Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, in what is now Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of Native Americans from various tribes that opposed US expansion into Native territory. As tensions and violence increased, Governor Harrison marched with an army of about 1,000 men to disperse the confederacy's headquarters at Prophetstown, near the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers. Tecumseh, not yet ready to oppose the United States by force, was away recruiting allies when Harrison's army arrived. Tenskwatawa, a spiritual leader but not a military man, was in charge. Harrison camped near Prophetstown on November 6 and arranged to meet with Tenskwatawa the following day. Early the next morning, however, warriors from Prophetstown attacked Harrison's army. Although the outnumbered attackers took Harrison's army by surprise, Harrison and his men stood their ground for more than two hours. The Native Americans were ultimately repulsed when their ammunition ran low. After the battle, they abandoned Prophetstown and Harrison's men burned it to the ground, destroying the food supplies stored for the winter. The soldiers returned to their homes. Harrison, having accomplished his goal of destroying Prophetstown, proclaimed he had won a decisive victory. He gained the nickname Tippecanoe, which was popularized in the campaign song Tippecanoe and Tyler too during the presidential election of 1840, which Harrison won. The defeat was a setback for Tecumseh's confederacy from which it never fully recovered.The American public opinion blamed the violence on British interference in American affairs through financial and munitions support for the Indians. This led to a further deterioration of relations with Britain and was a catalyst of the War of 1812, which began six months later. By the time the US declared war on the United Kingdom in June 1812, Tecumseh's confederacy was ready to launch its war against the United States in alliance with the British. In preparation, the Natives soon rebuilt Prophetstown. Frontier violence in the region would continue until well after the War of 1812, although Tecumseh was killed in 1813 during the Battle of the Thames.
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