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and the burning of the settlement was described by 
General William Henry Harrison as a ‘‘national ca-
lamity’’, and the outrage stemming from this catas-
trophe aided recruitment efforts for the successful 
American campaign in the Spring of 1813. 
(6) Soldiers passing through the ashes of 
Frenchtown the following summer on march to Can-
ada were so moved by the tragic scene that they 
were spurred on to victory at the Battle of the 
Thames, where they shouted the emotional battle 
cry, ‘‘Remember the Raisin!’’. 
(7) The events at the River Raisin remain a 
significant moment in United States history and the 
battlefield where so many Americans paid the ulti-
mate sacrifice for the defense of the United States 
deserves the highest degree of Federal protection 
and interpretation. 
SEC. 2. RIVER RAISIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK, MON-
ROE AND WAYNE COUNTIES, MICHIGAN. 
(a) ACQUISITION OF SITES RELATING TO BATTLES 
OF THE RIVER RAISIN.—If offered by Monroe County or 
Wayne County, Michigan, or other willing landowners in 
either County, the Secretary of the Interior shall accept 
on behalf of the United States the donation of real prop-
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erty in either County relating to the Battles of the River 
Raisin on January 18 and 22, 1813, and their aftermath. 
(b) DESIGNATION OF ACQUIRED PROPERTY AS NA-
TIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK.—Upon the acquisition of 
real property under subsection (a) of sufficient acreage to 
permit efficient administration, the Secretary shall des-
ignate the acquired real property as a unit of the National 
Park System to be known as the ‘‘River Raisin National 
Battlefield Park’’. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than three years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing a de-
scription of the progress made in acquiring real property 
under subsection (a) and in designating the River Raisin 
National Battlefield Park. 
Æ 
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