Battle of the Thames

Coordinates: 42°33′45″N 81°55′53″W / 42.56250°N 81.93139°W / 42.56250; -81.93139

The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was a United States victory in the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom and the Tecumseh's Confederacy. It took place on October 5, 1813, near present-day Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada.

British troops under Major General Henry Procter had occupied Detroit until the U.S. Navy gained control of Lake Erie, depriving them of their supplies. Procter was forced to retreat north up the river Thames to Moraviantown, where his allies, the tribal confederacy under Shawnee leader Tecumseh, had no choice but to follow. American infantry and cavalry under future president William Henry Harrison drove off the outnumbered British and then defeated the Native warriors, who were demoralised by Tecumseh's death in action. American control over the Northwest frontier was re-established, the tribal confederacy collapsed, and Procter would later be court-martialled for his poor leadership.