The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, occurred during the War of 1812. Moraviantown is right along the Thames River in Ontario, Canada. The British had allied with the Native Americans against the white Americans. Trying to stop the white Americans from taking their land, Tecumseh formed a confederacy with Native Americans from the southern part of America. They allied with the British after Major General William Henry Harrison destroyed their land. After Tecumseh’s death during the 1812 War, the Native American forces became weak and could not stand against the United States. As the British and Native Americans remained defeated at the Battle of Thames, the Americans went ahead and took control of the northwest …show more content…
portion of the frontier. Tecumseh was born in and Indian village in Ohio and witnessed the damage that was produced by the white settlers.
He fought against the United States forces during the American Revolution and later on, he attacked the white settlements, usually with other tribes as well. He became leader of intertribal councils, being that he was a great spokesperson. Tecumseh was a leader of Shawnee Indians and believed that no tribe in particular owned the land. Each individual tribe was not powerful, but Tecumseh believed that if they all worked together, it could stop the whites from expanding. He attempted to unite the Native American tribes that were just west of the Appalachian Mountains. “. . .the only way to stop this evil [white settlement of the Indians' land], is for all the red men to unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land as it was at first, and should be now - for it never was divided, but belongs to all. . . .Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the clouds and the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit [Master of Life] make them all for the use of his …show more content…
children?”(Hurt). General William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory and future president of the United States, led his American troops, an army of 3,500, on October 5, 1813 against five hundred Native Americans and eight hundred British soldiers, who were allies, along Ontario, Canada’s Thames River. The British were withdrawing from Fort Malden, Ontario, after Oliver Hazard Perry was victorious in September 1813’s Battle of Lake Eerie. “The War of 1812 was officially declared over the right of U.S. sailing ships to be free from search and seizure by the Royal Navy, then at war with Napoleonic France. Other underlying factors, however, were the ongoing British policy of aiding the Indians of the Northwestern frontier against American settlement and the desire by an aggressive-minded congressional faction, known as the Young War Hawks, to invade Canada” (Freehoff). The British naval forces were controlling Lake Eerie which held back the Americans from taking the opportunity to recapture the northwestern settlement. The United States Navy began to build a team in Pennsylvania while the British remained defensive. The Americans suffered severe defeat at Frenchtown and Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry decided to emerge from Pennsylvania in August 1813. “After a slow and disorderly withdrawal, Procter took his stand near Moraviantown. The tired and dispirited British line broke early in the battle. They had a single 6-pounder artillery piece, but no ammunition. Still, they prepared for battle. The Aboriginals lay in the swamp to the British's right, and Tecumseh rode by the British line of soldiers, shaking hands with each man before the battle took shape”(Ridler). On October 2nd, Harrison, with 3,700 men, began to follow Proctor. Many idlers were captured along the road as the Americans began to catch up with the British. On October 4, they reached a Christian Native American settlement located near Moraviantown. Proctor positioned his 1,300 men, placing his regulars, who were primarily the 41st Regiment of Foot, and one canon along the left of Thames. Tecumseh’s Indians were positioned on the right, secured to the swamp. Between Proctor’s men and Tecumseh’s men was a swamp, forcing Tecumseh to reposition his line into the swamp and pushing forward. Consisting of components from the US 27th Infantry Regiment and large groups of Kentucky volunteers, led by General Isaac Shelby, Harrison advanced the following day. Shelby, a veteran of the American Revolution, had five teams of infantry in addition to Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson’s 3rd Regiment of Mounted Riflemen. Harrison placed Johnson’s forces along the river as they neared the enemy position.
When he saw that the 41st Foot deployed as stationed soldiers, Harrison changed his plan, originally intending to begin his assault with his infantry. He instructed Johnson to attack the main enemy line as his forces covered his left side from attacks from the Indians. Johnson decided to split his troop in two, one attacking the Native Americans above the small swamp, while the other was led by his younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel James Johnson, against the British. They overwhelmed the defenders immediately after striking the British line. Capturing Proctor’s canon, the Kentuckians and some regulars herded the British off, along with Proctor himself. Just north, the elder Johnson brother was attacking the Native American line. Tecumseh’s warriors and the Kentuckians, twenty hopeless men, began angrily fighting, as Johnson continued to urge his men forward. He was injured five times during battle, and as it got worse, Tecumseh was killed. Because of how quickly the word of Tecumseh’s death had spread, the Native American resistance began collapsing. As Major David Thompson led the cavalry, they followed the escaping Natives. Taking advantage of their victory, the Americans decided to burn Moraviantown even though its inhabitants were not included in the war. After destroying Proctor’s army and winning his victory, Harrison decided to return to
Detroit. Harrison stated that including the prisoners that were taking during the retreat before the battle and idlers who were captured after, there were approximately 601 British troops that were captured. The British had twelve casualties and another twenty-two prisoners who were wounded according to a report from Harrison. Meanwhile, Richard Bullock from the 41st Regiment stated that there were twelve killed and thirty-six wounded prisoners. British Colonel Augustus Warburton and Lieutenant Colonel William Evans reported that eighteen were killed and twenty-five were wounded more than a year after the battle. Including Tecumseh and Roundhead, the Native Americans had sixteen killed, as they recorded their own casualties. However, Harrison claimed that after the battle, thirty-three dead warriors were found in the woods. The American victory at the Battle of the Thames allowed them to take control of the northwest frontier effectively. The Native American threat in the region was abolished with Tecumseh’s death. Harrison then was able to close off with truces with many of the Indian tribes. Because of disagreements with Secretary of War John Armstrong, Harrison resigned the following summer. “Harrison would soon sign peace agreements with various tribes, in a move to divide and nullify Britain's chief ally. Most of the prisoners the Americans took ended up interned at an encampment in Sandusky, Ohio, suffering severe sickness in captivity. Relegated to menial commands for the rest of the war, Procter's military career was soon over. In May 1814, he was charged with negligence and improper conduct. His court martial, delayed due to operational reasons, was held in December. The judge chastised him for the conduct of his retreat, and suspended Procter from rank and pay for six months. He never held a senior command again”(Ridler).
During the violent attacks happening between Indians and American settlers, Tecumseh took an active part in the warfare. Tecumseh became accepted as a spokesman for the more militant members of the tribe, but because of his youth, his role in the peace negotiations was minimal. After this, most Shawnees returned to Ohio, but Tecumseh and other warriors stayed behind. As a result of this violent time, Tecumseh was made war chief with a growing following.
As Tecumseh got older, he started to provide for those who could not get food on the table for their families, and he was also very helpful. He was know for the kindness and concern he showed for his tribe members. When he became a warrior, he refused to take part in the Treaty of Negotiations, and this made a good impression on the people of his tribe, so this increased his standing among his followers. Tecumseh built a confederacy among N...
Tecumseh was known as a warrior. He fought the battle of the Ohio River Valley territory
... due to a long relationship of trade, alliance, and kinship with the French as well as the promise of "war honors" (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). In 1757, the British troops at Fort William Henry on Lake George surrendered to the French. This victory was short lived as most of the French's Indian allies attacked the surrendered fort because they felt betrayed by the terms of surrender. The native peoples unleashed a slaughter, which included scalps and captives (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). The Indians were severing ties with the French and the British war effort was increasing with vigor. The Native Americans began to side with the British not knowing what this would bring, which was more freedom and land stripped away from them.
On June, 17th 1775 began a fight between the British and the Americans, it took place on Breed’s HIll. In Charlestown Peninsula, North side of Boston Harbor, this battle was the bloodest of the Revoltionary in America. The British Commander, Lieutenant General Thomas Gage, Major General William Howe. There were about 2,400 troops being lead by Major general Howe.
As the British continue to advance toward the hill, Colonel Stark of the American forces ordered the troops to stay in ranks and to fire when Major General Howe’s columns, of the British Army, reached within 35 yards for the redoubt. Once this occurred, the American forces opened fire on the British forces that had advanced close enough to be hit by gunfire, but far away enough to not use bayonets and hand to hand combat, and the Americans were able to keep the British from advancing and forced the survivors to retreat, leaving 96 British troops dead. Howe’s second attempt at taking the hill was executed with the same tactic of trying to attack from the American’s left flank, but this time he had Pigot’s unit assaulting the redoubt directly; however, the British were fired upon heavily once again and were left with a massive amount of casualties. The American forces led by Prescott began to panic and flee the area, due to their inexperience in war, and left Prescott with a force of 150 soldiers, which had little to no gun powder, ammunition, and water. On the other hand, the British decided to change their tactics and Howe decided to order his troops to leave behind their heavy equipment and charge the fortification directly with bayonets in hand to hand combat for his third and
Tecumseh ,Shawnee war chief, was born at Old Piqua, on the Mad River in western Ohio. In 1774, his father, Puckeshinwa, was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant, and in 1779 his mother, Methoataske, accompanied those Shawnees who migrated to Missouri, later died. Raised by an older sister, Tecumpease, Tecumseh would play war games with other fellow youths in his tribe. Tecumseh accompanied an older brother, Chiksika, on a series of raids against frontier settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1780’s. Chiksika had a vision that he would not survive the battle at Buchanan’s station he went ahead as plan and attacked the stockade and was mortally wounded and was carried from the battle field and the dying warrior asked not to be buried but to be placed on a hill. Tecumseh and the other’s retreated back to a Cherokee village where most went back to Ohio while Tecumseh and some other warriors stayed behind. After that Tecumseh went on mostly hunting but occasionally attacking settler’s. After that moved back towards home and come to find out that the Shawnee’s had moved on to where it’s much safer. The battle of Fallen Timber’s broke confidence in British assistance as well as many casualties. Pissed off by the Indian defeat, he refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville (1795). In the 1800’s Tecumseh began to show signs of a prominent war chief. He led a group of yong Indian warriors to a village on the White River in east-central Indiana. There in 1805 Lalawethika ex...
...s to the English. This war was called the Pequot War and it was as deadly as the Powhatan-Indian war.
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought during the early morning hours of November 7, 1811, on a tree-covered knoll just outside of modern day Prophetstown, Indiana. American forces, under the command of William Henry Harrison, were attacked by a band of Indian tribes unified by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. A relatively minor battle, in comparison to others remembered in American History, this small battle proved to play a significant role in the shaping of the newly formed country. Debatable among historians regarding the constructive effects of the battle against its negative repercussions , its importance is unmistakable. Ultimately, the results of this day would bring to an end any prospect for a United Indian Confederation, and never again would the Native Americans be able to effectively challenge American expansion.
The battle of Saratoga was a significant turning point in the American Revolutionary War. This key conflict was, in fact, two significant battles that shaped America’s struggle for independence. The battles were fought 18 days apart in the same location - 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. John Burgoyne, the British General, had an initial strategy to divide New England from the southern colonies. This was at first successful when the British took Pennsylvania, but hit a snag when Burgoyne met the Continental Army at Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777 - the first of the Saratoga battles. This was a tactical victory for the British, but it came at a price, as their casualties were heavy. It was known that the British won this Battle at Freeman’s Farm, but in actuality, they didn’t have many troops left. On October 7, in the Battle of Bemis Heights, the second Battle of Saratoga, Britain attacked America again as Burgoyne took the offensive. The troops crashed together south of the town of Saratoga, and Burgoyne's army was broken and his command captured. At this battle, the Americans were able to capture a large number of British troops, ultimately resulting in Burgoyne’s surrender on October 17, 1777. The Battle of Saratoga is well known to be “one of the most important victories of the conflict and an early success for the colonists.” The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time. Americans had just suffered a major setback at the Battle of Brandywine. They had also received news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British. Significantly with the success at Saratoga, France gained the confidence to enter the war as an American ally. The Battle of Saratoga was a war-altering conflict between the America...
Many suspect that they were with Washington only to maximize the hate on both sides of the battle. They went against Washington’s orders to not be the aggressors. Soon large units of British and American soldiers were sent to settle what should have been small battles. The French however were prepared to fight back and even had the Indians as allies to help with upcoming battles. In July, Braddock’s army which consisted of over 2000 British soldiers rode west with George Washington and came upon 250 plus French soldiers with over 600 Indians allies. Nearly 1000 British were killed, unlike George Washington who was unhurt during the battle was soon promoted to commander of the Virginia army for his bravery. (Roark 146)
Charles Yale Harrison’s “in the trenches” and mark twain's” two ways of seeing a river” are both autobiographical narratives that use descriptive language. In Harrison’s “in the trenches,” his brilliant use of sensory imagery lets the readers mind experience the treacherous and horrendous reality of war, with just the use of words. On the other hand, in twains “two ways of seeing a river,” the use of sensory imagery is carefully used to help the reader visualize the change in twains perception of the once “majestic river.” Both authors effortlessly utilize imagery to illustrate the realities of their topics. Harrison uses all the aspects of sensory imagery to display the life men are living in the trenches; meanwhile, in twains essay, he partially
The War of 1812, sometimes referred to as “The Second War of Independence,” was one of the bloodiest, yet most pointless wars in American history. After 32 months of Americans fighting for a change in the relationship between Britain and the U.S., the war ended with a treaty that left many of the original conflicts unresolved. Although the war had no obvious victor, it boosted American nationalism and patriotism, something much needed after only 39 years of independence. However, British interferences with American trade, and the cost of war materials had a negative impact on the United State's economy. America’s geographic location, in relation to Canada and New York, played a key role in defense against British attacks. Whoever gained control of the Niagara peninsula that connected these two territories would have an advantage over the other nation.
The War of 1812 was considered the United States’ second battle for independence from England. Leading up to the war, tensions between America and the Native American Indians, as well as between America and England, increased rapidly. The Native Americans began attacking American settlements in response to being forced out of their native territory. Conflicts like these continued between American citizens and Native Americans throughout the war as the British were supporting the Native Americans. Due to the contentious relationship between England and America, the British decided to form an alliance with the Native Americans to increase their chances of defeating the Americans. America’s anger continued to grow toward the British because Britain refused to recognize America as an independent country, and because the British had no respect for American citizens. The war lasted for four years, ending with the Treaty of Ghent. There were some positive outcomes of the War of 1812 for America, however there were many negative effects for Native Americans. The War of 1812 ended the conflict between America and England, improved American foreign relations, and aided westward expansion; however Native Americans lost their land to westward moving settlers.
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812 to the spring of 1815 (Findling, 15). When the war began, it was being fought by the Americans to address their grievances toward the British, though toward the end, the issues eventually were unjustified and reasons manipulated. There is no single cause for the War of 1812 but instead, several related causes, such the influence of the War Hawks, the impressments as well as the Embargo and Non-Intercourse acts, and the British's possible interference with the Indian Nations, and land ownership disputes between the Natives and Americans, ultimately leading to the Battle of Tippecanoe.