General William Henry Harrison led a surprising victory over British forces and their Native allies in the Battle of the Thames on this day in historical past, Oct. 5, 1813.
The swift American victory in the War of 1812 had long-term repercussions on U.S., British and Native American historical past and on the settlement of the west.
The battlefield heroics propelled Harrison, the son of Founding Father and Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Harrison V, to the White House in 1841.
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“The Battle of the Thames (also known as the Battle of Moraviantown) was a decisive American victory that brought Michigan and the Old Northwest back under American control,” writes Canada’s National History Society about the encounter fought on the Ontario aspect of Lake Erie.
Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who bravely led resistance to American growth in what are actually the Midwestern states, was killed in the battle.
Native American Shawnee chief Tecumseh shot and killed by Richard Johnson in the Battle of the Thames on Oct. 5, 1813, throughout the War of 1812. (Charles Phelps Cushing/ClassicStock/Getty Images)
“The Indians scattered, never again to offer serious resistance in what was then called the Northwest,” reviews WhiteHouse.gov in its official biography of Harrison, the ninth president.
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Tecumseh and the British had seized the American fort in Detroit a 12 months earlier, in the early days of the War of 1812.
“The Indians scattered, never again to offer serious resistance in what was then called the Northwest.”
Americans reclaimed the stronghold after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a surprising U.S. victory over the British navy in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813.
Perry famously messaged Harrison, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”
Spurred by Perry’s heroics on the water, General Harrison’s forces recaptured Detroit days later and compelled the British and Native forces into Ontario.
Tecumseh, chief of the Shawnee, revealed in 1887. Tecumseh (March 1768-Oct. 5, 1813) was a frontrunner of the Shawnee tribe, finest identified for his management in a rise up in opposition to the U.S. in 1810-11, and his participation in the War of 1812. (Culture Club/Getty Images)
Controversy has lingered for years over what many students say was the British betrayal of Tecumseh throughout the battle, as their demoralized forces fled and left the Shawnee and his allies to battle alone in opposition to American troops.
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“When news arrived of the British betrayal of Tecumseh to other Native American tribes, many began to revoke their treaties and disassociate from British allegiance, thereby ending British influence over these tribes and removing the possibility of future Native American attacks on American positions,” states the American Battlefield Trust.
General William Henry Harrison and employees on horseback throughout the Battle of the Thames, Oct. 5, 1813. (Charles Phelps Cushing/ClassicStock/Getty Images)
“Thus, as the American military stood victorious over both the British and Native Americans, General Harrison brought his army back to Detroit.”
“Harrison parlayed the victory in War of 1812 … into a run for presidency in 1840.”
Harrison parlayed the victory in War of 1812, and his earlier win over Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, right into a run for presidency in 1840.
Harrison famously campaigned as a conflict hero beneath the rallying cry, “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too” — the former reference to his wartime heroics, the latter to working mate and standard Virginia politician John Tyler.
Death of William H. Harrison on April 4, 1841. Daniel Webster, Dr. Hawley F. Granger and William Harrison. (Getty Images)
His presidency can be the shortest on document.
Harrison was 68 at the time of his inauguration in March 1841.
The age made him the oldest president to imagine the workplace till 69-year-old Ronald Reagan turned president on Jan. 20, 1981.
Harrison braved a cold inauguration day with no hat or overcoat. He grew sick days later. He died April 4, after simply 31 days in workplace.
Tyler served out the remaining four-year time period.
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Harrison’s legacy was felt a long time later when his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, turned twenty third president of the United States in 1893.
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