Adam Muir (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major Adam Charles Muir was an officer in the British Army
, who played a significant but little-known role in the Anglo-American War of 1812
.
Muir was born in Scotland. The date is not definitely known; it may have been 1766 or 1770. He enlisted as a private soldier in the 41st Regiment of Foot in 1778. He was evidently well-educated and very quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Sergeant
in only five months and later Sergeant-Major, and being commissioned as an Adjutant
in 1793. He became an Ensign
shortly afterwards, and was promoted to Lieutenant
the next year. He served with the regiment in the West Indies.
In 1799, the regiment was posted to Canada. In 1801, Muir married Mary Elizabeth Alexowina Bender in Montreal
. The couple would eventually have ten children. Muir was promoted to Captain
in 1804. In 1811, the regiment, noted by Major-General Isaac Brock
as being one of the steadiest units available in Canada, was sent to Upper Canada
.
In 1812, when war with America broke out, Muir was in charge of the detachment of the regiment at Amherstburg
. In this part of the province, there were few British troops, but large numbers of Indians
inspired by the Shawnee
leader Tecumseh
aided the British. Muir was present at the Battle of Brownstown
where Indians under Tecumseh routed an American detachment and captured vital despatches. Shortly afterwards, he commanded British troops and Indians at the Battle of Maguaga
. Muirs troops were forced to retreat, but rallied, and the Americans withdrew without accomplishing their mission which was to clear a route for supplies to reach their army at Detroit
.
Muir was wounded at Maguaga, but recovered to lead the main body of the 41st at the Siege of Detroit
. Later in the year, Muir commanded another detachment sent to aid the Indians attacking Fort Wayne, Indiana
. The attack failed, but Muir retreated successfully to Detroit. During the following year, he took part in the Battles of Frenchtown
, Fort Meigs
and Fort Stephenson
. He was one of several officers who became critical of the leadership of the commander of the division, Major General Henry Procter. Finally, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Moraviantown, when the by now starving and demoralised 41st Regiment gave way before a charge of Kentucky mounted riflemen.
After some months in captivity, Muir was released by an exchange of prisoners. He was promoted Brevet
Major
in 1814, and was appointed to command the militia in the Grand River district on the Niagara Peninsula, and played a small part in the Battle of Malcolm's Mills
.
After the war, the 41st returned to Britain. Muir was crippled by a fall from a horse in Ireland in 1816. He resigned from the Army two years later and returned to take up land in Lower Canada
. He was forced to sell his farm and retired to an invalid hospital at William Henry
, where he died in 1829, leaving large debts.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, who played a significant but little-known role in the Anglo-American War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Muir was born in Scotland. The date is not definitely known; it may have been 1766 or 1770. He enlisted as a private soldier in the 41st Regiment of Foot in 1778. He was evidently well-educated and very quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in only five months and later Sergeant-Major, and being commissioned as an Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
in 1793. He became an Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
shortly afterwards, and was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
the next year. He served with the regiment in the West Indies.
In 1799, the regiment was posted to Canada. In 1801, Muir married Mary Elizabeth Alexowina Bender in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The couple would eventually have ten children. Muir was promoted to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1804. In 1811, the regiment, noted by Major-General Isaac Brock
Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
as being one of the steadiest units available in Canada, was sent to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
In 1812, when war with America broke out, Muir was in charge of the detachment of the regiment at Amherstburg
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
. In this part of the province, there were few British troops, but large numbers of Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
inspired by the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
leader Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
aided the British. Muir was present at the Battle of Brownstown
Battle of Brownstown
The Battle of Brownstown was an early skirmish in the War of 1812. Although United States forces outnumbered the British forces 8 to 1, they lost the battle and suffered substantial losses while the enemy was almost untouched....
where Indians under Tecumseh routed an American detachment and captured vital despatches. Shortly afterwards, he commanded British troops and Indians at the Battle of Maguaga
Battle of Maguaga
The Battle of Maguaga The Battle of Maguaga The Battle of Maguaga (also known as the Battle of Monguagon or the Battle of the Oakwoods was a small battle between British troops, Canadian militia and Tecumseh's natives and a larger force of American troops near the Wyandot village of Maguaga in what...
. Muirs troops were forced to retreat, but rallied, and the Americans withdrew without accomplishing their mission which was to clear a route for supplies to reach their army at Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
Muir was wounded at Maguaga, but recovered to lead the main body of the 41st at the Siege of Detroit
Siege of Detroit
The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit, or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the Anglo-American War of 1812...
. Later in the year, Muir commanded another detachment sent to aid the Indians attacking Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The attack failed, but Muir retreated successfully to Detroit. During the following year, he took part in the Battles of Frenchtown
Battle of Frenchtown
The Battle of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin or the River Raisin Massacre, was a series of conflicts that took place from January 18–23, 1813 during the War of 1812...
, Fort Meigs
Siege of Fort Meigs
The Siege of Fort Meigs took place during the War of 1812, in northwestern Ohio. A small British army with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently-constructed fort to forestall an American offensive against Detroit, which the British had captured the previous year...
and Fort Stephenson
Battle of Fort Stephenson
The Battle of Fort Stephenson was an American victory during the War of 1812.-Background:After failing to defeat American forces in the siege of Fort Meigs, the British under Henry Procter withdrew. Procter attempted to take Fort Meigs again in July by staging a mock battle to lure the defenders...
. He was one of several officers who became critical of the leadership of the commander of the division, Major General Henry Procter. Finally, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Moraviantown, when the by now starving and demoralised 41st Regiment gave way before a charge of Kentucky mounted riflemen.
After some months in captivity, Muir was released by an exchange of prisoners. He was promoted Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1814, and was appointed to command the militia in the Grand River district on the Niagara Peninsula, and played a small part in the Battle of Malcolm's Mills
Battle of Malcolm's Mills
The Battle of Malcolm's Mills was a brief skirmish during the War of 1812 in which a force of American cavalry overran and scattered a force of Canadian militia. The battle was fought on November 6, 1814, near the village of Oakland, in Brant County, Ontario...
.
After the war, the 41st returned to Britain. Muir was crippled by a fall from a horse in Ireland in 1816. He resigned from the Army two years later and returned to take up land in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
. He was forced to sell his farm and retired to an invalid hospital at William Henry
Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
Sorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of Lac Saint-Pierre downstream and east of nearby Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006...
, where he died in 1829, leaving large debts.