Organized Chaos
By October 3, 1813, General Proctor’s army, what is left of it, is only 15 miles above the mouth of the Thames River at Matthew Dolsen’s farm in Dover, three miles below Chatham. They have reached the place where General Proctor had originally decided to make a stand. The original order to fortify Dover cannot be carried out since the trenching and fortification tools have all been sent ahead to the Bowles Farm, seven miles further upstream and the means to return those tools, whether it be by wagon or by boat simply doesn’t exist. Proctor has rushed upriver to Moraviantown and has left everyone rudderless. Tecumseh has not been told of any change in plans, nor has Proctor’s second in command, Lt. Col. Warburton. Proctor’s army is close to mutiny. Tecumseh takes charge and insists that they move three miles further up the Thames to Chatham. Warburton, sensing that he might lose Tecumseh’s support, tells Tecumseh that he will try to comply with Proctor’s promises and will make a stand on any ground of Tecumseh’s choosing. Messages are sent to Proctor concerning the situation but Proctor is in Moraviantown, busy sending his wife and children up the Longwoods Road to the safety of Niagara. Tecumseh is disgusted to discover that Chatham has no fortifications and is indefensible. Nevertheless, he is forced into a rearguard action with General Harrison’s forward scouts. He would like to move his Native warriors upriver to Moraviantown. On the morning of October 4th, Warburton waits at Chatham for Proctor until 10 o’clock. No Proctor. With American riflemen firing across the river, he can wait no longer. Orders arrive. Proceed at once upriver to the Bowles farm. Progress upriver for Warburton’s troops is painfully slow owing to the Native women and children and all of their baggage clogging the way. At the Bowles farm, Warburton encounters Proctor and is ordered to burn all the stores that they had so labouriously dragged all the way from Fort Amherstburg. Two gunboats are scuttled to impede American progress. Frustration with Proctor’s leadership
affects everyone’s morale. The British troops push on until they arrive at the Sherman farm that evening. The men are exhausted and half-starved. There will be no hot meal. The cooks are busy seeing to the needs of their own families. The morale of the army reaches its lowest ebb. Meanwhile, Tecumseh and his warriors continue their rearguard action at the forks of the Thames at Chatham. His natives have torn the planks off the bridge crossing McGregor’s Creek. The American troops replace them within two hours. Two six- pounder guns drive the Natives off. Tecumseh catches up to Proctor’s army later that night. There is a fatalistic calmness about Tecumseh, like he is aware that his time is up. He remarks to some of his chiefs: “Brother warriors, we are about to enter an engagement from which I shall not return. My body shall remain on the field of battle.” (To be continued...)
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