Tecumseh and Harrison

 

“No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other, much

less to strangers… Sell a country? Why not sell the air,

the great sea, as well as the earth? Didn’t the Great

Spirit make them all for the use of his children?

-Tecumseh

Shawnee

 

Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison, ambitious and intelligent men, experienced conflicting aspirations which led to severe repercussions for Native Americans. Both had a strong interest in land and who should reside on it. They served as mighty warriors for their people.  Tecumseh strived to unite Native Americans from all over the country to stop the invasion of white settlers and was noted as a great orator. Harrison sought to satisfy the whims of a steadily growing white population and convert territories to statehood with self-sufficient governance.  That meant the increase of population of Euro-Americans in scarcely populated territories. Both men bucked horns when they discussed their differences in which Harrison ended up the victor and the Native American people lost large portions of land, their livelihood and their means of self-preservation.

            Tecumseh was born in 1768. Early in his life, he discovered that he despised the Americans because of the atrocities they inflicted on the Shawnee people. He also did not like some of the things he witnessed Indians doing to white men. Trained to be a warrior by his older brother Cheeseekau, he proceeded with any type of altercation with as little violence as possible. Tecumseh did not believe in torture. He believed a quick kill was best and the most humane.

            During the late 1780s, Tecumseh went on many raids against white settlers. He joined his brother Cheeseekau and a small band of Shawnee warriors in Tennessee, where they met a group of Cherokee Chickamauga, to continue with raiding activities. Cheeseekau died in one of the skirmishes so Tecumseh became the leader of the Shawnee band. Bluejacket and Tecumseh led a scouting party to help defeat General St. Clair’s army at the bloody Battle of Wabash River. Tecumseh fought at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on the Mauma River and lost to General Anthony Wayne and his army. Both sides signed the Treaty of Greenville except Tecumseh. He would not sign any treaty and willingly give up land that he thought belonged to the Indian people (History.com Editors, 2019).

 

            During the early 1800s, Tecumseh settled in Ohio and served as a respected leader, war chief and orator. In 1805, his younger brother Lalawethika declared after an alcohol induced vision, that it was his intention to reclaim their lands and culture. He changed his name to Tenskwatawa and shortly afterwards he was referred to as the “Prophet.” After he predicted the solar eclipse in 1806, a massive number of Indian people came from various locations to become followers of the Prophet. In 1808, Tecumseh and the Prophet moved their ever-growing alliance to Prophetstown which was near the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers in present-day Indiana (History.com Editors, 2019).

 

            Harrison was born in Virginia on February 9, 1773.  His father, Benjamin Harrison (1726 – 91) signed the Declaration of Independence and served as the governor of Virginia. In 1791, he dropped his studies in medicine to pursue a career of becoming a soldier. Known as an “Indian fighter,” he either negotiated through treaties or fought battles to gain access to land once inhabited by Native Americans. Harrison was cited for bravery in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 (Matuz, 2012). The Americans won this battle which opened up much of Ohio to white settlement. Harrison, promoted to captain as a result of this win, became the commander of Ohio’s Fort Washington which was near present-day Cincinnati. As a result of treaties negotiated by Harrison with Indian people, he gained access to millions of acres of land (History.com Editors, 2009).

He was given instruction to have the Indian people sign as many treaties as possible to give up their land. Harrison was successful at acquiring land from the Native Americans and not always by act of treaties, also through the act of war against the indigenous people. The Treaty of Fort Wayne afforded the federal government additional land. Several of the tribes gave up three million acres of land in exchange for annual payments ranging from $200. to $5,000. Harrison did not experience success with Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa concerning the signing of treaties.

Tecumseh feared that many Shawnee and other Ohio Valley Indians had become dependent on trading with the Americans for guns, cloth, and metal goods and he was adamantly against such dependence. Tecumseh wanted all Indian people to return to their traditional ways. White settlers readily encroached on their government-recognized tribal land holdings (History.com Editors, 2019). The American government did not want to ruffle the feathers of the settlers. Also, it was the wish of Harrison to populate the Northwest territory and convert territorial land into states. Harrison viewed Tecumseh as a threat to that happening. “He was heartily tired of living in a Territory, one of the fairest of the globe condemned to be a state of nature, the haunt of a few wretched savages” (Sugden, 1997, pg. 215).

            In 1809, Tecumseh focused heavily on building a confederacy to fight against white settler encroachment which consisted of Native Americans who resided in various locations. He managed to persuade Indians from the Old Northwest and the deep South to unite and resist. They accumulated enough strength to stop the whites from taking more land. Hope rose abundant while Indians from Canada, Minnesota and as far south as Florida joined forces to prevent whites from taking their precious land. By 1810, he managed to establish the Ohio Valley Confederacy and the following nations were part of the confederacy: Shawnee, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Winnebago, Menominee, Ottawa, and Wyandot (History.com Editors, 2019). Tecumseh traveled great distances to promote his pan-Indian alliance. He persuaded many Native American people to join him through powerful speeches which involved their need to overcome the invaders’ takeover of their land. They needed to unite and resist the American way of life, the American government and assimilation. Native Americans needed to hold onto their Indian culture.

A large number of Native Americans lived at Prophetstown, the capital of the confederacy, and there were so many the white settlers asked the government to protect them. Prophetstown was established in recognition of Tecumseh’s brother, the prophet and was located near the Tippecanoe River in the Indiana Territory.

 

            A legendary meeting between Tecumseh and Harrison was held in Vincennes on August 15, 1810. Tecumseh wanted the meeting held at his headquarters and the capital of his Indian Confederacy, Prophetstown. Harrison refused so Tecumseh gave in to the governor’s demands. Tecumseh feared this was the man he was fighting for the northwest. Tecumseh led his associates into Vincennes and they camped near a clearing in a small grove of trees close to Grouseland where Harrison’s large two-story home with tall chimneys was located. Harrison and his followers, seated on a platform, motioned Tecumseh to take a seat. Tecumseh refused and said “was the most proper place for the Indians as they liked to repose upon the bosom of their mother” (Sugden, 1997, page 198). Tecumseh sat with his entourage on the grass in front of the platform.

In attendance at the conference were the territorial supreme court, the secretary of the territory, several army officers and unarmed citizens. Thirteen soldiers from Fort Knox stood guard. Tecumseh and several other Indians were in attendance along with the chief of the Weas who approved the treaty of Fort Wayne. The Potawatomi chief Winamek, a hated adversary, who lived under the threat of being killed for his indiscretions, also supported the aforementioned treaty. He remained silent while he sat next to Harrison on the grass armed, holding pistols.

The two men faced each other, Tecumseh was more passionate about why he was at the meeting while Harrison sat mildly alert. Tecumseh spent several days trying to convince Harrison to no avail about his point of view. Harrison listened to what Tecumseh had to say and would not give into Tecumseh’s requests. A short break occurred and when the conference resumed on August 20^th both sides were at a stalemate and immense tension existed between the two parties.

            Tecumseh continued to patiently try to make his point of stopping the invasion onto their  territory. He spoke about how the Americans identified individual tribes as owners of tracts of land for the purpose of future purchases. He was against the chiefs who had agreed to the land deals. Unsure if the treaties were approved by the American president, he spoke of them as being invalid and unfairly negotiated due to the ignorance of the Indian people who signed them. A meeting at Brownstown would be held in the near future to discuss the chiefs who signed the treaties and these individuals were to be punished, the deaths of these individuals rest with the United States. The Americans need to stop future treaties from being established. Harrison spent many years speaking with tribal leaders but he never met one like Tecumseh. Tecumseh spoke confidently for all tribes on the continent. Tecumseh did not support the use of war to solve land disagreements but felt future wars were unavoidable due to American policies. He pleaded for justice and avowed that his people were being oppressed. He stood firm and said they did not want annuities, they wanted their land (Sugden, 1997).

            “Brothers they want to save that piece of land. We do not wish you to take it. It is small enough for our purposes. If you do take it you must blame yourself as the cause of trouble between us and the tribes who sold it to you. I want to present boundary line to continue. Should you cross it, I assure you it will be productive of bad consequences” (Sugden, 1997, page 202).

            The Wyandot, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, and Winnebago speakers relayed the same message and stated that Tecumseh was their leader. Harrison and Tecumseh would not yield to  each other. Harrison said the lands were appropriately purchased. Both men saw no end to the conflict. The Governor told Tecumseh that he would send his concerns to the President.

            …”as the Great Chief is to determine the matter; I hope the Great Spirit will put some sense into his head to induce him to direct you to give up this land. It is true, he is so far off. He will not be injured by the war. He may still sit in his town, and drink his wine, whilst you and I will have to fight it out” (Sugden, 1997, page 202).

            The meeting ended without a satisfactory conclusion for either party. However, Tecumseh made the mistake of letting Harrison know that he planned to travel south to continue his recruitment of Indian people to join the confederacy. The unfortunate announcement served as the detriment to the confederacy and the future of the Native Americans.

           

            Tecumseh’s organized resistance led Harrison to travel to Prophetstown. He arrived during the evening of November 6, 1811. Soon after he arrived, he was met with a white flag requesting a cease fire until Tecumseh and Harrison could conduct a parley before any action was taken since Tecumseh was away recruiting warriors from the “Five Civilized Tribes.” The request represented a delay. Harrison was tired so he agreed to Tenskwatawa’s terms.

His military force settled on a hill approximately a mile from Prophetstown on the banks of Burnett Creek. He did not trust Tenskwatawa’s cease fire request. The troops were ordered to form a rectangular defensive position for the evening. The front line was armed with militia and 300 regulars in reserve in case reinforcement was necessary. The southern section fell under the command of Captain Spier Spencer of the Indiana Yellow Jackets named for the yellow overcoats they wore into battle.

Harrison’s fears were realized when Tenskwatawa (the Prophet) wanted to break the cease fire. Tecumseh warned his brother to not incite war until the Confederacy was strengthened. The Prophet stood on a rock ledge above Prophetstown which was called Prophet’s Rock and enraged his followers into battle by chanting and singing war songs. He promised his rantings would protect the warriors from bullets.

At 4:00 in the morning Harrison’s men were completely surrounded by the Prophet’s warriors. The warriors attacked the northern end of the American military rectangle and fired the first shots of the battle. The rest of the sleeping soldiers, awakened by the ruckus, joined the rest of the soldiers. A fierce attack occurred on the southern section of the American rectangle which caused Captain Spencer’s yellow jackets to retreat. Two commanding lieutenants lost their lives to the swarming warriors.

Harrison transferred Captain David Robb from the northern section to provide aid to the southern section of the rectangle. The warriors were forced to withdraw since Harrison augmented their defenses. A second wave of warrior attacks on the northern and southern flanks occurred. The Americans held their own against the fierceness of the attacks. The battle was being fought with equal force from both sides.

The fighting continued for approximately two hours until Harrison’s superior numbers and firepower forced the warriors to retreat. The braves returned to Prophetstown fed up with the Prophet’s failed promises to protect them. They abandoned Prophetstown, leaving it vulnerable to Harrison’s raid.

On November 8, 1811, Harrison rode into Prophetstown and torched the entire town. Tecumseh return-ed three months after the battle between Harrison and the Prophet’s warriors to find the town in complete ruins and no one around. Disheartened because the ruined headquarters of the Confederacy and the missing warriors meant the end of a dream which led to an end of much of the Indian resistance. All of Tecumseh’s hard work went down the drain. They more or less became sitting ducks in the face of a takeover of much of their land (Sugden, 1997).

            Tecumseh traveled to various parts of the country to recruit other tribes to participate in his effort to thwart the Euro-Americans take over of their land. He joined the British with his remaining followers during the War of 1812 in Michigan. He played a major role in defeating the American forces at the Siege of Detroit. After the defeat of Detroit, he joined British Major-General Henry Proctor’s regiment during the invasion of Ohio and again fought against Harrison and his troops. Harrison invaded Canada and the British were forced to flee. Harrison did not give up his grudge against Tecumseh. Harrison pursued Tecumseh and his warriors to the Thames River where Tecumseh was killed on October 5, 1813 (History.com Editors, 2019).

            Some historians in Canada refer to Tecumseh as the Father of Canada. He fought hard to conquer the Americans in Canada. He was relentless. His loyalty was never to Canada or to the British in Canada. His dream involved his pan-Indian movement that would secure land for his people, the land that was necessary for the Indian people to carry out their traditional way of life (Goltz, 1983).

            The destruction of Prophetstown led to the end of the confederacy Tecumseh brought together at Prophetstown. Harrison saw Tecumseh as a threat regarding his goal of populating the Northwest Territory with white settlers in his effort to convert territories into self-sufficient states. More and more land was needed to accommodate the onslaught of white settlers. A minimum 60,000 white people were needed to convert a territory into a state. Native Americans became more susceptible to Euro-American takeover of most of their land.

           

The Prophet’s Curse (Tecumseh’s brother Tenskwa-tawa)

“When Harrison was nominated as one of the stable of Whig candidates in 1836, the Shawnee Prophet, whom he had defeated in the Battle of Tippecanoe, emerged again to put a curse on him. ‘Harrison will not win this year to be the Great Chief,’ he predicted, ‘but he may win next time. If he does… he will not finish his term. He will die in office. […] And when he does, you will remember my brother Tecumseh’s death. You think that I have lost my powers. I who caused the sun to darken and red men to give up firewater. But I tell, Harrison will, and after him every Great Chief chosen every twenty years thereafter shall also die. When each one dies, let everyone remember the death of my people.’ An idle threat? Who knows? But the fact is, The twenty-year cycle of death played itself out with Harrison (1840), Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1940), and Kennedy (1960). Only Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, escaped the curse, though he was shot in an assassination attempt” (Matuz, 2012, page 161).