William Henry Harrison American

Harrison assumed that Procter's next move would be to attack Fort Stephenson. Harrison did not think that the small fort and its 21-year-old commander George Croghan were up to the challenge. He ordered the fort abandoned and burned. Croghan, however, refused to withdraw from his position. He defended the fort against great odds and gained the admiration of both his commander and the American nation. After Perry's defeat of the British squadron on Lake Erie in September (with some help from Harrison's men), Procter retreated up the Thames Valley. Harrison's forces, including an eager bunch of Kentucky militiamen, followed the British-Native withdrawal. Near Moraviantown, the British turned to face their pursuers. The British forces were easily dispersed and their First Nations allies fled upon learning of the death of Tecumseh. Moraviantown effectively ended British threats to the American northwest. Following this battle, Harrison grew increasingly frustrated with the secretary of war. In 1814 he resigned his military position. Harrison served as a commissioner to the Northwestern Indians for the remainder of the war. After the war, Harrison was elected to Congress and became involved with local politics. For one turbulent year, he was a U.S. minister to Columbia. Harrison's wartime celebrity never faded and decades later his supporters encouraged him to pursue the presidency. Harrison won the 1840 presidential election. He fell ill during his first month in office, however, and died shortly afterwards.