Battle of Tippecanoe
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| Battle of Tippecanoe | |||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict | Indian Wars (Tecumseh's War) | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | November 7, 1811 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Prophetstown, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | United States victory | ||||||||||||||||
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The Battle of Tippecanoe was a decisive victory by United States forces led by then-Governor of the Indiana Territory William Henry Harrison over the forces of Tecumseh's growing American Indian confederation. The battle took place outside Prophetstown, near present-day Battle Ground, Indiana, and was part of what is sometimes known as Tecumseh's War, which continued into the War of 1812.
William_H._Harrison.jpg
When Harrison's forces came into view late on November 6 a young Indian on horseback rode out from the town waving a white flag. He carried a message from the Prophet requesting a cease fire until the next day when the two sides could hold a peaceful meeting. Harrison agreed but was wary of the Prophet's overture and kept a number of sentinels on duty over night.
Although existing accounts are unclear about exactly how the skirmish began, Harrison’s sentinels encountered advancing Indians warriors in the pre-dawn hours of November 7. As the soldiers awoke to scattered gunshots they discovered themselves almost encircled by the Prophet’s forces. Fierce fighting broke out as the Indians broke through Harrison’s lines and entered the camp. As the sentinels fled back to camp the volunteers quickly regrouped and repulsed the advance while securing their own lines. Throughout the morning Harrison's troopsShawnee_Prophet.jpg
Tippecanoe_battlefield_monument.jpg
The Battle of Tippecanoe was a crushing blow to Tecumseh's dream of a unified Indian confederacy. The Prophet, having prophesied that the weapons of Harrison's men would not be able to hurt his warriors, was disgraced by his failure and fled to Canada. Although this battle was crushing, it was not until 1813 at the Battle of the Thames and the death of Tecumseh that his confederation was eliminated.
Notes
- Note 1: Casualty figures and force sizes from John Sugden, Tecumseh: A Life (New York: Holt, 1997) pp. 235-6, and R. David Edmunds, The Shawnee Prophet (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983) p. 115.
External links
- Tippecanoe County Historical Association (http://www.tcha.mus.in.us/battlehistory.htm)
- A soldier's account of the Battle of Tippecanoe. (http://dagwood.wvec.k12.in.us/battle/naylor.html)