W. H. Harrison Administration - Career

Career

In August 1791, shortly after dropping out of the University of Pennsylvania, Harrison had a fortuitous meeting with Virginia governor Richard Henry Lee, a family friend who was visiting Philadelphia. He suggested that Harrison join the army. By September Harrison had been appointed an ensign in the First U.S. Infantry Regiment of Virginia and set off for Fort Pitt on the Ohio River. From there he continued on to Fort Washington (what is now Cincinnati) in the Northwest Territory as part of a contingent charged with protecting settlers from attacks by the local American Indian inhabitants of the region. Harrison was promoted and commended several times. By 1797 he had reached the rank of captain, but he resigned from the army to pursue his growing political and commercial ambitions.

Harrison Enters Politics

Harrison's first significant foray into...

[The entire page is 1132 words long]

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