Tecumseh

Tecumseh (1768-1813) Chief of the Shawnees: Tecumseh was born in March of 1768, near Oldtwon, Ohio. Both his parents were Shawnee, and his father has been a chief before he was killed in 1774 in the Battle of Point Pleasant. The Shawnee tribe was being pushed further west by European-American settlers. Formerly inhabiting what would become Ohio, the tribe lived in what would become Indiana while Tecumseh was growing up. Tecumseh became a skilled warrior, and was eventually made chief of the tribe. The biggest danger facing the Shawnee was the onslaught of the white man. The Shawnee chief felt that, if the various Indian tribes united, then the European-Americans would not be able to defeat and defraud them as easily. Tecumseh worked with his brother, Tenskwatawa, a religious leader known as the Prophet, to unify the Indians tribes. The Prophet spoke out about the richness and self-sufficiency of Indian culture, eroded by dependence on European-Americans. He exposed the manipulation of Indian chiefs by United States agents, reminding Indians of the importance of their pride and independence. As the Prophet preached, Tecumseh traveled throughout the country, trying to recruit Indians to join his union and live at Tippecanoe, a village established near the mouth of Tippecanoe along the Wabash River in Indiana. A tall, handsome man and powerful speaker, he was able to convince many Indians to support his ideal of a united Indian nation. While he was away presenting his peace plan to tribes in the Southeast, however, Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison, Tecumseh's greatest enemy, had gathered troops outside Tecumseh's camp, trying to draw the Native Americans into battle. Despite his brother's advice to avoid being lured into battle, Tenskwatawa decided to attack Harrison and his troops. By the end of the fighting, the Indian village was destroyed, the Indian warriors were all either killed or scattered, and Tecumseh's hopes for a united Indian nation were crushed. In an attempt to save the Native Americans from European-American settlers and federal agents, Tecumseh fought on the British side in the War of 1812. When he learned of the British plan to retreat from the region, leaving the Indians unprotected from the political, social and physical attacks of the European-Americans, he gave up. He finally retreated with them into Canada, and was killed in battle in Thamesville, Ontario, near the Thames River, on October 5, 1813.