Battle
of Tippecanoe
In
1811 General William Henry Harrison led an army against
Prophet's Town on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana.
Prophet's Town was the home of Tecumseh
and his brother Tenskwatawa, the
Prophet. Since 1808 Prophet's Town was the center
of Tecumseh's Confederacy. Harrison wanted to defeat
the Indians before Tecumseh succeeded in uniting the
Indians into an unbeatable force.
Harrison
marched against Prophet's Town while Tecumseh was away
trying to get more Indians to join his confederacy. The
Prophet told his followers they were invincible. An Indian
army of about 450 warriors attacked Harrison's army at
4:30 in the morning of 7 November 1811. Harrison's army
had about a thousand troops, including infantry and cavalry.
The
American army defeated the Indians, but suffered heavy
losses. Sixty-two men were killed or died later from
their wounds. One hundred and twenty six men were
wounded. The Indian's losses are impossible to know
because they carried off most of their dead and wounded.
Harrison guessed that at least 40 Indians were killed.
The
American army drove off the Indians and burned Prophet's
Town to the ground. The Indians no longer believed
in the Prophet. Tecumseh's dreams of an Indian confederacy
ended in the ashes of Tippecanoe.
William
Henry Harrison used his popularity as a successful
Indian fighter to run for president of the United
States. His campaign slogan was "Tippecanoe and Tyler
too!"
from the Ohio
Historical Society Site
