Photo By Erin Thompson | Battle of Tippecanoe, lithograph by Kurz and Allison, 1889 (Library of Congress)... read more read more
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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
THE BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE
On 7 November 1811, a confederation of Native American tribesmen launched a surprise attack on U.S. forces near the Tippecanoe River in Indiana Territory. The American victory under Governor William Henry Harrison effectively ended mass tribal resistance to American expansion in the Northwest Territory.
The American victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 served as a catalyst for the conflict in 1811 [see This Week in MI History #54 and #200 20 August 1794]. Shawnee tribesman Tecumseh, upset by the defeat and the treaty’s land concessions, began assembling a coalition, called Tecumseh’s Confederacy, to oppose U.S. encroachment on indigenous land. Meanwhile, Harrison, a veteran of Fallen Timbers, was appointed governor of Indiana Territory in 1800 and oversaw treaty negotiations with various tribal groups. Over the next decade, Tecumseh and Harrison met numerous times to discuss land cessions and the killing of both Native Americans and white settlers in Indiana Territory.
In 1808, Tecumseh’s Confederacy relocated to a small village at the joining of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers. The village, called Prophetstown, was named for Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa, nicknamed “the Prophet.” Despite assurances the confederacy wished to live in peace in Prophetstown, frequent raids and skirmishes between Native Americans and frontiersmen continued to threaten peace. In September 1809, Harrison negotiated a new treaty to acquire three million acres of land north of Vincennes to keep a closer eye on the situation. This inflamed hostilities with Tecumseh, who refused to allow Harrison to conduct surveys of the land.
Conflicting intelligence about Tecumseh and the Prophet’s intensions between 1810–1811 heightened Harrison’s fears of war with the Native Americans. One of his spies, a French fur trader named Michel Brouillet, ingratiated himself to the people of Prophetstown and reported back that most tribesmen did not support an attack on the Americans. Despite Brouillet’s reports, other spies suggested war was imminent.
In mid-1811, Tecumseh informed Harrison he would be travelling south, likely to recruit for his confederacy. In his absence, Harrison was authorized by Secretary of War William Eustis to organize an armed force for an expedition of the boundary between Vincennes and Prophetstown. Harrison’s army consisted of approximately 250 infantry soldiers, 90 cavalry, and 700 Indiana militiamen. These troops began construction of Fort Harrison near Vincennes in October before advancing towards Prophetstown. As they neared the village, Harrison’s scouts warned of a potential ambush along a well-trodden trail on the southern side of the Wabash River. Harrison directed his men to clear a route along this trail, giving it the appearance of being used by a large force, before crossing the river and approaching on the northern side. This deception allowed Harrison’s troops to advance toward Prophetstown undetected.
On 6 November, the army arrived at Prophetstown. Harrison dispatched Capt. Toussant Dubois, commander of the Company of Spies and Guides, Indiana Militia, under a flag of truce to meet with the Prophet, but Tenskwatawa refused to meet. Harrison offered one last chance for peaceful negotiations by sending interpreters ahead of his forces as they prepared to attack the village. The Prophet finally agreed to a conference the next day, and Harrison retreated for the night.
In the early morning of 7 November 1811, Tenskwatawa’s men launched a surprise assault on Harrison’s encampment. Harrison suffered casualties to twenty percent of his force but successfully forced the tribesmen to retreat. The next morning, he sent scouts to Prophetstown and discovered the village had been abandoned. Harrison’s troops burned the village to the ground before returning to Fort Harrison. Tenskwatawa, who had assured his warriors they would be victorious, was labeled a false prophet and removed from leadership. When Tecumseh returned in the spring, he found his confederacy demoralized and splintered. His attempts to rebuild it with British support during the War of 1812 failed, and he died in battle in Ontario in 1813.
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| Date Taken: | 11.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2024 17:01 |
| Story ID: | 484499 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
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