[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 401 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 401

 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

                            January 9, 2009

 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 Representatives 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:
            (1) The War of 1812, often referred to as America's Second 
        War of Independence, was a significant event in the development 
        of the United States in that the war helped forge a national 
        identity 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 defenseless 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, and the burning of the 
        settlement was described by General William Henry Harrison as a 
        ``national calamity'', and the outrage stemming from this 
        catastrophe 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 Canada 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 ultimate sacrifice for the defense of 
        the United States deserves the highest degree of Federal 
        protection and interpretation.

SEC. 3. RIVER RAISIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK, MONROE 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 property 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 National Battlefield 
Park.--Upon the acquisition of real property under subsection (a) of 
sufficient acreage to permit efficient administration, the Secretary 
shall designate 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 submit 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 
description of the progress made in acquiring real property under 
subsection (a) and in designating the River Raisin National Battlefield 
Park.
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