HARRISON
HARRISON
General Hull hail sunemlered Detroit ami the
allied British anil Indian forces were in the su-
premacy all alonj; the liorder. The legislature of
Kentucky on Auj;. 2.1, 1S12, commissioned Gov
eruor Harrison major-general of the state troops,
although he was not a citizen of the state, and he
proceeded with a detachment of Kentucky militia
to reinforce Hull, the news of whose sun-ender
had not reachetl Kentucky. On September 2,
while > n mute, he received his commission from
the war deiiartment as brigadier-general in the
regular army. He relieved the ganison at Fort
Wayne and turned his detachment over to Gen.
James Winchester in command of the north-
western army. He had not as yet accepted his
commission in the regular army, as he did not
wish to conflict with the powers possessed by
General Winchester, but when on returning to
Vincennes he received his appointment to the
chief command of the northwest with unlimited
powers, he proceeded to erect forts, forward
supplies and concentrate his army for a move on
Detroit. He ordered Winchester to advance to
the Riipids. but hearing that Tecumseh was at
the headwaters of the Wabash he tried to counter-
mand the order. Winchester failed to receive
the countermand and he captured Frenchtown,
Jan. 18, 1813, but was repulsed at Raisin river,
January 21. General Harrison hastened to his
relief, but was too late to prevent that disaster.
He then built Fort Meigs, made the journey to
Cincinnati to obtain supplies and while there
urged upon the government the construction of a
naval fleet to co-operate with the army on the
border of the Great Lakes. He was commis-
sioned major-general, March 2, 1813. He cortr
centrated his forces at Fort Meigs and on May 1
Ck)l. Henry Proctor laid siege to the fort with a
large force of British soldiers and Indian allies.
Harrison was relieved by reinforcements under
Gen. Green Clay and on May 4 Proctor raised
the siege. Colonel Proctor renewed the attack
in July with 5000 men, but after a few daj's'
siege he withdrew. Commodore Perry won his
victory on Lake Erie, September 10, and on the
16th General Harrison embarked his artillery
and supplies, and on the 20th and 24th his troops,
for a descent on Canada. He drove the British
force from Maiden, Colonel Proctor burning the
U»wn and navy yard before his retreat. Harrison
overtook the army of Proctor and Tecumseh
on October .'5 at the Thames, ai.d the entire
British force was captured, Proctor escaping in
the woods. The cavalry also charged the Indians
and the death of Tecumseh early in the fight
made them easy captives. This battle, with
Perry's victory, put an end to the war in upper-
most Canada and Harrison was the hero of the
hour. Congress and the state legislatures passed
votes of thanks. Harri.son sent iiis troops to
Niagara and went to Wasliington, where he was
ordered to Cincinnati by the President to prepare
to protect the Iniliana border. Secretary Arm-
strong assigned Harrison to the 8th military dis-
trict including onh' western states where no
active service was likely to occur. The secretary
also, on April 25, 1813, issued an order to Major
Holmes, a subordinate of General H;irrison, with-
out consulting the superior ofhcer, and Harrison
promptly tendered his resignation, which was
accepted by the secretary in the absence of
President Madi.son. He was Indian commissioner
with Governor Slielby and General Cass, 1814-15;
and a representative from Ohio in the 14th and
15th congresses, 1816-19. While in congress he
was exonerated by a committee of investigation
appointed by the house from ciiai'ges maile by a
contractor of misuse of public money while in
command of the army. He was also deprived
for two years of a medal voted him by the house
in 1816, the act being defeated by his enemies in
the senate by a vote of thirteen to eleven, but
passed unanimously March 24, 1818, by both
houses. In congress he advocated a militia
bill, applicable to all the states, which was
defeated, but his bill for the relief of soldiers of
the late war was passed. He was a state senator,
1820-21; an unsuccessful candidate for represent-
ative in the 18th congress in 1822; a presidential
elector on the Clay ticket in 1824 and a U.S.
senator, 1825-28. He succeeded Andrew Jackson
as chairman of the committee on military affairs.
He resigned his seat in the senate in 1828 to accept
the position of U.S. mini.ster to the United States
of Colombia at the hands of President John
Quincy Adams. He urged General Bolivar not to
accept dictatorial powers at the hands of the
people. General Bolivar was not his friend and
when General Jackson came into the presidency
the South American patriot is said to have influ-
enced the President to recall General Harrison.
He retired to his farm at North Bend and served
as president of the county agricultural society
and as clerk of the court of common ]ileas of
Cincinnati. He was one of four Whig candidates
for President of the United States in 1836, the
others being Hugh L. White of Tennessee, Daniel
Webster of I\Iassachusetts and Willie P. Mangum
of North Carolina. In the electoral college lie
received .seventy -three votes to twenty-six for
White, fourteen for Webster and eleven for
Mangun. The Democrats were united on Martin
Van Buren of New York, who received 170
electoral votes and was elected. In the Whig
national convention 'at Harrisburg, Pa.. Dec. 4,
1839, Harrison was made candidate of the reunited
party with John Tyler of Virginia for Vice-Pre.si-
dent, and in the election of November, 1840, after
