On
Friday November 16, 2012 I took a little jaunt up north to the Tippecanoe
Battlefield. I have been trying to get
there for some time and finally just took a day off and did it. It was a nice blue crisp day and even though
most of the leaves have fallen from their trees it was still a very scenic out. I started in the Tippecanoe Battlefield
Museum that has a pretty nice collection of information on the battle along
with the history of the field itself.
They also house a very extensive collection of old fire arms.
From
there I went and walked the actual battleground itself before snapping a few
pictures. There is a large monument
along with some headstones of participants who died. The field itself is not very big, like most of
its time. It is only the size of a
couple football fields put together, but will definitely give you a greater
sense of the battle.
From
the battlefield you can hike out to Prophet’s rock, which is the outcropping where
the Prophet rallied his warriors the night before the battle. While it is not a far hike to Prophet’s Rock
once you get to the main trail it is very poorly marked. There is not a sign that actually points you
in the direction of Prophet’s Rock, just to Prophet’s Rock Parking. You will want to follow that sign.
After
my time at the battlefield I went into Lafayette and had lunch at the Lafayette
Brewing Company. The Oatmeal Stout is
fantastic as was the Tippecanoe Ale.
I highly recommend swinging through there if you are in the area.
At
the end of this blog I have some links listed, also for those who are
interested a short history of the battle is below.
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The
battle of Tippecanoe was precursor to the War of 1812 and was fought over land
rights between the United States and Indian Territories. Two Indian brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa
(known as the Prophet) were forming a large Indian Collation to fight the
westward expansion of the United States.
This concerned William Henry Harrison who at the time was the Governor
of the new Indiana Territory. Tecumseh
was upset with the recently signed Treaty of Fort Wayne that gave up large
parts of land to the United States in the northwestern part of the Indiana
Territory.
Harrison
and Tecumseh held some talks over the disputed territory but eventually they broke
down. At their last meeting Tecumseh
actually told Harrison that he was going to go recruiting and to do nothing in
the disputed lands until he got back. Of
course Harrison saw this as an advantage and decided to launch his campaign in
Tecumseh absence. With a force of around
1,100 men Harrison left Vincennes in late September, 1811 and moved north.
Harrison
and his army arrived at the Indiana encampment known as Prophet’s Town were the
Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers met on November 6, 1811. A delegation from Prophet’s Town came out to
great Harrison and to arrange a meeting the next morning. The army set up camp at what is now called
Burnett Creek and put guards and fires along the perimeter. The Prophet decided to attack the American
before sunrise and gave a rousing speech in a rock outcropping now known as
Prophet’s Rock. He told the Indian
warriors that with his magic the American’s bullets would pass right through
them and not cause any harm.
Just
before sunrise on November 7, 1811 the Indians started their attack. The American force was able to repel the
attack, and as the Indian Braves realized that the Prophet’s magic didn’t work.
The Indians became demoralized and started
to retreat at day break. A final charge
by the Americans broke what was left of the attack and then spent the rest of
the day consolidating and reorganizing.
On November 8, 1811 Harrison’s mounted troops rode into an empty
Prophet’s Town where they found evidence of British involvement. They proceeded to burn the town to the ground
and then set back off to Vincennes.
The
Prophet lost more than just the battle he lost a lot of respect for poor
planning and his failed magic. Tecumseh
was not able to keep the coalition together after the loss but joined forces
with the British in the War of 1812 with what warriors he had left. Harrison’s mission was received well in
Washington which further bolstered his political capital heading into the War
of 1812.
Most
of the information I used for came from; To Compel with Armed Force: A Staff
Ride handbook for the Battle of Tippecanoe and I have the link provided
below.
LINKS: