Shawnee Indian Leader. Born in March 1768 near Old Piqua, Ohio to a Shawnee father and Creek mother. Tecumseh fought in several raids and skirmishes against white settlers in Ohio during and after the revolutionary war. He served as a scout and warrior during the Northwestern Indians wars (1790-94) and was present during the Battle of Fallen Timbers. He refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville (1795) imposed by Anthony Wayne upon the Indians that opened Ohio to further white settlement.
Tecumseh joined with his brother Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet, to form a confederacy of Indian tribes opposing further white settlement in the northwest. The Prophet also preached a return to Indian religion, values and renunciation of white habits and associations. Tecumseh believed that land belonged to all Indians in common and could not be ceded without consent of all tribes. Tecumseh traveled to tribes as far away as Iowa and Florida to spread his message of Indian nationalism.
Opposing Tecumseh was William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana territory, who persisted in entreating with separate tribes. In 1811 Harrison met Tecumseh at Vincennes, where the two leaders almost came to blows over that issue. The vision of Tecumseh was jeopardized by the Prophet, who upon Tecumseh's absence to gain support of the southeastern tribes attacked Harrison's army at Tippecanoe. Harrison soundly defeated the Prophet, thereby upsetting Tecumseh's plans and forcing him into greater alliance with the British in Canada.
At the beginning of the War of 1812 Tecumseh supported the British at Ft. Malden in hopes to gain an independent Indian state. Tecumseh commanded both Indian and British forces in many engagements during the Detroit campaign. For his success in battle and support to British effort he was awarded appointment as a brigadier general in the British Army. Tecumseh played a significant role during the British invasions of Ohio in summer 1813, leading the Indians during sieges at Fort Meigs and Fort Stephenson.
With American success on Lake Erie, Harrison prepared to invade Canada. Tecumseh urged Henry Procter to stand firm against the invasion. Proctor's decision to retreat into Upper Canada signaled the end a political and military relationship that opposed US expansion. As Harrison pursued the allies, Tecumseh and his warriors found themselves committed to a final battle near the Thames River on 5 October 1813. During the battle Tecumseh was killed, supposedly by Richard M. Johnson, however no trace of his body was found. His death signaled the end of organized Indian resistance in the northwest and the Americans could expand unopposed to the Mississippi River.
Tecumseh's intelligence, military skill, and determination to unite his people against American expansion have enhanced his legacy as one of the greatest Indian leaders.
Steven J. Rauch
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