Tippecanoe and the Great Sign of 1811

Tecumseh's Unification of Native American Tribes at Prophet's Town

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Jan 13, 2010 Michael Streich

The attack at Tippecanoe by William Henry Harrison occurred while Tecumseh was gathering tribes in the South and left the Indian coalition shattered.

Shawnee Chief Tecumseh spent over ten years preparing a plan to unify native tribes in order to drive white settlers from the American frontier. In the absence of Tecumseh, however, the plan failed in the early hours of November 7, 1811 when William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, marched a 900 man army against Prophet’s Town on the Tippecanoe River. Although only 38 warriors died in the battle, the ensuing panic dispersed the various tribes, ending Tecumseh’s dream of a united Indian front against ever expanding white settlements.

Tecumseh and the Prophet

At Tecumseh’s birth, a sign in the heavens foretold his greatness as a leader. His name in Shawnee meant “Panther Passing Across,” given to him by his father Pucksinwah after witnessing a meteor passing in the night sky at the time of the birth. Even as a teenager, Tecumseh’s intelligence and power of oratory were noted by the chiefs. Tecumseh also possessed a singular ability: he could foretell future events.

It was Tecumseh’s younger brother, Tenskwatawa, who would be associated with prophecy, only because he was told what to say by his brother. He became known as the Prophet, taking his role more seriously as he got older. It was Tenskwatawa who stirred the gathered warriors at Tippecanoe into war frenzy, promising them that the bullets of the white army would not harm them.

The Battle at Tippecanoe River

Governor Harrison, alarmed at reports that thousands of warriors at Prophet’s Town were preparing an attack, took the offense in September 1811, marching his army toward the Indian encampment. Increased attacks on white settlements confirmed for Harrison that the Indian coalition was poised to strike.

Tecumseh, however, was in the South, visiting other tribes and pressing them to join his league. The Cherokees, Seminoles, and Lower Creeks responded to his call, as did many lesser tribes. Throughout his travels, Tecumseh promised a sign in the immediate future that would signal the moment of attack. It would be a sign like none other and confirm beyond any doubt his role as messenger of the Great Spirit.

By November 5th, Harrison’s army was within ten miles of Prophet’s Town. As Harrison advanced, the Prophet told the warriors that he had been assured, through messages from the Great Spirit, that half of Harrison’s army was already dead while the other half was insane. In their attack, they would be magically protected; no bullets would strike them. In the early hours of November 7th, they attacked, rushing forward unexposed – atypical for warriors trained to fight from cover.

Destruction of the Prophet’s Town and the Great Sign

As the demoralized warriors fled, Harrison’s army plundered the town, finding unopened cases containing British rifles. The British had been supplying the Indians with weapons and ammunition, often at no cost. The carefully constructed coalition of Shawnee, Wyandots, Senecas, Ottowas, Winnebagos, and dozens more was shattered.

The Prophet was disgraced and held in contempt by Tecumseh who returned after the disaster. The only option left was to ally with the British and Tecumseh began a new campaign to unite the tribes under the English who were more than willing to arm the tribes and pay for scalps.

The harbinger of the great sign was another fantastic streak of light, much like that at Tecumseh’s birth, on November 16th. But the sign itself began one month later, December 16th, when the first of several earthquakes and aftershocks rocked the land from the Great Lakes down to Tennessee and Kentucky. The final tremor, on February 13th, 1812, left a sea of destruction. Land disappeared, creating new lakes. According to reports of witnesses, the mighty Mississippi flowed backward for a time. The great sign convinced many tribes to join the British, just as the War of 1812 was about to start.

Sources:

• Allan W. Eckert, The Frontiersmen (Jesse Stuart Foundation, 2001)
• Donald R. Hickey, The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict (University of Illinois Press, 1989)
• Frederick Merk, History of the Westward Movement (Alfred A. Knopf, 1978)
• Page Smith, The Shaping of America: A People’s History of the Young Republic (McGraw-Hill Book Co.)