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William Henry Harrison

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William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was born February 9th, 1773 on Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia (Peterson 4). Harrison was the youngest of seven children in his family. His family was wealthy and participated in politics actively (Miller Center). Harrison’s father was governor of Virginia for three terms (Miller Center) and signed the declaration of Independence (The White House).
During this time in history, younger male siblings would usually enter the military, clergy, or trade because the oldest sibling usually took the household property. Since Harrison was the youngest of seven children, he knew from his childhood that he would have to be self-sufficient and could not rely on his parents to support him forever (Miller Center). Harrison chased his father’s dream of becoming a doctor and was home schooled before attending Hampden-Sydney College in Hanover County, Virginia. He then went on to study Medicine in Richmond (Miller Center).
After his father died in in 1791, William Henry Harrison stopped trying to become a doctor and proceeded to join the military. When Harrison first joined the military, he used his family ties with the Washington family and the Lee family to obtain an ensign rank, which is the lowest officer ranking in the military (Presidents of the United States (POTUS)). Although he started at the ensign rank, he was taken under the wing of General Mad Anthony Wayne who commanded Fort Washington where Harrison was stationed. Fort Washington was built to protect folks from Indians and the British. In The Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Fort was attacked and Harrison was a key part in the defensive line calling orders to the surrounding units. This battle was important because i...

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