Harrison William Henry essays

Harrison William Henry essays William Henry Harrison was born on February 9, 1773 at his fathers family plantation called "Berkeley" located on the James River about 20 miles south of Richmond in Charles City County, Va. His father, Benjamin Harrison, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and later the governor of Virginia between 1781 and 1784 and the young Harrison always considered himself a "child of the Revolution". His mother, Elizabeth Bassett Harrison, was a member of the " first Families" of Virginia. William was privately tutored and mastered grammar and classics sufficient enough to meet the entrance requirements of Hampden-Sydney College in 1787 at the age of 14. He studied the classics and history and although he never finished, he proclaimed proficiency "in belles lettres information and particularly in history". In 1790 and 1791 he briefly studied medicine in Richmond and Philadelphia but after his father died in 1791, he switched interests to a military career. He obtained a commission as ensign in the First Regiment of Infantry of the Regular Army. In Aug. 16, 1791, Harrison managed to persuade a company of 80 men to risk their lives for $2 a month and join him to fight Indians on the northwestern frontier. Harrison, then 18 years of age, left Philadelphia in September 1791 and marched his men over the Allegheny Mountains to Fort Pitt (present day Pittsburgh). Here he and his men boarded boats and headed down the Ohio River to Fort Washington (present day Cincinnati). The young soldier became aide-de-camp to General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and fought against the Northwest Indian Confederation in a campaign that ended successfully at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on Aug. 20, 1794 where Harrison was cited for bravery. The battle resulted in opening most of the Ohio area to settlement. Harrison rose to the rank of captain before resigning from the army on May 31, 1798. ...