page_title: Battle of Tippecanoe
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Tippecanoe / Aftermath
caption_attribution_description: English: Treaty Map of Prophetstown and Site of Battle of Tippecanoe, 1819
context_page_description: The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811 in Battle Ground, Indiana between American forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Indian forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, leaders of a confederacy of various tribes who opposed European settlement of the American West. As tensions and violence increased, Governor Harrison marched with an army of about 1,000 men to attack the confederacy's headquarters at Prophetstown, near the confluence of the Tippecanoe River and the Wabash River.
  Tecumseh was not yet ready to oppose the United States by force and was away recruiting allies when Harrison's army arrived. Tenskwatawa was a spiritual leader but not a military man, and he 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. They took the army by surprise, but Harrison and his men stood their ground for more than two hours. The Indians were ultimately repulsed when their ammunition ran low.
context_section_description: The day after the battle, the American wounded were loaded onto wagons and carried back to Fort Harrison for medical care. Most of the militia were released from duty on November 9 and returned home, but many of the long-time soldiers remained in the area. Harrison informed Secretary William Eustis of a battle near the Tippecanoe River, giving the battle the river's name; he added that he feared an imminent reprisal. The first dispatch did not make clear which side had won the conflict, and the secretary interpreted it as a defeat. The follow-up dispatch made the American victory clear, and the defeat of Tecumseh's confederacy became more certain when no second attack occurred. Eustis replied with a lengthy note demanding to know why Harrison had not taken adequate precautions in fortifying his camp. Harrison replied that he had considered the position strong enough without fortification. This dispute was the catalyst of a disagreement between Harrison and the Department of War, and he resigned from the army in 1814 as a result.
  At first, newspapers carried little information about the battle, as they were focused on the highlights of the on-going Napoleonic Wars in Europe. A Louisville, Kentucky newspaper printed a copy of Harrison's first dispatch and characterized the battle as a defeat for the United States; however, most major American newspapers began to carry stories about the battle by December. Public outrage quickly grew and many Americans blamed the British for inciting the tribes to violence and supplying them with firearms. Andrew Jackson was at the forefront of those calling for war, saying that Tecumseh and his allies were "excited by secret British agents", and other western governors called for action. Willie Blount of Tennessee called on the government to "purge the camps of Indians of every Englishmen to be found", and Congress passed resolutions condemning the British for interfering in the United States' domestic affairs. This connection between Tecumseh's rise and British influence led to a growing resentment against British meddling and led to the War of 1812.
  Historians have long believed that Tecumseh was furious with Tenskwatawa for losing the battle, and that Tecumseh had threatened to kill his brother for making the attack. Tenskwatawa lost prestige after the battle and no longer served as a leader of the confederacy. In their subsequent meetings with Harrison, several Indian leaders claimed that Tenskwatawa's influence was destroyed; some accounts said that he was being persecuted by other leaders. (Historians Alfred A. Cave and Robert Owens have argued that the Indians were trying to mislead Harrison in an attempt to calm the situation, and that Tenskwatawa continued to play an important role in the confederacy.)
  Harrison claimed that he had won a decisive victory, but some modern historians raise doubts. "In none of the [contemporaneous] reports from Indian agents, traders, and public officials on the aftermath of Tippecanoe can we find confirmation of the claim that Harrison had won a decisive victory", according to Alfred Cave. The defeat was a setback for Tecumseh's confederacy, although they rebuilt Prophetstown, and Indian violence increased on the frontier after the battle. Adam Jortner says that the battle was a disaster for both sides, except in strengthening Tenskwatawa's religious movement.
  On December 16, 1811, the first of the New Madrid earthquakes shook the South and the Midwest. Many Indians took the earthquake as a sign that Tenskwatawa's predictions of doom were coming true, and they supported Tecumseh in greater numbers, including many of his former detractors. They increased their attacks against American settlers and against isolated outposts in Indiana and the Illinois Territory, resulting in the deaths of many civilians. The Shawnee partially rebuilt Prophetstown over the next year, but it was destroyed by in the Battle of Wild Cat Creek in 1812. Tecumseh continued to play a major role in military operations on the frontier. By the time that the U.S. declared war on Gr
caption: A map included in the Treaty of Prophetstown and Site of Battle of Tippecanoe, 1819
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