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!”

Source: angelfire