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... they censure the Indians from following it? (Tecumseh). The council ended in an outbreak of anger from Tecumseh, stating that the Indians had been treated unfairly. It seemed a fight was imminent, however Harrison dismissed the council before any real trouble could arise. Tecumseh was now set on war and hoped for British support against the Americans. So he began another journey through the Northwest to recruit more supporters to his cause.
He crossed into Canada to obtain support from the British, whom he met with at Fort Malden. However, at the time, the British were in no state to fight a war and so the declined any alliances. Harrison, now frightened about the growing number of Indians congregating at Prophets Town, wanted an excuse to attack village while they lacked their powerful leader. It came in July when the Osawatomie killed some white men in Illinois (Debt 110). Harrison said that the killers were followers of the Prophet and demanded that they be turned over to him.
Tecumseh, now back from his campaign, declined Harrison's request, but suggested a truce for the time being as he was about to visit the Southern Tribes. As soon as Tecumseh was safely out of the way, Harrison raised a force of 1, 000 men and marched to the Prophets Town, and on the night of November 6 th, he set up camp outside the town. The Prophet and the other leaders held a council in the village. Tecumseh had left his brother with orders not to attack the Americans.
He did not want to start a war with the American s since he was still trying to peacefully unite the Indians into a group that the Americans would have to deal with peacefully. However, a fighting tribe called the Winnebagos urged a battle to be fought. The Prophet had no choice but to agree with the numerous Indians who wanted to fight since he was afraid that if he backed down, many of the Indians would leave the confederation on their own. The Prophet even went so far as to make bold predictions that the Indians would be victorious and that bullets would bounce off their skin (Website 1). Early the next morning, November 7 th, 1811, about 450 Indian warriors attacked Harrison's camp before dawn. Although the Indians suffered fewer casualties than the Americans, they withdrew, leaving Harrison who promptly went and burned their town to the ground.
This battle was named the Battle of Tippecanoe, after the river that it was fought near. Tecumseh was flung into war before he could construct a strong Indian union. When Tecumseh returned from his travels in the spring of 1812, he was furious at what had happened while he was away. The majority of the habitant's of Prophets Town were gone, and the growth of his confederation had been delayed.
Many of the tribes whose warriors had been killed at Tippecanoe began to attack white settlements. Many settlers were killed, and their homes and farms destroyed. Hundreds of the frontier-men fled their lands to get away from the Indian raids. In retaliation, the Americans built forts all the way across the new frontier. However, even these new fortifications did not prevent the random attacks from the natives.
Even though the Battle of Tippecanoe diminished much of the power that Tecumseh and his brother once held. It destroyed the integrity of the Prophet, whom Tecumseh banished, and it frightened some Indians into neutrality. But there was still a chance for Tecumseh's plan to succeed: the coming war between Britain and The United States. If he could bring what was left of his confederation into an alliance with the British, together they might win. On the 17 th of May, 1812, Tecumseh headed towards Malden. There he told the British that he did not want a war with the Americans, he only wanted them to stop settling in the natives land.
Then, on June 18 th, the United States declared war against Britain. Both sides quickly sent agents to the frontiers to enlist Indians. The Americans only wanted the Indians to remain neutral. However, the British, realizing the lack of manpower in Upper Canada at the time, saw the Indians as a definite force multiplier (Blodget).
Tecumseh decided to side with the British and he took command of the Indians whom joined the British side. The American General Hull then suggested a council for the Indian tribes. There several chiefs spoke in favor of joining the Americans. Tecumseh argued passionately against it. Here is a chance such as will never occur again- for us Indians of North America to form ourselves into one great combination (Tecumseh). Angry at the Indians lack of support, he gathered a large war party and sent out warriors to harass the American army, and they engaged in many skirmishes.
Thus, it was an Indian, Tecumseh, who began the fighting in the War of 1812. Soon afterwards, the British General Isaac Brock arrived with many reinforcements and Tecumseh aided the capturing of Detroit and the entire American army in August of that year. In fall of 1812, he yet again went and visited the Southern Tribes, particularly the Upper Creeks. He told them that the Americans would make them give up their traditions so they had to fight back. He also told them that the British were their allies and that they would aid them in fighting the Americans. In fact, the British forces soon arrived at Pensacola gave guns and ammo to the tribe.
Although the Upper Creeks had earlier ignored his plans for the Indian Confederation, they now joined him in his fight against the Americans. After he left them, they attacked Fort Mims, starting a whole new front on the battlefield, and making the war harder for the American enemy. The War was pretty evenly matched between the Natives, the British, and the Americans, until September 10 th, 1813, when Commodore Perry of the American navy gained control of Lake Erie, cutting off the British supply route from the east. The British General, Proctor, abandoned the Detroit area and, with Tecumseh protesting every step of the way, started to retreat along the north shore of Lake Erie. Eventually near the River Thames, Tecumseh persuaded Proctor to stand his ground and make a defense against the on-coming Americans.
On October 5 th, 1813, Harrison's army, which was far larger than the British army, caught up to Proctor and fought at the Battle of the Thames. In this battle, an unidentified American killed the great Native leader, Tecumseh, and with him went the dream of a united Indian confederation as well as organized Indian support to the British in the frontier. Tecumseh was the greatest Indian leader of his era, almost succeeding in stopping the American westward movement into Indian territory by creating a united Indian front, and later assisting the British in the war of 1812. He was one of the few Indians whom attempted to protect their, heritage in a peaceful manner. Unfortunately, the plan was unsuccessful, and with the death of Tecumseh came the end of any unity between the Indian tribes. He was unsuccessful because each Indian tribe had their own agenda and there was often a lasting hatred between tribes.
After Tecumseh, the Indians of the Great Plains had no chance of stopping the expanding nation. Tecumseh was the natives last chance at fully preserving the Indian culture, and if he would have succeeded, the scarcity of natives today may not have come into being. Works Cited Bear croft, BW. The Last Fighting Indians of the American West. 1 ed. Harlow: aaaaa Longman Group Ltd, 1976. Blodget, Brian.
Tecumseh: His Role in the Cause and Conduct of the War of aaa 1812. The History Ring. 2 Jan. 2005. aaa< web Blodgett/Tecumthe. html#Coalition>. Coit, Margaret.
The Growing Years: The LIFE history of the United States. Rev. ed. New York: Time-Life Books, 1974. Debt, Angie. A History of the Indians of the United States. 6 th ed.
Norman: aaaaa University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. Sugden, John. Tecumseh's Last Stand. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.
Tucker, Glenn. Tecumseh: Vision of Glory. New York: The Books-Merrill Company, Inc. , 1956.
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Research essay sample on War Of 1812 Indian Tribes
