Battle of the Thames

Battle of the Thames
Part of Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812

An artist's depiction of the battle and the death of Tecumseh
DateOctober 5, 1813
Location42°33′45″N 81°55′53″W / 42.56250°N 81.93139°W / 42.56250; -81.93139
Result

American victory[1][2]

  • Death of Tecumseh
  • Disintegration of Tecumseh's Confederacy
Belligerents
Tecumseh's confederacy
 Britain
 United States
Commanders and leaders
Tecumseh 
Henry Procter
William Henry Harrison
Strength

1,100[3]–1,800:[1]

  • Indigenous:
500[3]–1,000[1]
  • British:
600[1]–800[3] regulars

3,760+:

  • 2,381 militia
  • 1,000 volunteer mounted troops
  • 120 regulars
  • 260 Indigenous[3]
  • Unknown number of US Navy forces in Lake Erie[1]
Casualties and losses
Indigenous:
16–33 killed[4][5]
Unknown wounded and captured
British:
12–18 killed
22–35 wounded prisoners
566–579 captured[6][7]
10–27 killed
17–57 wounded[8][9]
Battle of the Thames is located in Ontario
Battle of the Thames
Location within Ontario
Battle of the Thames is located in Great Lakes
Battle of the Thames
Battle of the Thames (Great Lakes)

The Battle of the Thames /ˈtɛmz/, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The British lost control of Southwestern Ontario as a result of the battle; Tecumseh was killed, and his confederacy largely fell apart.

British troops under Major General Henry Procter had occupied Detroit until the United States Navy gained control of Lake Erie, cutting them off from their supplies. Procter was forced to retreat north up the Thames River to Moraviantown, followed by the tribal confederacy under Shawnee leader Tecumseh who were his allies.

American infantry and cavalry under Major General William Henry Harrison drove off the British and then defeated the Indigenous peoples, who were demoralized by the death of Tecumseh in action. American control was re-established in the Detroit area, the tribal confederacy collapsed, and Procter was court-martialed for his poor leadership.

  1. ^ a b c d e "Battle of the Thames | War of 1812".
  2. ^ Battle of Moraviantown
  3. ^ a b c d Sugden (1997), pp. 368–72
  4. ^ Sugden, p. 133
  5. ^ Gilpin, p. 226
  6. ^ Sugden, p. 127
  7. ^ Antal, p. 347
  8. ^ Sugden, p. 249
  9. ^ Sugden, p. 250, citing Samuel R. rown's, 'Views of the Campaigns of the North-western Army", W.G. Murphey, Philadelphia, 1815 (first published, 1814), p. 73