Lieutenant Colonel William L.
Otten, Jr., USAF (ret.) is the author of Colonel J. F. Hamtramck - His Life & Times, 1756-1783: Captain of
the Revolution; Colonel J.F. Hamtramck, His Life and Times, Volume Two (1783-1791): Frontier Major; and, Business Basics for
Dentists.
The MOAA said of Colonel J.F. Hamtramck, His Life and
Times, Volume Two (1783-1791): Frontier Major, “Col. John Francis Hamtramck is a forgotten hero from a
forgotten period of American history. In 1787, at the head of 90 men, Major Hamtramck became the first American commander
at Vincennes, the westernmost extension of U.S. power. As a career officer in the post-Revolution army he played a major role
in the Indian battles of the 1790s. On November 3, 1791, he saved all that was left of the U.S. Army after Indians ambushed
Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair’s army of 1,400 men. In August 1794 Lieutenant Colonel Hamtramck led the left wing to victory
at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. When the British relinquished Fort Lernolt in 1796, Hamtramck became the first American commander
at Detroit. Later that year, he ranked as the senior officer on active duty, second in command only to Brig. Gen. James Wilkinson,
a man who had sworn allegiance to Spain in 1787. Promoted to colonel in 1802, he remained second in command of the Army until
his death in 1803.”