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Battle of the Thames

Battle of the Thames and death of Chief Tecumseh
Source: The War of 1812, by Reginald Horsman

At first, the British enjoyed success against the American forces on the Detroit frontier, as indicated by the Battle of Frenchtown. However, British Major General Henry Proctor had yet to face the rest of Brigadier General William Henry Harrison's invasion army, about 3,500 men strong. General Proctor had less than 900 regulars, and his supplies short. When control of Lake Erie went over to the American fleet there, Proctor's situation became much worse.

In the beginning, General Harrison's army forced General Proctor to move back to Detroit and Fort Malden. Now, he would have to abandon these locations, and move towards Lake Ontario, to join forces with Brigadier General John Vincent's army on the Niagara frontier.

Shawnee Chief Tecumseh opposed the retreat, as it would abandon the Western Amerindians who fought alongside their British allies, but General Proctor proceeded nontheless. The tension between the two leaders grew. The demoralized British soldiers moved slowly, while General Harrison's force was not far behind. Only the Amerindian warriors made any attempt to halt the advancing American troops.

General Proctor realized that eventually he would have to stand and fight the American force. The battle took place about three kilometres from Moraviantown on the Thames River. The tired British troops surrendered after the first American charge. Tecumseh's force of 800 Amerindians continued to fight until the Shawnee Chief was mortally wounded, then retreated.

The road to the Niagara peninsula lay open to General Harrison, but the coming winter and shortage of supplies forced him, after burning Moraviantown, to return to Detroit, which he occupied until the end of the war. Tecumseh was buried in a secret grave in the swamp where he died, and with him, died the Amerindian resistance around Lake Erie. The chiefs signed a cease-fire with General Harrison.

General Proctor gathered what was left of his force and fled to the rest of the British army at Burlington. He was court-martialed for his conduct at the Battle of the Thames.