Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812

The Battle of the Thames was fought October 5, 1813, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). In the wake of the American victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, Major General William Henry Harrisons army recaptured Detroit before crossing into Canada. Outnumbered, British commander Major General Henry Proctor elected to withdraw east with his Native American allies. On October 5, he turned his army and made a stand near Moraviantown. In the resulting battle, his army was routed and the famed Native American leader Tecumseh was killed. The victory secured the United States northwest frontier for the remainder of the war. Background ​Following the fall of Detroit to Major General Isaac Brock in August 1812, American forces in the Northwest endeavored to recapture the settlement. This was badly hampered due to British naval forces controlling Lake Erie. As a result, Major General William Henry Harrisons Army of the Northwest was forced to remain on the defensive while the U.S. Navy constructed a squadron at Presque Isle, PA. As these efforts progressed, American forces suffered a severe defeat at Frenchtown (River Raisin) as well as endured a siege at Fort Meigs. In August 1813, the American squadron, commanded by Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry emerged from Presque Isle. Outnumbered and out-gunned, Commander Robert H. Barclay withdrew his squadron to the British base at Amherstburg to await the completion of HMS Detroit (19 guns). Taking control Lake Erie, Perry was able to cut off the British supply lines to Amherstburg. With the logistical situation worsening, Barclay sailed out to challenge Perry in September. On September 10, the two clashed at the Battle of Lake Erie. After a bitter fought engagement, Perry captured the entire British squadron and sent a dispatch to Harrison stating, We have met the enemy and they are ours. With control of the lake firmly in American hands, Harrison embarked the bulk of his infantry aboard Perrys ships and sailed to recapture Detroit. His mounted forces advanced along the lake shore (Map). The British Retreat At Amherstburg, the British ground commander, Major General Henry Proctor, began planning to withdraw east to Burlington Heights at the western end of Lake Ontario. As part of his preparations, he quickly abandoned Detroit and nearby Fort Malden. Though these moves were opposed by the leader of his Native American forces, the famed Shawnee chief Tecumseh, Proctor proceeded as he was badly outnumbered and his supplies were dwindling. Detested by the Americans as he had allowed the Native Americans to butcher prisoners and wounded after the Battle of Frenchtown, Proctor began retreating up the Thames River on September 27. As the march progressed, the morale of his forces fell and his officers became increasingly dissatisfied with his leadership. Fast Facts: Battle of the Thames Conflict: War of 1812 (1812-1815)Dates: October 5, 1813Armies Commanders:United StatesMajor General William Henry Harrison3,760 menGreat Britain and Native AmericansMajor General Henry ProctorTecumseh1,300 menCasualties:United States: 10-27 killed, and 17-57 woundedGreat Britain 12-18 killed, 22-35 wounded, and 566-579 capturedNative Americans: 16-33 killed Harrison Pursues A veteran of Fallen Timbers and the victor of Tippecanoe, Harrison landed his men and re-occupied Detroit and Sandwich. After leaving garrisons at both locations, Harrison marched out with around 3,700 men on October 2 and began pursuing Proctor. Pushing hard, the Americans began to catch up to the tired British and numerous stragglers were captured along the road. Reaching a location near Moraviantown, a Christian Native American settlement, on October 4, Proctor turned and prepared to meet Harrisons approaching army. Deploying his 1,300 men, he placed his regulars, largely elements of the 41st Regiment of Foot, and one cannon on the left along the Thames while Tecumsehs Native Americans were formed on the right with their flank anchored on a swamp. Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Public Domain Proctors line was interrupted by a small swamp between his men and Tecumsehs Native Americans. To extend his position, Tecumseh lengthened his line into the large swamp and pushed it forward. This would allow it to strike the flank of any attacking force. Approaching the next day, Harrisons command consisted of elements of the U.S. 27th Infantry Regiment as well as a large corps of Kentucky volunteers led by Major General Isaac Shelby. A veteran of the American Revolution, Shelby had commanded troops at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. Shelbys command consisted of five brigades of infantry as well as Colonel Richard Mentor Johnsons 3rd Regiment of Mounted Riflemen (Map). Proctor Routed Nearing the enemy position, Harrison placed Johnsons mounted forces along the river with his infantry inland. Though he initially intended to launch an assault with his infantry, Harrison changed his plan when he saw that the 41st Foot had deployed as skirmishers. Forming his infantry to cover his left flank from Native American attacks, Harrison instructed Johnson to attack the main enemy line. Splitting his regiment into two battalions, Johnson planned to lead one against the Native Americans above the small swamp, while his younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel James Johnson, led the other against the British below. Moving forward, the younger Johnsons men charged down the river road with Colonel George Paulls 27th Infantry in support. Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813. Library of Congress Striking the British line, they quickly overwhelmed the defenders. In less than ten minutes of fighting, the Kentuckians and Paulls regulars drove off the British and captured Proctors one cannon. Among those who fled was Proctor. To the north, the elder Johnson attacked the Native American line. Led by a forlorn hope of twenty men, the Kentuckians soon became engaged in bitter battle with Tecumsehs warriors. Ordering his men to dismount, Johnson remained in the saddle urging his men forward. In the course of the fighting he was wounded five times. As the fighting raged, Tecumseh was killed. With Johnsons horsemen bogged down, Shelby directed some of his infantry to advance to their aid. As the infantry came up, the Native American resistance began to collapse as word of Tecumsehs death spread. Fleeing into the woods, the retreating warriors were pursued by cavalry led by Major David Thompson. Seeking to exploit the victory, American forces pressed on and burned Moraviantown despite the fact that its Christian Munsee inhabitants had played no role in the fighting. Having won a clear victory and destroyed Proctors army, Harrison elected to return to Detroit as the enlistments of many of his men were expiring. Aftermath In the fighting at the Battle of the Thames Harrisons army suffered 10-27 killed, and 17-57 wounded. British losses totaled 12-18 killed, 22-35 wounded, and 566-579 captured, while their Native American allies lost 16-33 killed. Among the Native American dead were Tecumseh and the Wyandot chief Roundhead. The exact circumstances regarding Tecumsehs death are not known though stories quickly circulated that Richard Mentor Johnson killed the Native American leader. Though he never personally claimed credit, he used the myth during later political campaigns. Credit has also been given to Private William Whitley. The victory at the Battle of the Thames saw American forces effectively take control of the Northwest frontier for the remainder of the war. With Tecumsehs death, much of the Native American threat in the region was eliminated and Harrison was able to conclude truces with many of the tribes. Though a skilled and popular commander, Harrison resigned the following summer after disagreements with Secretary of War John Armstrong.

Ethical Decision Making And Religious Faith Essay

Ethical Decision Making and Religious Faith Troy Gill MSCR680_X41_Rapid Decision Making Regis University Abstract The goal is to examine through literature review if religious faith is deemed to affect the moral or ethical decision-making process of United States Military personnel in a overall sense. But it might also be applied towards everyday civilian study as well. For instance, the United States Marine Corps have been built on a foundation of strong moral values. These are the principled beliefs that shape recruits into men and women of character. Equipped with this skillset they can and can be called upon to make hard rapid decisions in unfavorable situations and increase the likelihood of making solid ethical decisions. Thus the primary question is: How does faith in God or specific religious faith affect the ethical decision making process. Is it a key factor or minimal factor? Can or does it affect persons differently? 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Defining Honor Free Essays

If I were to ask half a dozen people at random to tell me what they meant by the word â€Å"honor,† I think that I would probably receive very different answers. One of the reasons for this is that it often means different things in the minds of different people. For instance, we say that it was a great honor for Jim Smith to be elected captain of the football team; and then, on the other hand, we talk about a code of honor, — or the laws of honor. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining Honor or any similar topic only for you Order Now What does Jim Smith’s being captain of the eleven have to do with the laws of honor? What we mean, in the case of Jim, is that his election as captain shows that the other boys have confidence in his play, and therefore this position gives him a local reputation as a comparatively good player and leader. Now many people in the world have only this idea of honor; and, when they speak of holding their honor sacred above all else, they mean keeping their reputation good in the eyes of men. For this reason, they value any office or reward that adds to their reputation; and the more their reputation grows and the more distinction they earn, the more honorable they feels themselves to be. This was the idea of honor existing among the ancient heathen people before the Christian era. You know that, after the fall of the great Roman Empire, there was a period of about a thousand years, when the light of civilization went out in Europe, and the darkness of ignorance and barbarism took its place. During these dark days, there was much going on that was not better and sometimes even worse from a moral point of view than in the days of the Roman Empire; but, when the minds of men began to wake up again, their standards really had advanced further than the old heathen standards of life. A seed Christian principle had been germinating for all these years and finally blossomed out in the Age of Chivalry. This, as you know, was an assertion first of all that the notion that â€Å"Might makes Right† is false, although it had been almost universally believed to be true, in practice, before the coming of Christ. The orders of knighthood which arose in various parts of Europe were composed of men who made it their business to bring order out of confusion, — to kill the wild beasts that interfered with flocks and herds and made farming difficult, — to overpower and abolish the highwaymen and robbers who made traveling unsafe, — and to protect women and children in respect and security. These men bound themselves by solemn vows to keep certain laws which were necessary for carrying out their work, and their obligation or sense of responsibility to keep these laws they called their â€Å"Honor. † Hence a new conception of honor came into being, and their code of honor was the law according to which their conduct was judged among themselves. This is, of course, a very different idea of honor from that which consists of thinking that distinction before men is better worth having than anything else, and which therefore puts reputation above character. Anybody who compares these two ideas of honor can see that the one is only a counterfeit imitation of the other, and that there is not necessary connection between them at all; for a man may have character without reputation, and he may have reputation without character, for reputation may be either true or false; and, when true, it is in many cases because of the character underlying it. But many fine reputations of all sorts are the result of clever self-advertising, and this practice is one of the most destructive and degrading to character and true manliness. This is so because, when we seek reputation for its own sake, we are yielding to the temptation of vanity; and vanity is a weakness and disease of the soul. Everybody has temptations to overcome, and it is everybody’s business to know and work against his weaknesses; but, when our chief ambition in life fosters our weakness, and we deceive ourselves by giving the name of â€Å"honor† to that which weakens us, we can hardly expect to grow stronger as the years go by. The old knights had the right idea of honor, and there have been a great variety of orders of chivalry in different countries, such as those mentioned in the Boy Scout Manual; and the main idea in all of them was to hold up a standard of public service which would raise men above the habits and customs of selfish brutes and merely worldly men. There is another great distinction between these two conceptions of honor: when we think of our reputation as our honor we require spectators, for our reputation is what we are in the minds of other men; but the honor of character, which is our sacred obligation to keep the law of our code and to do our duty in God’s sight, is just as binding upon us when we are all alone, and therefore it must control our most private acts and secret thoughts. A little newsboy boarded a crowded car the other night with a very large bundle of papers, and the conductor, with coarse good-nature, tried to favor him by declining to take his fare, although of course he could not do this without cheating the railway. The boy looked at him with indignation and could not believe that he was the conductor. He went all through the car hunting for the real conductor to whom he could pay his fair. This little boy was richer than if he had had millions in bank in place of this high-minded feeling of honorable independence and of determination to fulfil all his obligations; and, if he remains true to this principle in all the phases of his life, he will accomplish far more than if he amassed millions, or became President of the United States. He will add to the joy and dignity of many other lives as well as his own; for, sooner or later, every human being finds out that without this loyalty to honor life cannot be happy, is — indeed, not worth living. But we must be careful to remember that, although this is such an important and central truth, we cannot expect every one to know about it; and therefore we cannot expect them to act accordingly. In this, as in all other such matters, we must be on our guard against feeling superior to those who have not had our advantages. Next to keeping our own obligations of honor is the duty of protecting the honor of all those with whom we have contact; — and especially of the weak and ignorant. The weak must be protected by whatever means is necessary and appropriate, and the ignorant may be taught if we go about it quietly and in a friendly spirit, without â€Å"laying down the law. † Of course, it is the duty of patrol leaders to see that all their boys understand as thoroughly as possible the nature of the obligations which they have taken upon themselves. It is also the duty of scouts to hand along whatever helpful knowledge they have to other scouts within reach of their friendship. But this holds good not only for boy scouts and their officers but for all men; and it cannot be done unless, in the first place, we ourselves try to practice what we teach and then teach it with a humble appreciation of the beauty or use of the subject, and without any vanity or conceit. There is no merit, but only privilege, — so great that it is difficult to estimate, — in teaching and being taught to understand and live by the deep and tested truths of life; and the more we learn, from obeying them, the more humbly grateful we shall be. How to cite Defining Honor, Essay examples