Battle of tippecanoe definition Continue The 19th-century war is the latest charge between the U.S. military and Indians distributed to Indians by Alonzo Chappel in the American Indian Wars and Tecumseh's War19th-century depiction of Kipecanoe on Indiana soil[1] on November 7, 1811LocationNear Battlefield, Tippecanoe County, Indiana40°30′22N 86°50′42W / 40.506°N 86.845°W / 40.506; -86.845Coordinates: 40°30′22N 86°50′42W / 40.506°N 86.845°W / 40.506; -86.845Recent United States tactical victory[2]Fighting gerents Tecumseh's Confederate United States Commanders and leaders Tenskwatawa William Henry HarrisonStrength 500-700 fighter 250 infantry, 90 cavalry, 700 militia casualties and casualties Unknown Estimated 50-65 killed and 7 0-80 injured 62 dead, 126 injured IndianaBattle of Tippecanoe (United States) in IndianaShow map Location Tippecanoe (/ TTK/ TIP-ee-kə- NOO) United States War map show on November 7, 1811 battle ground, Indiana Governor William Henry Harrison is among the American forces led by Indian forces associated with the Indiana Territories and Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (commonly known as the Prophet), leaders of a confederation of various tribes opposed to American Western European settlements. As tension surged and violence escalated, Governor Harrison marched with an army of about 1,000 people to attack confederate headquarters in Prophetstown, at the intersection of the Tippecanoe River and the Wabash River. Tecumseh was not yet ready to force his way up against the United States, and when Harrison's army arrived, he was gathering allies. Tenskwatawa was a spiritual leader, but not a soldier. Harrison camped near Prophetstown on November 6 and arranged to meet with Tenskwatawa the next day. But in the early hours of the next morning, fighters from Prophetstown attacked Harrison's army. They surprised the army, but Harrison and his men stayed up for more than two hours. The Indians were pushed back when their ammunition was reduced. After the war, they left Prophetstown and Harrison's men burned him, destroying food supplies stored for the winter. The soldiers then returned home. Harrison achieved his goal of destroying Prophetstown and declared a definite victory. Harrison won the 1840 presidential election, and his campaign song Tippecanoe and Tyler Tooda were nicknamed the popular Tippecanoe. Defeat was a setback for Tecumseh's confederation, which never fully recovered. [3] [4] The Americans blamed British interference in American affairs because they provided financial support and ammunition to the Indians. This led to further deterioration of relations with the UK and was a catalyst The War of 1812, which began six months later. The United States declared war on Britain in June 1812, and Tecumseh's confederation was ready to start a war against the United States in alliance with the British. In preparation, the Indians rebuilt Prophetstown. Tecumseh and his chief war chief Roundhead were killed during the Battle of the Thames in 1813. Background Main article: Tecumseh's War painted by Rembrandt Peale as William Henry Harrison in 1814 when William Henry Harrison was appointed governor of the newly formed Indiana Territory in 1800 and he tried to provide the title to the area for the settlement. In particular, he hoped the Indiana District would attract enough settlers to qualify for state. On September 30, 1809, Miami signed numerous land cessions with Native Americans, including the Treaty of Fort Wayne, in which Pottawatomie, Lenape and other tribal leaders sold 3,000,000 acres (about 12,000 sq km) to the United States. [5] [6] Tecumseh had been leading a religious movement among the northwestern tribes in 1848 by Benson Lossing, based on tenskwatawa's drawing by Charles Bird King, known as the Prophet of Tenskwatawa in about 1820 and calling for a return to the ways of his ancestors. His brother, Tecumseh, was very angry at the Treaty of Fort Wayne and revived an idea previously advocated by Shawnee leader Blue Jacket and Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, stating that Indian territory is common to all tribes and that the land cannot be sold without agreement by all tribes. [5] [7] Tecumseh was not ready to face the United States directly and realized that he was opposed by the Indian leaders who signed the agreement. He threatened to kill all those who fulfilled the terms of the treaty and his disciples, and traveled a lot, urged fighters to abandon their chiefs and join his resistance in Prophetstown, insisting the Fort Wayne agreement was illegitimate. [8] In 1810, he met with Governor Harrison and asked Harrison to void the deal, and warned that settlers should not try to close the land sold in the agreement. Harrison rejected their demands and insisted that the tribes could have individual relations with the United States. [9] Tecumseh warned him that if fighting broke out, he would form an alliance with the British. [10] There was months of tension between the United States and Britain as a result of Britain's interference in American trade with France. In early 1810, British agents tried to form an alliance with the Indians to help Canada defend it, but the Indians were reluctant to accept their offer, fearing they had little to take advantage of such a deal. [5] In August 1811, Tecumseh met harrison again in Vincennes. He assured Harrison that the Shawnee brothers should remain at peace with the United States. [9] Tecumseh later traveled to the Southeast to gather allies among the Five Civilized Tribes. Many of the Southern tribes rejected his objections, but a faction of the People of Creek responded to the call to arms and became known as the Red Sticks. They led a civil war between factions divided over the Battle of Creek, the ups and downs of some American ways. This was part of the War of 1812, when the Red Rods opposed the United States. [11] [12] Shortly after a meeting with Tecumseh, Harrison left the area for a job in Kentucky, and secretary John Gibson served as acting governor. Gibson lived among the Miami tribe for many years and quickly learned tecumseh's plans for war. He immediately called in militias in the area and sent emergency letters urging Harrison to return. [11] Most of the militia regiments were formed in mid-September, and Harrison returned with a small army-goer's force and took command. He had already communicated with his tops in Washington, D.C., and was authorized to march against the confederacy in a show of force in the hope that his members would accept peace. [13] [14] Harrison gathered scattered militia companies in Fort Knox, near a settlement in Maria Creek, north of Vincennes. [15] [16] [17] He joined the Indiana Rangers in addition to his bright yellow coats, along with a 60-strong company called Yellow Jackets from Corydon, Indiana. [note 1] The force of about 1,000 people arrived in Terre Haute, Indiana, on October 4[14] where they camped and built Fort Harrison while waiting for supplies to be delivered. A reconnaissance team in a Yellow Jacket was ambushed by the Indians on October 10, and several casualties were reported. The Americans stopped looking for food, and supplies began to decline rapidly. Until October 19, officers cut off supplies and the men survived with low thinging until October 28, when fresh supplies arrived on the Wabash River from Vincennes. With the army re-supplied, Harrison continued to advance to Prophetstown on October 29. [18] [19] War Read more: Harrison's forces of war approached The Prophetstown late on November 6 in order of Tippecanoe and were greeted by tenskwatawa followers waving the white flag. He sent a message from Tenskwatawa demanding a ceasefire until the next day, when the two sides could hold a peaceful meeting. Harrison agreed to a meeting, but was wary of Tenskwatawa's overture, believing the talks would be futile. He moved his army up a hill at the intersection of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers. He camped out his men in the war series and kept the night watch men on duty. [20] The layout of the battlefield was on the west side of the Burnett Creek hill, and a very steep set was on the east side, so Harrison did not order temporary work around the position, as is normally done by the camp armies. [21] The Yellow Jacket company, under the command of Captain Spier Spencer, was located at the southern end of the camp, and the rest of the militia formed a rectangular formation along the edges of the bluff surrounding the camp. Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew commanded the Indiana militia, which guarded the steep bluff on the eastern side of the formation, and was regular behind the main line under Major Floyd, Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss and former congressman Capt. Benjamin Parke, and the Dragons were kept in reserve. [13] [22] Tenskwatawa told Michigan Gov. Lewis Cass in 1816 that he had not ordered his fighters to attack Harrison, and accused ho-chunk (Winnebago) fighters in the camp of launching the attack. Other narrations accuse Ho-Chunk of encouraging the attack and assect that Tenskwatawa was unable to control his followers as he was in a panic. [23] Tenskwatawa's followers were concerned by the nearby army and feared an near attack. They started defending the town, but they couldn't complete their defenses. Earlier in the evening, Tenskwatawa decided that sending a party to kill Harrison in his tent was the best way to avoid war. He assured the warriors that he would cast spells to prevent them from being harmed and why harrison would not fight back against his army.