Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/136

 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