The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 183?-1840, 1840-06-05


lls limited resources ID place the euilo
q posture SIS defence IT'S own e
est request, and 81 lie solicitation
people, TIE president, soon after, diiec.-
him 20 march with al armed force toward
The principal place of rendezvous ST lie
hostile lndians. tie Prophets town, on he
Wabash, near the mouth Of the Tippecanoe
where this crafty impostor had assembled
q body d moro than thousand fierce war
lriors, ready 70 obey bis will.
Governor Harrison Immediately assem-.
bled Eve hundred Of the militia and volun.
teers Of Indiana. These with regiment
lof United States Infantry, consisting 81
three hundred and fifty men. commanded
bv Colonel Boyd, and small bod i of yolun.
teers from Kentucky, constituted bis whole
available force--amounting in all 10 about
nine hundred effective men. AS soon as
be bad disciplined these troops, and trained
both The regulars and militia in the Indian
mode Of warfare, he took his line of march
towards the Prophets town.
He left Fort Harrison, on the Wabash,
about sixty miles above Nincennes, on the
l28th Of October, 1911. Profitino By his
own early experience, this was seventeen
years after the battle of MAINLY and the
remembered example Of his old friend and
commander, Gen. Wayne, his march through
a wild country to Iippecanoe, was conduct
ed with SO much skill and prudence, that
he avoided al danger of amb1scade a sur
prise from the savage foe. On Che Glib Of
November, the army arrived within 5 Or g
miles ofthe Prophets town. According TO.
the Instructions he had received from the
President, Governor Harrison Immediately.
sent in a flag Of truce, 10 endeayor 10 open
an anicable negotiation with the hostile In
dians To this overture, the Prophet re-
turned a deeeitful reply-he possessed the
most pacific intentions, and agreed TO meet
Harrison the next day in council, with his
chiefs, to settle definitely the terms OF peace.
But Harrison knew too well the treachery
of his artiful antagonist to allow himself to
be deceived by bis spec;ous professions, or
lulled into any fancfed security. lie care
fully selected tho most eligible and defen-
sible position for his encampment, and or
dered his troops to lie upon their arms all
night that they might be in readiness, at
moments waning, to repel any sudden at
tack of the enemy. The sequel proved that
these precautions were wisely adopted. An
anxious night passed away without inter-
ruption: but about fourso'elock, on the fol-
lowing morning, two hours before daylight,
a sentinel, at one of the out-posts, discov-
cred an Indian creeping steaIihily toward
the camp. lie Immediately gave the alarm,
and almost attic same instant, strong body
OF the enemy rushed toward the encamp-
ment, with the most savage yells. They
made furious charge on the left of the
camp; and so sudden and desperate was
their onset, that the guard stationed in that
quarter, gave way, at first. 10 their fierce as
sailants. But these brave troops soon rallied
and retrieved the ground they had lost
The camp-fres were extingushed with all
possible haste, and the battle was now waged
on more equal terms. Our gallant troops
fought with the most daring inirepidity, and
their savage foes evinced a desperate yalor
worthy of better cause. The battle ragged
with great fury till the dawn of day, when
a simultaneous charge was made upon the
enemy, on either flank, and they were speedi-
ly put to fight, with great loss, and the bat
tie terminated. During all this time. the
false Prophet had been seated at safe dis
'dAA0S 4lotn AuC nClu VI pdtllG9 CudlIllI5 a
war-song, and promising victory to his de-
luded brethren.
The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the
most spirited and best fought actions record
ed in the annals Of our Indian wars. The
numbers and the weapons on either side
we're nearly equal; and the Indians, contrary
70 their usual custom, fought hand TO hand,
Ind with the iercest bravery. Every man
n this battle encountered his share of dang
y, but no man was in more personal peril
han Governor Harrison hmself--well known |
o many of the Indians, and the object of |
heir peculiar attack-hs fearless and un-
exposure, makes it seem almost "a |
MIRACLE that he should have escaped I'M
Wounded. Interfering 10 the GOODNESS and
of Governor Harrison, on this oc-
aston, we cannot refrain from making the |
ollowing extracts from a journal published
n 1916, by private soldier, who fought
n tins battle, and who could have had no
Interested motives for his publication:
General Harrison" he says, received a
hot through the brim Of the hat In the
eat of the action his voice was frequently
card, and easily distinguished, giving his
TdeTs in the same calm aud collected man.
Ter, with which we had been used 10 receive
hem on drill or parade. The confidence
1 the troops in the General was unlimited. >
he same writer in speaking Of Harrison's
indness to the soldiers, and his influence
yer them, remarks He appeared not dis
osed to detain any man against his incIina-
on; being endowed by nature with d heart Il