THE BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE

The battle of Tippecanoe was a battle between the native Americans and the young nation of the U.S. It was a short battle, but represented in a sense the cruelty of the U.S. towards the natives.

The American soldiers in the battle were led by General William Henry Harrison

The group of Indians were led by Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, also know as the Prophet. The Prophet said that the Great Master of Life had talked to him and said that he wanted them to reject American ways of life.

Their quest for freedom began in 1808 when The Prophet came out of his coma and said that the Great Being had talked to him and told him to not let the Americans control them. His brother joined him as they led Indians together to protect their land. In 1810 they met with General William Henry Harrison, and told him of their plans to prevent American settlers from taking the Wabash River Valley.

The following year General Harrison led his soldiers to attack Prophet Town. They set up camp near the village (Just north of present day Lafayette, Indiana) in early November. Early one morning, on November 7th, 1811, Tecumseh led the tribe to attack the encampment, despite the Prophets warnings. Tecumseh held the belief that the soldiers fire arms would not harm them, and that their God would protect them. He was wrong and when they reached the encampment, they found it up and ready to defend, and the indians where quickly killed by the soldiers weapons. The remaining natives fled and the army burned down their village, squashing their hopes of freedom.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• World Book Encyclopedia- Kathryn A. Abbott, Indian wars
• "History of the Battle of Tippecanoe." Battle of Tippecanoe History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.
• "Battle of Tippecanoe." Battle of Tippecanoe. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.