Battle of the Thames
Near Thamesville and the Moravian of the Thames First Nation in Chatham-Kent, Ontario
What happened
General William Henry Harrison, with mounted soldiers led by Richard Mentor Johnson, fought British troops under General Henry Procter and the warriors of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh's confederacy. After the American victory on Lake Erie cut British supply lines, Procter abandoned Detroit and retreated up the Thames River valley in what is now Ontario, Canada. Near Moraviantown, Harrison's mounted troops broke the British lines. Tecumseh's warriors kept fighting, but Tecumseh fell in the battle, and his warriors withdrew.
Why it matters
Result: Decisive American victory. Leaders: Henry Procter / Tecumseh against William H. Harrison / Richard Mentor Johnson. Why it matters: The battle gave the United States back control of Detroit and the Michigan Territory. Tecumseh's death broke apart the confederacy of Native nations he had worked to build.
What came next
Detroit and the Michigan Territory came back under American control.
Did you know?
Tecumseh believed that no single tribe could give up land without the agreement of all the Native nations, because the land belonged to them all.
Timeline
- August 1812Tecumseh and Isaac Brock bring about the surrender of Detroit.
- September 10, 1813The Americans win the Battle of Lake Erie.
- October 5, 1813Harrison's army wins near Moraviantown, and Tecumseh falls in the battle.