 He claimed that he had only told some friends that Harrison was wary of pursuit during a council of war held at Sandwich, Ontario, after the battle, but that he had not personally witnessed a disagreement over the pursuit between Harrison and Shelby.Desha gradually became more conservative after his return to the House, consistently resisting expansion of the U.S. Navy.He also opposed Secretary of War James Monroe's request to maintain a standing peacetime army of 20,000 men.