Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of the Thames

Battle of the Thames was a battle fought on 5 October 1813 at Chatham-Kent, in what is now Canada. It was part of the War of 1812, which ran from 1812 to 1815. The recorded result: American victory. Recorded strength: 950: British: 450 regulars; Indigenous: 500 against 2,500–3,000: 120 regulars; 1,000 mounted riflemen; 1,580–1,880 militia.

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Battle of the Thames and the death of Tecumseh, by the Kentucky mounted volunteers led by Colonel Richard M. Johnson, 5th Oct. 1813. Lithograph, hand coloured.
Battle of the Thames and the death of Tecumseh, by the Kentucky mounted volunteers led by Colonel Richard M. Johnson, 5th Oct. 1813. Lithograph, hand coloured.. William Emmons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought5 October 1813
WhereChatham-Kent, Canada42.562N, 81.931W
OutcomeAmerican victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Tecumseh's ConfederacyagainstUnited States
Part ofWar of 18121812 to 1815

Where it sits in the War of 1812

Siege of Fort Harrison, 1812Battle of the Mississinewa, 1812Patriot War, 1812Engagements on Lake Ontario, 1812Battle of River Canard, 1812Siege of Fort Mackinac, 1812First Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1812Battle of Brownstown, 1812Battle of Maguaga, 1812USS Essex vs HMS Alert, 1812Siege of Detroit, 1812Battle of Fort Dearborn, 1812USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere, 1812Siege of Fort Wayne, 1812Raid on Gananoque, 1812Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812Capture of HMS Frolic, 1812Battle of St. Regis, 1812USS United States vs HMS Macedonian, 1812Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1812Battle of Wild Cat Creek, 1812Battle of Frenchman's Creek, 1812Battle of La Guaira, 1812Battle of Frenchtown, 1813Battle of Fort George, 1813Battle of Ogdensburg, 1813Battle of Tipton's Island, 1813Battle of Rappahannock River, 1813Bombardment of Lewes, 1813Battle of Africa Point, 1813Chesapeake campaign, 1813Battle of York, 1813Siege of Fort Meigs, 1813Raid on Havre de Grace, 1813Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1813Capture of USS Chesapeake, 1813Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813Battle of Craney Island, 1813Battle of Beaver Dams, 1813Ocracoke raid, 1813Raid on Black Rock, 1813Battle of Fort Stephenson, 1813Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Second Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Capture of HMS Boxer, 1813Battle of Lake Erie, 1813Battle of the Thames, 1813Nuku Hiva Campaign, 1813Battle of the Chateauguay, 1813Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813Capture of Fort Niagara, 1813Battle of Buffalo, 1813Siege of Prairie du Chien, 1814Battle of Big Sandy Creek, 1814Battle of Fayal, 1814Raid on Madrid, 1814Battle of Longwoods, 1814Battle of Valparaíso, 1814Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1814Battle of Fort Oswego, 1814Raid on Port Dover, 1814Sinking of HMS Reindeer, 1814Battle of Chippawa, 1814Battle of Rock Island Rapids, 1814Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814Battle of Mackinac Island, 1814Battle of Conjocta Creek, 1814Siege of Fort Erie, 1814Burning of Washington, 1814Battle of Bladensburg, 1814Raid on Alexandria, 1814Battle of Caulk's Field, 1814Sinking of HMS Avon, 1814Battle of Hampden, 1814Battle of Credit Island, 1814Battle of Plattsburgh, 1814Engagements on Lake Huron, 1814Battle of North Point, 1814Battle of Baltimore, 1814Battle of Cook's Mills, 1814Battle of Malcolm's Mills, 1814Battle of Pensacola, 1814Battle of Lake Borgne, 1814Siege of Fort St. Philip, 1815Battle of New Orleans, 1815Battle of Fort Peter, 1815Capture of East India Company ship Nautilus, 181518121815Battle of the Thames, 1813
87 placed engagements of the War of 1812 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date5 October 1813
PlaceChatham-Kent, Canada
42.562N, 81.931W
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength950: British: 450 regulars; Indigenous: 5002,500–3,000: 120 regulars; 1,000 mounted riflemen; 1,580–1,880 militia
Casualties and lossesBritish: 12–18 killed; 22–36 wounded prisoners; 601 captured; Indigenous: 16–33 killed; unknown wounded11–12 killed; 17–20 wounded
Commanders
Battle of the ThamesBattle of the ThamesBattle of LongwoodsBattle of Point PeleeFox Indian Massacre of 1712Battle of Bloody RunBattle of WindsorBattle of LongwoodsBattle of Point PeleeFox Indian Massacre of 1712Battle of WindsorClevelandHamiltonToledoSaginawFlintAnn ArborEriePontiac100 km42.562N, 81.931W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1813

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: US ARMYDefender: BR ARMY
Strength3,5001,800
Casualties29 (0.8%)668 (37.1%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1071
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width0.2 km0.2 km
Attacker advanced0.2 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 146), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of the Thames is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 149 in present-day Canada.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q645288, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Thames, revision 1383263128, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.