Benjamin Franklin Graves (soldier)
American politician and military official
Benjamin Franklin Graves (1771–1813) was a politician and military leader in early 19th-century Kentucky. During the War of 1812, Graves served as a major in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Kentucky Volunteer regiment. On January 22, 1813, he commanded the men of his battalion at the Battle of Frenchtown in what is now Monroe, Michigan. The engagement was part of the unsuccessful effort by the Americans to retake Detroit following its capture by the British in August 1812. The battle resulted in the highest number of American casualties during the war with close to 400 killed and over 500 taken prisoner. When the British withdrew after the battle, a number of severely wounded prisoners including Graves were left behind under the care of two American doctors and a few volunteer attendants. The following morning some of the prisoners were murdered by a group of Indigenous warriors while the rest were taken away to be ransomed or adopted. Graves was among the captives but his ultimate fate is unknown.
The Battle of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin, or the River Raisin Massacre, is commemorated in Kentucky since many members of the state's elite were lost in the engagement. Graves is included among the officers memorialized on the Military Monument to All Wars at the state capital of Frankfort.
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