Henry Procter

This article deals with the British officer, for the chemist see Henry Richardson Procter

Henry Procter

Henry Procter (* 1763 in Kilkenny , Ireland ; † October 31, 1822 in Bath , England ) was a British officer who played an important role in the British-American War of 1812.

Life

Henry Procter was born in 1763 to an army surgeon and entered the British Army in 1781 by purchasing an officer's license . In 1802 he came to Canada with Isaac Brock . With the promotion to the commander of the 41st Infantry Regiment, he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel , proved to be a capable organizer and was able to transform it into an efficient, powerful unit. After the outbreak of war with the United States in 1812, the 41st Infantry Regiment was deployed in the western theater of war on the Great Lakes . Under Brock's command, Procter and his regiment played an important role in the siege and surrender of Fort Detroit in August 1812, which repelled a first American attempt at invasion under General William Hull in Canada.

After Brock's death in the Battle of Queenston Heights , Procter, now a colonel , took over his command in the western theater of war in November 1812. On January 22, 1813, in alliance with Indians , he was able to destroy an American army under James Winchester in the battle of Frenchtown . After the battle, Procter left the wounded Americans and withdrew to Amherstburg , whereupon between 30 and 60 of the Americans were murdered by Indians. He later justified himself that he did not have enough sledges to transport her and that he wanted to fetch her the next day. Procter was promoted to major general for his victory , but the River Raisin Massacre , which the USA had inflated for propaganda purposes, also damaged his reputation within its own ranks; in the US press he was portrayed as a monster. The incident played an important role in mobilizing US public opinion for the war and in bringing volunteers into the ranks of General William Henry Harrison's army deployed in the Northwest .

In two advances in May and July 1813, the British and Indians were able to achieve partial successes against the Americans, but neither could they conquer Fort Meigs , the American base for renewed attacks on Detroit, nor Fort Sandusky . In the summer of 1813 the shortage of supplies for Procter's troops and his Indian allies became more and more dramatic, but Governor General Sir George Prevost remained inactive and advised Procter to get his supplies from the Americans, whose growing superiority made such attempts very risky. The British and Indians faced not only an army under General William Henry Harrison , but also a US fleet under Oliver Hazard Perry, which was far superior to the British ships on Lake Erie .

Due to the increasingly dramatic supply situation, Procter and the commander of the British fleet, Captain Robert Heriot Barclay , had to dare to attack the American fleet despite unfavorable conditions. In order to increase the combat strength of the ships, numerous fortress guns and soldiers had to be taken on board. With the destruction of the British squadron in the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, Procter's position on the border near Detroit became untenable. On the one hand, the guns and crews lost in the battle were missing, and on the other hand, the British supply connections across Lake Erie were cut off. In addition, there was massive tension with the Indian allies under Tecumseh .

Procter therefore ordered the evacuation of Detroit and the other positions on the border ( Fort Malden / Amherstburg ) and a retreat along the Thames River to a better protected position inland. Procter had proven himself so far, but was overwhelmed with the organization of the extremely difficult retreat as commander. The entourage included the civilians belonging to the army over 10,000 people. There were massive rifts between him and some of his officers. Procter is said to have kept his plans from them while they were planning his replacement. The situation was made worse by a skirmish near Moraviantown , where the Americans captured almost all of the British supplies. On October 5, 1813, the British and Indians, demoralized by hunger and handicapped by a lack of ammunition, stood up for battle. Procter was only able to oppose the 3,000-strong US troops of William Henry Harrison's pursuing them with around 450 soldiers and 500 Indians under Tecumseh. In the battle of the Thames River , Procter's troops were dispersed and routed. The British soldiers surrendered without significant resistance or fled, while the Indians fought until Tecumseh's death and then withdrew. The battle eliminated the British presence west of Lake Ontario and therefore had far-reaching consequences for the course of the war.

While most of his soldiers were taken prisoner, Procter managed to escape the Americans, who however fell into their hands with his papers about the campaign. His swift escape exposed him to the charge of cowardice before the enemy. He was relieved of his command. In December 1814 a court-martial sentenced him for failing to prepare for his retreat, making faulty tactical arrangements and erring in judgment and execution, for having made poor tactical arrangements and lacking energy and judgment . Procter was initially suspended, but the sentence was later reduced to a public reprimand. His career in the British Army was over anyway. He left Canada in 1815.

Death and judgment

Procter died at the age of 59 years in 1822 in Bath ( England ).

Despite his defeat, Procter was not left without support. In 1815 the Montreal Herald published various anonymous letters defending him and harshly attacking Governor General Sir George Prevost for his lack of support for Procter's troops and the harsh treatment that followed. Indeed, it is reasonable to assume that the governor-general, who proved himself a hesitant and incompetent general, had made Procter a scapegoat for his own failures.

Web links

• Galafilm.com: Henry Procter
• Henry Procter in The Canadian Encyclopedia