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The Battle of Tippecanoe
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A First Nations PerspectiveAt the dawn of the 19th century, two Shawnee brothers, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, led a native movement to resist the incursion of the "white man." While Tecumseh's focus was the protection of native territory, his brother's concerns were of a more spiritual nature. In 1808, the brothers' disciples began to settle at Prophet's Town on the Tippecanoe River.Meanwhile, William Henry Harrison, the Governor of Indiana Territory, was intent on clearing First Nations people out of the Old Northwest to make way for American settlers. Despite several attempts at negotiation, Harrison and the brothers were headed for a tragic collision . In November of 1811, while Tecumseh was in the southern U.S. enlisting support for his confederacy, Harrison moved up the Wabash River towards Prophet's Town with 1000 men. Included in the bunch were a combination of US army soldiers, Indiana militiamen and eager volunteers from Kentucky where Indian fighting was a glorious tradition. A dozen miles from the native village, Harrison stopped and sent out scouts. He was knew that Washington would prefer a peaceful settlement with the First Nations people, but many of the men who had followed him were chomping at the bit for a fight. Three native messengers approached and declared that Tenskwatawa was willing to meet them the following day in order to discuss Harrison's demands. Harrison and his men set up camp a mile away from Prophet's Town. The native warriors were certain that Harrison's forces intended to attack them regardless of negotiations, so they decided to attack first. At the crack of dawn on November 7, they ambushed the American forces. It was a frantic battle fought in the half-light. By the time Harrison realized what was happening, his men were falling all around him. By daybreak however, the entire American line was engaged and the warriors were beginning to falter. After a final charge from the flanks, the Prophet's force was depleted of ammunition and they had to retreat across the marshy prairie. Two days later, Harrison's men plundered Prophet's Town and burned it to the ground. Both the warriors and the Americans suffered about two hundred dead or wounded. Nevertheless, Harrison portrayed the engagement as a victory for settler's rights and won instant national fame. Contrary to American hopes, the battle of Tippecanoe did not destroy Tecumseh's confederacy or Tenskwatawa's power. Many First Nations people were so incensed by Harrison's tactics that they joined forces with the British military to fight against their common enemy - the Americans.
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