Major Adam Charles Muir (1770 – 11 May 1829) was an officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, who played a significant but little-known role in the Anglo-American

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Early life

Muir was born in Scotland. The date is not definitely known; it may have been 1766 or 1770.

Military career

Early service, promotions

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 (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in only five months and later

Sergeant-Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

, and being commissioned as an

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

in 1793. He became an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

shortly afterwards, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

the next year. He served with the regiment in the West Indies.

Arrival in Canada, marriage, further promotion

In 1799, the regiment was posted to Canada. In 1801, Muir married Mary Elizabeth Alexowina Bender in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. The couple would eventually have ten children. Muir was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1804. In 1811, the regiment, noted by Major-General

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

as being one of the steadiest units available in Canada, was sent to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

War of 1812

In 1812, when war with America broke out, Muir was in charge of the detachment of the regiment at

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town is ...

. In this part of the province, there were few British troops, but large numbers of Indians inspired by the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

leader

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

aided the British. Muir was present at the

Battle of Brownstown The Battle of Brownstown was an early skirmish in the War of 1812. Although the United States military outnumbered the forces of Tecumseh's Confederacy 8 to 1, they lost the battle and suffered substantial losses while Tecumseh's forces were ...

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 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 against a larger force of American troops, Ohio Volunteers and Michigan L ...

. Muir's 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 ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. Muir was wounded at Maguaga, but recovered to lead the main body of the 41st at the

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 War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock with Native American allies under Shawnee leader Tecumseh ...

. Later in the year, Muir commanded another detachment sent to aid the Indians attacking

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. The attack failed, but Muir retreated successfully to Detroit. During the following year, he took part in the Battles of Frenchtown,

Fort Meigs Fort Meigs was a United States fortification along the Maumee River in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio during the War of 1812. The British Army, supported by Tecumseh's Confederacy, failed to capture the fort during the siege of Fort Meigs. It is n ...

and

Fort Stephenson Fort Stephenson (first known as " Fort Sandusky") was built in the early 1800s on the west side of the lower Sandusky River. It was the site in 1813 of an American victory in the Battle of Fort Stephenson during the War of 1812. The town that l ...

. 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 The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813 ...

, 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 may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

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 The Battle of Malcolm's Mills was the last battle of the War of 1812 fought in the Canadas. A force of American cavalry, mounted troops overran and scattered a force of Canadian militia. The battle was fought on November 6, 1814, near the villa ...

Post-war activities

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 The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. He was forced to sell his farm and retired to an invalid hospital at William Henry, where he died in 1829, leaving large debts.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Adam 1829 deaths 41st Regiment of Foot soldiers 41st Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the War of 1812 1770 births Immigrants to Lower Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United States