Oct 5, 1813 :The Battle of the Thames

Battle of the Thames

     When we last discussed Elisha Gates' involvement in the War of 1812 and the Battle of the Thames¹, he and the other members of the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia were building a fence across the peninsula and preparing to leave for Canada on Commodore Perry's ships. The army landed in Ontario near Malden and after a skirmish they started marching after the British and their allies.   The Great Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh lead the coalition of Native Americans.  He had gotten a promise that the British would stand and fight.  The American Army caught up with the British near Moraviantown along the Thames River.  The battle lasted only a few hours.  The British under General Proctor retreated soon after the battle began. Tecumseh was killed and as soon as word of his death spread through the tribes, the Native Americans coalition dissolved and the battle was over. Click on the link to read a more detailed history of the battle.

Battle of the Thames

     Based upon the positioning of Simrall's Unit in this old map, it would appear that the heavy fighting was away from Elisha.  At the time of the battle the many trees provideds ome cover for the troops.  The Battle of the Thames (or as Canadians refer to it - The Battle of Moraviantown) was a decisive victory for the United States against Britain and was near the end of action in the northwest.  Soon the military engagements shifted to the east coast near Washington, D.C. and later to the southern states. 

     This army had been formed on July 31, 1813 and the men enlisted for a period of ninety days.  In order to get back to Kentucky by Oct 31 the men had to begin their return march immediately.  This was a major reason why the American Army didn't continue the pursuit of the British.
     In the following map the red markers show the army's route to battle. The red star is the location of the Battle of the Thames.  The green markers display the route returning to Kentucky. 


1. Young, Bennett H., The Battle of the Thames, 1903 "File:Battle-of-the-Thames-array.jpg - Wikimedia Commons." 2011. 24 Sep. 2013 <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle-of-the-Thames-array.jpg>

2. "Google Maps Engine Lite." 2012. 23 Aug. 2013 <https://mapsengine.google.com/>

Elisha Gates - Part V: A Really Big Corral

The Peninsula as it is today

     Two hundred years ago the Kentucky Volunteer Mounted Militia, including Elisha Gates were riding towards Detroit along with the rest of an army of the Kentuckians.  However, when news of Commodore Perry's victory in the Battle of Lake Erie reached the army, a decision was made to change direction to the Portage River.  There the plan was to have the soldiers board Commodore Perry's ships and get ferried to Canada.
     The army arrived on Sept 15 and the men set about building a fence across across the peninsula to create a large corral.  The fence was built across the narrowest section of the peninsula, about one and a half miles.  Each regiment was given a section of fence to construct and the job was finished in a few hours.  About 70,000 acres were enclosed; This was about fifteen acres per horse.  The fence was 6 to 8 feet high and then covered with brush.  Shortly after the fence was completed, the horses stampeded for some unknown reason.  Many men were injured, while some men and some horses were killed before everything calmed down¹.
      Then the men readied themselves so that they could be ferried across.  On September 21st and 22nd the men were transported to the Bass Islands.  Then the ships moved the men on to Ontario.  They were headed towards a showdown with the British and their Native American allies.






1.Young, Bennett Henderson, The Battle of The Thames, J. P. Morton and Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1903

Elisha Gates - War of 1812 Part IV

     My first several articles about the War of 1812 had dealt with the plan of the Kentuckians who were determined to get revenge for the Raisen River Massacre.  Kentucky Governor Shelby had been authorized to raise an army to march north to deal with the British and their Native American allies.  When we last looked at Elisha Gates he had answered the call of Governor Shelby and showed up at Newport, Kentucky on July 31, 1813.  Elisha Gates had answered the call along with three to four thousand other Kentuckians.  Many came unprepared, without rifles or ammunition but ready to fight.   
     As might have been expected it would be quite a task to have that many men fill out the appropriate paperwork (enlisting for three months), to organize the men into proper militia units, to arm all the men, and to obtain and organize provisions for everyone. So the men slowly began their march north through Ohio.  They passed through Fort Hamilton, Franklin, Dayton, and Springfield before arriving at Fort Urbana.  Most of the organization and preparation took place near Fort Urbana. The army didn't leave Fort Urbana until the second week in September.   
  Elisha Gates became a Private in the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia¹. He was assigned to serve in Captain Presley C. Smith's Company, commanded by Colonel James Simrall.  

Two-hundred years ago Elisha Gates traveled through these locations:
On September 9² - the army finally left Fort Urbana and began to march north in earnest towards Detroit.
September 10 - they passed through Bellafontaine camping near the line of Hardin and Logan counties.
September 11 - Near Fort MacArthur
September12 - they reached Upper Sandusky.  As they learned about the victory in the Battle of Lake Eire, plans changed and the army headed towards Lake Eire instead of Detroit. 
September 13 - they reached Fort Ball, near line of Wyandot and Seneca counties.
September 14 - the column reached Lower Sandusky (Fremont). Ammunition was distributed during the march on the 14th.
September 15 - the men reached the Portage River.

Once the army reached the Portage River site, the plan was to leave the horses at that site and take a ship across Lake Erie to Canada. The men took several days building a fence across the narrowest portion of the peninsula to form a horse corral.





1. Clift, G. Glenn. Kentucky Soldiers of the War of 1812. Frankfort, Kentucky: Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, 1891

2. Young, Bennett Henderson, The Battle of The Thames, J. P. Morton and Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1903

Elisha Gates - Not the Only Volunteer

Elisha Gates (1789-1863)

     After the Raisin River Massacre, Kentucky Governor Isaac Shelby called for 1500 volunteers to avenge the deaths of the Kentuckians.  On July 31, 1813 over twice as many volunteers showed up near Cincinnati, Ohio.  Some Kentuckian showed up with knives and no guns.  Some were on foot and others on horseback.  
     Governor Shelby had a big task ahead to organize, arm, and feed over three thousand men.  The first few weeks of August 1813 were spent in southern Ohio organizing the army.  The task of organizing and outfitting the militia actual consumed a significant portion of the scheduled enlistment period.
     Elisha Gates became a Private in the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia¹. He was assigned to serve in Captain Presley C. Smith's Company, commanded by Colonel James Simrall.



1. Clift, G. Glenn. Kentucky Soldiers of the War of 1812. Frankfort, Kentucky: Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, 1891