Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBook1903

The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813

Bennett Henderson Young · 1903

A one-page 1903 account by Bennett Young of the Thames battle that Harrison led, in which Kentuckians defeated British, French and Indian forces.

Shows how a later writer remembered the 1813 Thames battle that Harrison led, which helped secure his military reputation.

Ask William Henry Harrison about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813PDF · 365 pages
Bennett Henderson Young, The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813, 1903. Scanned page, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a one-page printed account by Bennett Henderson Young, dated 1903, titled The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813. The record describes the item as one page measuring 32 by 25 cm. The scanned copy is held by the Internet Archive. The description says Kentuckians defeated the British, French and Indians in the battle on October 5, 1813.

Why it matters

Young wrote almost ninety years after the battle, so this is a later study rather than a contemporary source. It connects the battle to Harrison, who led the campaign, and to the Kentucky soldiers who fought under him. It also names the British, French and Indian forces on the other side, which shows that the battle involved several peoples and nations. Reading it next to earlier accounts helps students see how the victory was remembered.

Look closer

  • Who does the title credit with the victory, and who is named as the losing side?
  • Why might a Kentucky writer in 1903 choose to tell this story?
  • What might an account written by a soldier in 1813 include that this one does not?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Henry Harrison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More William Henry Harrison sources

Meet the AI William Henry Harrison →
Speech

Primary source

Inaugural Address of William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison · 4 March 1841

Handwritten copy of a letter from the War Department dated July 15, 1809, addressed to His Excellency Wm. H. Harrison. It instructs him on negotiating the extinguishment of Indian title to lands east of the Wabash, referencing the Treaties of Fort Wayne and Grouseland, and states terms for compensation, chiefs' presence, installments, and expenses. Ink on cream paper.Document

Primary source

Treaty of Fort Wayne

1809

Black and white lithograph of a log cabin with an American flag reading Harrison and Tyler, a chimney smoking, a barrel of cider outside, and a coonskin on the wall. A man in a top hat stands with a cane and dog beside a younger man in a doorway. Trees and a river are in the background.Painting

Primary source

Harrison at cabin on North Bend of Ohio

Thomas Sinclair · 1840

Printed broadside of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, titled 'An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio.' Dense block of small black printed text in paragraphs on a light paper, with the heading in large capital letters at top.Document

Primary source

Northwest Ordinance

Confederation Congress · 13 July 1787

Oil portrait of a man with brown hair, turned three-quarters to the left, wearing a dark navy military coat with gold embroidered laurel-leaf trim, gold epaulettes, and a high white collar with a dark stock. He holds a gold-hilted sword with arms crossed against a cloudy sky.Painting

Primary source

William Henry Harrison

Rembrandt Peale · 1813

Ready when you are

Start chatting with William Henry Harrison now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions