Today, William Henry Harrison is best known for holding the presidency for the shortest amount of time and dying about a month after his inauguration speech, but he was one of the most important Americans of his day. Like many presidents in the 19th century, he rose to fame and fortune as a general, first for his decisive actions at the Battle of Tippecanoe and then in the subsequent War of 1812. From the introduction: "WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON being...