Battle of the Thames (1813)

Tue Oct 05, 1813

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On this day in 1813, Tecumseh was killed in the “Battle of the Thames”, fought during the War of 1812 between America and Tecumseh’s Confederacy. Tecumseh’s death led to the dissolution of the alliances he forged.

Tecumseh (1768 - 1813) was a Shawnee warrior and chief who became the primary leader of a large, multi-tribal confederacy in the early 19th century.

Growing up during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War, Tecumseh was exposed to warfare and envisioned the establishment of an independent Native American nation east of the Mississippi River under British protection, and established a confederacy of tribes to fight off colonization efforts.

On October 5th, 1813, Tecumseh and his second in command Roundhead were killed in the “Battle of the Thames”, fought as part of the War of 1812 between America and Tecumseh’s Confederacy and British allies.

Tecumseh’s death resulted in the dissolution of his tribal alliances, and led many indigenous peoples to begin moving west to escape colonization, across the Mississippi River.