The War of 1812: A Captivating Guide to the Military Conflict between the United States of America and Great Britain That Started during the Napoleonic Wars (Captivating History) by Captivating History

Author:Captivating History [History, Captivating]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, pdf
Published: 2019-12-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five: The War of 1812- The Taming of the West

The invasion of Canada was only one part of the War of 1812. The Americans were fighting tooth and nail with the Native Americans in the newly acquired territories of Indiana and Illinois as well. Unlike the bitter defeats in the Canadian invasion, the Americans won many victories in the west from the very start, thanks to the brutal but effective command of William Henry Harrison, a man who would go on to become the future president of the United States. Unlike his northern counterparts, Harrison didn’t mess around when building his forces. When the War of 1812 started, Harrison was already in charge of the Kentucky militia, who had a reputation of having the best sharpshooters in the country. Harrison didn’t join the war during its first year as he was still serving as the governor of Kentucky. While he didn’t fight, that didn’t mean he was just sitting idly by—Fort Meigs, which would become an important strategic position in the War of 1812, was built along the Ohio River under his supervision. Harrison also had a fearful reputation among the Native Americans due to his massive success at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Not only had he disbanded the military might of Tecumseh’s Native American alliance, but he had also broken their unity.

After Isaac Brock’s death, Colonel Henry Procter stepped into his shoes, becoming Harrison’s adversary. In terms of leadership and experience, Henry Procter was Isaac Brock’s antithesis in many ways, a fact that has been compounded by Tecumseh’s derision for Procter. While Brock was a decorated veteran with years of military and administrative experience under his belt, Procter had experience in neither field. The characters of both men were also starkly different—Brock was aggressive and a quick decision-maker while Procter was careful and slow to make decisions. Despite these differences, Procter ended up being a worthy successor to Brock in his own way.

About a month after the surrender of Fort Detroit on August 16th, 1812, the Siege of Fort Wayne took place, in which Harrison was partially involved. Lasting from September 5th to September 12th, the siege saw 500 Potawatomi and Miami warriors held back by 100 American soldiers until they were rescued by troops led by Harrison himself. Harrison moved with incredible speed to relieve Fort Wayne while increasing his forces along the way. By the time he reached the besieged fort, his army was 3,000 strong, more than capable enough to handle the Native American threat. Fortunately, the fort didn’t suffer much damage as the Native Americans didn’t possess artillery to breach the fort walls or gates.

The months of October and November 1812 largely consisted of naval conflicts in this region until November 22nd, which was when the Battle of Wild Cat Creek took place, which is located in Indiana. In response to the Pigeon Roost and Fort Dearborn massacres, the US government decided to take military action to suppress the Native Americans in the Illinois territory.

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