The Battle at Tippecanoe

I. Growing White Dissent

A. Harrison's Continuing Political Problems--the anger the 1809 Ft. Wayne Treaty caused among Native Americans was felt throughout the lower Great Lakes region, and helped fuel the continued opposition to Harrison's policies.

1. Accusations of Unfair Dealing--white opponents of Harrison accused him of dealing unfairly with Native Americans. This was not done out of any real concern for Native Americans; indeed, Harrison's main accuser, William McIntosh, prevailed in a lawsuit in which his attorneys argued (and the Supreme Court agreed) that Native Americans were an "inferior race" whose land was justifiably taken.

2. Accusation of corruption--McIntosh filed suit against Harrison, accusing him of negotiating the Treaty of Fort Wayne to enrich himself. Harrison did indeed benefit economically from the Treaty, but that was actually standard operating procedure at that time.

B. Emergence of an Independent Legislature--during the early years of the Territorial Legislature, members were easily convinced by Harrison to vote according to his policies and proposals. As his political base shrank, however, more opponents found their way into the legislature, and Harrison found it increasingly more difficult to persuade them to follow his lead.

C. Greater Influence of the Prophet--the Treaty of Ft. Wayne so inflamed Native Americans that the Shawnee Prophet was once again successful in gaining adherents to his cause.

1. Prophet's Inability to Control all Native American groups--As we will see in greater detail below, Harrison used reports of Native American depredations in the Illinois treaty to persuade his superiors that action needed to be taken against Prophetstown to ensure the attacks stopped--even though those Native Americans were not under the control of Tenskwatawa or Tecumseh.



2. Harrison attempts to intimidate Tenskwataw and Tecumseh



II. The Coming Conflict

A. Harrison and the Effort to increase his popularity--with the legislature in session, and no longer willing to rubber stamp all of Harrison's proposals, Harrison seems to have felt that it was necessary to abandon diplomacy and take up war. Harrison continually during 1810 and 1811 sent letters to his superiors in government of reports that the forces from Prophetstown was soon be invading Vincennes

B. Tecumseh's Return to Vincennes--in mid-summer of 1811, Tecumseh sent word to Harrison that he would be visiting Vincennes in the near future.



1. Tenskwatawa's Salt Blunder--Tecumseh made this trip to Vincennes in part to smooth Harrison's ruffled feather. Tenskwatawa seized an entire salt shipment to help feed all of the people that were showing up in Prophetstown. Harrison, of course, seized on this opportunity to send off an angry message to that village.

2. Tecumseh and Harrison, Round 2



3. Tecumseh Announces His Southern Trip.

C. Harrison Moves Up the Wabash--Harrison, determined to strike against Prophetstown while Tecumseh was away. In part, this was because Harrison had so little regard for the leadership capabilities of Tenskwatawa, and despite the high regard that a number of Native Americans held for him.



1. We Shall Remain clip.

2. Harrison claims victory



3. Prophetstown Rises from the Ashes