Preface to Third Edition 13 



Soon afterward Proctor abandoned the siege. Fort 

 Stephenson, garrisoned by Major Croghan and 160 

 men, was attacked by a force of 391 British regu 

 lars, who tried to carry it by assault, and were re 

 pulsed with the loss of a fourth of their number. 

 Some four tfrousand Indians joined Proctor, but 

 most of them left him after Perry's victory on Lake 

 Erie. Then Harrison, having received large rein 

 forcements, invaded Canada. At the River Thames 

 his army of 3,500 men encountered and routed be 

 tween 600 and 700 British under Proctor, and 

 about 1,000 Indians under Tecumseh. The battle 

 was decided at once by a charge of the Kentucky 

 mounted riflemen, who broke through the regulars, 

 took them in rear, and captured them, and then dis 

 mounting attacked the flank of the Indians, who 

 were also assailed by the infantry. Proctor escaped 

 by the skin of his teeth and Tecumseh died fighting, 

 like the hero that he was. This battle ended the 

 campaign in the Northwest. In this quarter it must 

 be remembered that the war was, on the part of the 

 Americans, mainly one against Indians; the latter 

 always forming over half of the British forces. 

 Many of the remainder were French Canadians, and 

 the others were regulars. The American armies, 

 on the contrary, were composed of the armed set 

 tlers of Kentucky and Ohio, native Americans, of 

 English speech and blood, who were battling for 

 lands that were to form the heritage of their chil 

 dren. In the West the war was only the closing 

 act of the struggle that for many years had been 



