Peter Navarre (1785–1874) was a prominent early settler of the Maumee valley. He was said to be the grandson of a French army officer, who visited this section in 1745. Navarre was born 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 t ...

in 1785, where his father before him was born. In 1807, with his brother Robert, he erected a cabin near the mouth of the Maumee River (east side), which continued to be his residence for the remainder of his life. Besides Canadian French he could speak the

Pottawatomie The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

dialect, and partially those of other tribes. He was skillful in woodcraft and Native American methods, while his bearing was ever that of a "born gentleman". For several years he was employed by a Detroit house in buying furs of the Miamis near

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 ...

, where he made the acquaintance and friendship of

chief Little Turtle Little Turtle ( mia, Mihšihkinaahkwa) (1747 July 14, 1812) was a Sagamore (chief) of the Miami people, who became one of the most famous Native American military leaders. Historian Wiley Sword calls him "perhaps the most capable Indian leader ...

War of 1812

The War of 1812 closed the fur trade, when Navarre and his three brothers—Robert, Alexis and Jaquot (James)--tendered their services to General

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Am ...

. He also besought Hull to accept the services of the

Miamis The Miami ( Miami-Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now identified as North-central Indi ...

, which were declined, and they afterwards took part with the British. Before seeing active service, the Navarres were included in the surrender of Hull, and paroled, although they denied the right to treat him as a prisoner of war and at once took an active part for the United States; whereupon General Proctor, the British commander, offered a reward of $1000 for Navarre's head or

scalp The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the human face at the front, and by the neck at the sides and back. Structure The scalp is usually described as having five layers, which can conveniently be remembered as a mnemonic: * S: The ski ...

. Peter Navarre assisted in delivering sharpshooters to the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the Briti ...

and delivered

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

's message "We have met the enemy, and they are ours" to

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

. Peter Navarre survived the

Battle of Frenchtown The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...

. Until the close of the war he acted as a scout for General

. He used to say that the worst night he ever spent was as a bearer of a despatch from Harrison, then at

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 ...

, to

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 ...

. Amid a thunderstorm of great fury and fall of water, he made the trip of over thirty miles through unbroken wilderness, and the morning following delivered to Harrison a reply.

Postwar

Because his name was not on an enlistment roll, the law provided no pension for his service, but by special act of Congress his last days were made more comfortable by pecuniary relief. At the close of the war he returned to his home, near the mouth of the Maumee river, where he spent the balance of his life, dying in East Toledo, 20 March 1874, aged 89. For several years previous to his death he served as President of the Maumee Valley Pioneer Association.

Legacy

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

celebrates Peter Navarre Day on September 9. Navarre Park, Navarre Elementary School, and Navarre Avenue (part of

Ohio State Route 2 State Route 2 (SR 2), formerly known as Inter-county Highway 2 until 1921 and State Highway 2 in 1922, is an east–west highway crossing most of northern Ohio. Its western terminus is at the Indiana state line near Hicksville where the route ...

through Toledo and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

), are named in honor of Peter Navarre.

References

Sources

Henry Howe's History of Ohio
{{PD-notice Navarre Navarre American military personnel of the War of 1812 Ohio pioneers American people of French descent 1785 births 1874 deaths