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Guide to the William H. Harrison Papers, 1773-1841
97sc209 Guide to the William H. Harrison Papers, 1773-1841 Archives Staff Special Collections Special Collections Kentucky History Center Kentucky Historical Society 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 USA Phone: (502) 564-1792, ext.4470 Fax: (502) 564-4701 URL: http://history.ky.gov/ Kentucky Historical Society 1997 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 2000. ENG Guide to the William H. Harrison Papers, 1773-1841 Contact Information Special Collections Kentucky History Center Kentucky Historical Society 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 USA Phone: (502) 564-1792, ext.4470 Fax: (502) 564-4701 URL: http://history.ky.gov/ Processed by: Staff Date Completed: n.d. Encoded by: Thomas Enneking Copyright 1999 Kentucky Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. William H. Harrison Papers, 1773-1841 97SC209 Harrison, William H., 1773-1841 5 items Fair --> Kentucky Historical Society. Special Collections & Archives. Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 Access at KHS only. Use microfilm, transcriptions or images when available. Permission for commercial use must be requested from the Kentucky Historical Society Special Collections. [Identification of item], William Henry Harrison Papers, 1773-1841, 97sc209,Library Special Collections and Archives, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort. At the beginning of the War of 1812, General James Winchester was sent to Kentucky to take command of the Army of the Northwest. A short time later, General William Henry Harrison was appointed to the post and Winchester was assigned another command. On Jan. 18, 1813,after a sharp skirmish with the British, Winchester and his troops took the small settlement of Frenchtown on the River Raisin. Disregarding scouts who predicted a British counterattack, Winchester waited for reinforcements and provisions he had requested from General Harrison. Since these requests did not reach Harrison for weeks, Winchester was unprepared for the British and Indian attack on Jan. 22. Few soldiers survived the massacre and Winchester was captured. He was imprisoned until 1814 while Harrison continued to fight and win acclaim. In 1816, Robert B. McAfee published an account of the war and denounced Winchester's command as incompetent. Winchester published a defense of his actions in 1817 criticizing Harrison for failing to answer his plea for troops. This five item collection consists of letters written to General James Taylor and General Thomas Bodley by General William Henry Harrison. The first letter, written to Taylor on Dec. 28, 1811, discusses the arrival of hospital stores at a military post. The other letters, written between 1814 and 1824 to Bodley, defend Harrison's command of the Northwestern Army in the wake of General James Winchester's defeat at the River Raisin. The letters become more defensive after the publication of Winchester's defense of his action in 1817. Arrangement: Correspondence is arranged chronologically maintaining original order. Catalog card, unpublished inventory, on-line database Winchester, James, 1752-1826 Kentucky--History--War of 1812 Raisin River, Battle of, 1813 Michigan--History-War of 1812 Taylor, James, 1769-1848--Correspondence Bodley, Thomas--Correspondence Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841--Correspondence Container List William Henry Harrison Letters, 1811-1824 97SC209 1 Letter from General William Henry Harrison, Vincennes (Indiana) to Colonel James Taylor, Newport, KY. Discusses arrival of hospital stores at military post and health of Mrs. Harrison. Dec. 28, 1811. 1 Letter from General William Henry Harrison, Cincinnati, to Major Thomas Bodley, Lexington, KY. Discusses the Battle of River Raisin and General James Winchester's accusations. Oct. 1, 1814. 1 Letter from William Henry Harrison, Northbend (Indiana?) to General Thomas Bodley, Lexington, KY. More on River Raisin and General Winchester. Nov. 2, 1817. 1 Partial letter from William Henry Harrison to Thomas Bodley. Discusses his attachment and gratitude to Kentucky. Undated. 1 Letter from William Henry Harrison, Cincinnati, to Thomas Bodley, Lexington, KY. Discusses a Sparta, TN newspaper article "by that scoundrel Thos. Eastland." Feb. 17, 1824.