Retreat of the combined British and Indian army to the river
Thames--skirmish at Chatham with the troops under general
Harrison--Tecumseh slightly wounded in the arm--battle on the Thames
on the 5th of October--Tecumseh's death.
Shortly after the delivery of the speech quoted in the foregoing
chapter, a considerable body of Indians abandoned general Proctor, and
crossed the strait to the American shore. Tecumseh himself again
manifested a disposition to take his final leave of the British
service. Embittered by the perfidy of Proctor, his men suffering from
want of clothes and provisions, with the prospect of a disgraceful
flight before them, he was strongly inclined to withdraw with his
followers; and leave the American general to chastise in a summary
manner those who had so repeatedly deceived him and his Indian
followers. The Sioux and Chippewas, however, again objected to this
course. _They_ could not, they said, withdraw, and there was no other
leader but Tecumseh, in whom they placed confidence: they insisted that
he was the person who had originally induced them to join the British,
and that he ought not to desert them in the present extremity.
Tecumseh, in reply to this remonstrance remarked, that the battlefield
had no terrors for him; he feared not death, and if they insisted upon
it, he would remain with them.
General Proctor now proposed to the Indians to remove their women and
children to McGee's, opposite the river Rouge, where they would be
furnished with their winter's clothing and the necessary supplies of
food. To this proposition, Tecumseh yielded a reluctant assent;
doubting, as he did, the truth of the statement. When they were about
to start, he observed to young Jim Blue-Jacket, "we are now going to
follow the British, and I feel well assured, that we shall never
return." When they arrived at McGee's, Tecumseh found that there were
no stores provided for them, as had been represented. Proctor made
excuses; and again pledged himself to the Indians, that if they would
go with him to the Thames, they would there find an abundance of every
thing needful to supply their wants; besides a reinforcement of British
troops, and a fort ready for their reception.[A]
[Footnote A: Anthony Shane.]
The retreat was continued towards the Thames. On the second of October,
when the army had reached Dalson's farm, Proctor and Tecumseh, attended
by a small guard, returned to examine the ground at a place called
Chatham, where a deep, unfordable creek falls into the Thames. They
were riding together in a gig, and after making the necessary
examination, the ground was approved of; and general Proctor remarked,
upon that spot they would either defeat general Harrison or there lay
their bones. With this determination Tecumseh was highly pleased, and
said, "it was a good place, and when he should look at the two streams,
they would remind him of the Wabash and the Tippecanoe." Perhaps no
better position could have been chosen for meeting the American army
than this place presented. The allied force of British and Indians, had
they made a stand upon it, would have been protected in front by a deep
unfordable stream, while their right flank would have been covered by
the Thames, and their left by a swamp. But general Proctor changed his
mind; and leaving Tecumseh with a body of Indians to defend the passage
of the stream, moved forward with the main army. Tecumseh made a prompt
and judicious arrangement of his forces; but it is said that his
Indians, in the skirmish which ensued, did not sustain their previous
reputation as warriors. It is probable, however, that their leader did
not intend to make any decided resistance to the American troops at
this point, not being willing that general Proctor and his army should
escape a meeting with the enemy. In this action Tecumseh was slightly
wounded in the arm by a ball. General Harrison, in his official report
of this affair, says:
"Below a place called Chatham, and four miles above Dalson's, is the
third unfordable branch of the Thames: the bridge over its mouth had
been taken up by the Indians, as well as that at M'Gregor's mills, one
mile above--several hundred of the Indians remained to dispute our
passage, and upon the arrival of the advanced guard, commenced a heavy
fire from the opposite bank of the creek, as well as that of the river.
Believing that the whole force of the enemy was there, I halted the
army, formed in order of battle, and brought up our two six pounders,
to cover the party that were ordered to repair the bridge. A few shot
from these pieces soon drove off the Indians, and enabled us in two
hours to repair the bridge and cross the troops. Colonel Johnson's
mounted regiment being upon the right of the army, had seized the
remains of the bridge at the mills, under a heavy fire from the
Indians. Our loss upon this occasion was two killed, and three or four
wounded; that of the enemy was ascertained to be considerably greater.
A house near the bridge, containing a very considerable number of
muskets, had been set on fire; but it was extinguished by our troops
and the arms saved."
Tecumseh and his party overtook they main army near the Moravian towns,
situated on the north side of the Thames. Here he resolved that he
would retreat no further; and the ground being favorable for forming
the line of battle, he communicated his determination to general
Proctor, and compelled him, as there is every reason for believing, to
put an end to his retreat, and prepare for meeting the pursuing army.
After the Indians were posted in the swamp, in the position occupied by
them during the battle, Tecumseh remarked to the chiefs by whom he was
surrounded, "brother warriors! we are now about to enter into an
engagement from which I shall never come out--my body will remain on
the field of battle." He then unbuckled his sword, and placing it in
the hands of one of them, said, "when my son becomes a noted warrior,
and able to wield a sword, give this to him." He then laid aside his
British military dress, and took his place in the line, clothed only in
the ordinary deer-skin hunting shirt.[A]
[Footnote A: Anthony Shane, and colonel Baubee of the British army.]
The position selected by the enemy was eminently judicious. The British
troops, amounting to eight or nine hundred, were posted with their left
upon the river, which was unfordable at that point; their right
extended to and across a swamp, and united them with the Indians, under
Tecumseh, amounting to near eighteen hundred. The British artillery was
placed in the road along the margin of the river, near to the left of
their line. At from two to three hundred yards from the river, a swamp
extends nearly parallel to it, the intermediate ground being dry. This
position of the enemy, with his flank protected on the left by the
river and on the right by the swamp, filled with Indians, being such as
to prevent the wings from being turned, general Harrison made
arrangements to concentrate his forces against the British line. The
first division, under major general Henry, was formed in three lines at
one hundred yards from each other; the front line consisting of
Trotter's brigade, the second of Chiles', and the reserve of King's
brigade. These lines were in front of, and parallel to, the British
troops. The second division, under major general Desha, composed of
Allen's and Caldwell's brigades, was formed _en potence_, or at right
angles to the first division. Governor Shelby, as senior major general
of the Kentucky troops, was posted at this crotchet, formed between the
first and second divisions. Colonel Simrall's regiment of light
infantry was formed in reserve, obliquely to the first division, and
covering the rear of the front division; and, after much reflection as
to the disposition to be made of colonel Johnson's mounted troops, they
were directed, as soon as the front line advanced, to take ground to
the left, and forming upon that flank, to endeavor to turn the right of
the Indians. A detachment of regular troops, of the 26th United States
infantry, under colonel Paul, occupied the space between the road and
the river, for the purpose of seizing the enemy's artillery; and,
simultaneously with this movement, forty friendly Indians were to pass
under the bank of the stream to the rear of the British line, and by
their fire and war-cry, induce the enemy to think their own Indians
were turning against them. At the same time, colonel Wood had been
instructed to make preparations for using the enemy's artillery, and to
rake their own line by a flank fire. By refusing the left or second
division, the Indians were kept _in the air_, that is, in a position in
which they would be useless. It will be seen, as the commander
anticipated, that they waited in their position the advance of the
second division, while the British left was contending with the
American right. Johnson's corps consisted of nine hundred men, and the
five brigades under governor Shelby amounted to near eighteen hundred,
in all, not exceeding two thousand seven hundred men.
In the midst of these arrangements, and just as the order was about to
be given to the front line to advance, at the head of which general
Harrison had placed himself with his staff, colonel Wood approached him
with intelligence, that having reconnoitered the enemy, he had
ascertained the singular fact, that the British lines, instead of the
usual close order, were drawn up at _open order_. This fact at once
induced general Harrison to adopt the novel expedient of charging the
British lines with Johnson's mounted regiment. "I was within a few feet
of him," says the gallant colonel John O'Fallon, "when the report of
colonel Wood was made, and he instantly remarked, that he would make a
novel movement by ordering colonel Johnson's mounted regiment to charge
the British line of regulars, which, thus drawn up, contrary to the
habits and usages of that description of troops, always accustomed to
_the touch_, could be easily penetrated and thrown into confusion, by a
spirited charge of colonel Johnson's regiment." This determination was
presently made known to the colonel, who was directed to draw up his
regiment in close column, with its right fifty yards from the
road--that it might be partially protected by the trees from the
artillery--its left upon the swamp, and to charge at full speed upon
the enemy.
At this juncture, general Harrison, with his aids-de-camp, attended
likewise by general Cass and commodore Perry, advanced from the right
of the front line of infantry, to the right of the front column of
mounted troops, led by colonel James Johnson. The general, personally,
gave the direction for the charge to be made. "When the right battalion
of the mounted men received the first fire of the British, the horses
in the front column recoiled; another fire was given by the enemy, but
our column getting in motion, broke through the enemy with irresistible
force. In one minute the contest was over. The British officers seeing
no prospect of reducing their disordered ranks to order, and seeing the
advance of the infantry, and our mounted men wheeling upon them and
pouring in a destructive fire, immediately surrendered."[A]
[Footnote A: Official Despatch.]
Colonel Richard M. Johnson, by the extension of his line, was brought
in contact with the Indians, upon whom he gallantly charged, but was
unfortunately severely wounded by the first fire of the enemy, and was
immediately taken off the field, not, however, it has been stated,
until he had despatched an Indian by a pistol shot. The fire of the
Indians having made some impression upon Johnson's men, and upon the
left of Trotter's brigade, general Harrison despatched an order to
governor Shelby to bring up Simrall's regiment to reinforce the point
pressed by the Indians; and then the general passed to the left, to
superintend the operations in that quarter. The governor, however, had
anticipated the wishes of his commander, being in the act of leading up
the regiment, when the order reached him. He and the general met near
the crochet, where after a severe contest of several minutes, the
battle finally ceased. The particulars of the charge made by colonel
Johnson on the Indians, are thus given by an intelligent officer[A] of
his corps. In a letter to the late governor Wickliffe of Kentucky,
under date of Frankfort, September 7, 1840, he says:
"I was at the head or right of my company, on horseback, waiting
orders, at about fifty or sixty yards from the line of the enemy.
Colonel Johnson rode up and explained to me the mode of attack, and
said in substance, 'captain Davidson, I am directed by general Harrison
to charge and break through the Indian line, and form in the rear. My
brother James will charge in like manner through the British line at
the same time. The sound of the trumpet will be the signal for the
charge.' In a few minutes the trumpet sounded, and the word 'charge'
was given by colonel Johnson. The colonel charged within a few paces of
me. We struck the Indian line obliquely, and when we approached within
ten or fifteen yards of their line, the Indians poured in a heavy fire
upon us, killing ten or fifteen of our men and several horses, and
wounded colonel Johnson very severely. He immediately retired. Doctor
Theobald, of Lexington, (I think) aided him off."
[Footnote A: Captain James Davidson, of Kentucky.--See Cincinnati
Republican.]
The loss of the Americans in this battle was about twenty killed and
between thirty and forty wounded. The British had eighteen killed and
twenty-six wounded. The Indians left on the ground between fifty and
sixty killed; and, estimating the usual proportion for the wounded, it
was probably more than double that number.
The British official account of this action is not before us. In a
general order under date of Montreal, November 21, 1813, the adjutant
general of the English forces, bears testimony to the good conduct of
the Indian warriors, who gallantly maintained the conflict under the
brave chief Tecumseh. This tribute to the Indians and their leader is
well merited. Had general Proctor and his troops fought with the same
valor that marked the conduct of Tecumseh and his men, the results of
the day would have been far more creditable to the British arms. It has
already been stated that Tecumseh entered this battle with a strong
conviction on his mind that he should not survive it. Further flight he
deemed disgraceful, while the hope of victory in the impending action,
was feeble and distant. He, however, heroically resolved to achieve the
latter or die in the effort. With this determination, he took his stand
among his followers, raised the war-cry and boldly met the enemy. From
the commencement of the attack on the Indian line, his voice was
distinctly heard by his followers, animating them to deeds worthy of
the race to which they belonged. When that well known voice was heard
no longer above the din of arms, the battle ceased. The British troops
having already surrendered, and the gallant leader of the Indians
having fallen, they gave up the contest and fled. A short distance from
where Tecumseh fell, the body of his friend and brother-in-law,
Wasegoboah, was found. They had often fought side by side, and now, in
front of their men, bravely battling the enemy, they side by side
closed their mortal career.[A]
[Footnote A: Anthony Shane.]
James, a British historian,[A] in his account of the battle of the
Thames, makes the following remarks upon the character and personal
appearance of Tecumseh.
"Thus fell the Indian warrior Tecumseh, in the 44th year of his age. He
was of the Shawanoe tribe, five feet ten inches high, and with more
than the usual stoutness, possessed all the agility and perseverance of
the Indian character. His carriage was dignified, his eye penetrating,
his countenance, which even in death, betrayed the indications of a
lofty spirit, rather of the sterner cast. Had he not possessed a
certain austerity of manners, he could never have controlled the
wayward passions of those who followed him to battle. He was of a
silent habit; but when his eloquence became roused into action by the
reiterated encroachments of the Americans, his strong intellect could
supply him with a flow of oratory that enabled him, as he governed in
the field, so to prescribe in the council. Those who consider that in
all territorial questions, the ablest diplomatists of the United States
are sent to negociate with the Indians, will readily appreciate the
loss sustained by the latter in the death of their champion. * * * *
Such a man was the unlettered savage, Tecumseh, and such a man have the
Indians lost forever. He has left a son, who, when his father fell, was
about seventeen years old, and fought by his side. The prince regent,
in 1814, out of respect to the memory of the old, sent out as a present
to the young, Tecumseh, a handsome sword. Unfortunately, however, for
the Indian cause and country, faint are the prospects that Tecumseh the
son, will ever equal, in wisdom or prowess, Tecumseh the father."
[Footnote A: Military Occurrences of the Late War.]
Mr. James (p. 295,) asserts, that Tecumseh was not only scalped, but
that his body was actually _flayed_, and the skin converted into
razor-straps by the Kentuckians. We fear there is too much truth in
this statement. It is confirmed by the testimony of several American
officers and privates, who were in the battle of the Thames. It is
painful to make an admission of this kind, but truth forbids the
suppression of a fact, when fairly established, however revolting to
the feelings of humanity, or degrading to a people. That there was any
general participation of our troops in this inhuman and revolting deed,
is not for a moment to be supposed. That it was the act of a few vulgar
and brutish individuals, is, we think, just as certain, as that the
great mass of the army were shocked at its perpetration. It is to be
regretted that the names of the persons who committed this outrage have
not been preserved, that their conduct on this occasion might have been
held up to universal condemnation.