Road to War, Part 10: The Battle of Tippecanoe

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

On September 24, 1811, General William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, led an army north from the territorial capital of Vincennes. His objective was to break up a large gathering of Indians that were part of a confederacy organized by Tecumseh to resist American settlement in the Ohio Country. Although advised by his officers to immediately strike the village, Harrison was under strict orders from Secretary of War William Eustis to maintain peace if possible and not initiate an attack. Tecumseh happened to be away recruiting southern tribes for his confederacy so the responsibility for dealing with the American army fell to the Prophet. Although prior to leaving Tecumseh had stressed that a battle was to be avoided at all costs, the Prophet felt he must do something. 

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the Battle of Tippecanoe and why it still matters today.  

 

Images courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, Toronto Public Library, Library of Congress, Naval History and Heritage Command, Art Institute Chicago, New York Public Library, U.S. Senate, Wikimedia. 

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Road to War, Part 9: Tecumseh and the Prophet