CHARACTERS

Lieutenant Colonel James Miller

Miller commanded the 4th Regiment of U.S. Infantry which formed part of the Army of the Northwest. Miller led an American force that tried to secure a supply route and was ambushed by a British and Indian force near the Indian village of Maguaga on August 8th 1812. He managed to rout the enemy but was ordered to retreat, back to Detroit. He was captured in Detroit and quickly exchanged back to the United States where he participated in the unsuccessful campaign by the Army of the Northeast in 1813.

Given command of the 21st US Regiment 1814, he helped capture Ft. Erie and fought at the battles Chippewa and Lundy's Lane. During Lundy's Lane, Jacob Brown ordered Miller to take a hill in the center of the battlefield from which British artillery were wreaking havoc on the Americans. Miller's now famous reply was "I'll try, sir." He was successful in securing and maintaining the position until he was ordered to withdraw to Ft. Erie.