Life of Tecumseh and of His Brother the Prophet: With a Historical Sketch of the Shawanoe Indians

235 Pages·1852·13.975 MB·English

by  Benjamin Drake

LIFE
TECUMSEH
AKB OFHIS BROTHEU
HE PROPHET;
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
HAWANOE
INDIANS
BY BENJAMIN DRAKE,
•HOR OF **THE LIFE OF BLACK HAWK," "TALES FROM THE
aUEEN CITT," &C. &C.
C I NC I NN A 1^1 ;
UBLISHED BY H. S. & J. APPLEGATE & CO.,
NO. 43 MAIN STREET,
1862.
f-99
Sj3,tTT^
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1841,
BY BENJAMIN DRAKE,
In the Clerk's Office for the District Court of Ohio.
Stereotyped byJ.A.James.
Ciacianati.
PREFACE
Many years have elapsed since the author of this volume
determined to write the life of Tecumseh and of his brother
the Prophet, and actually commenced the collection of the
materials for its accomplishment. From various causes, the
completion of the task has been postponed until the present
time. This delay, however, has probably proved beneficial
to the work, as many interesting incidents in the lives of
these individuals are nowembraced in its pages, whichcould
not have been in-cluded had it been put to press at an earlier
period.
In the preparation of this volume, the author's attention
was drawn, to some extent, to the history of the Shawanoe
tribeofIndians: and he has accordingly prefixed to the main
work, a brief historical narrative of this wandering and
warlike nation, with biographical sketches of several of its
most distinguished chiefs.
The author is under lasting obligations to a number of
gentlemen residing in difierent sections of the country, for
the substantial assistance which they have kindly afforded
him in the collection of the matter embraced in this volume.
Other sources of information have not, however, been ne-
glected. All the histories, magazines and journals within
the reach of the author, containing notices ofthe subjects of
this memoir, have been carefully consulted. By application
at the proper department at Washington, copies of the nu-
merous letters written by general Harrison to the Secretary
ofWar in thejears 1808. '9, '10, '11, '12 and '13, were ob-
iii
IV PREFACE.
tallied,andhave been found ofmuch vahie in the preparation
ofthis work. As governor ofIndiana territory, superintend-
ant of Indian affairs, and afterwards commander-in-chief of
the north-western army, the writer ofthose letters possessed
opportunities of knowing Tecumseh and the Prophet enjoy
ed by no other individuals.
In addition to these several sources of information, the
author has personally, at different times, visited the frontiers
ofOhio and Indiana, for the purpose of conversing with the
Indians and the pioneers ofthat region, who happened to be
acquainted with Tecumseh and his brother; and by these
visits, has been enabled to enrich his narrative with some
amusing and valuable anecdotes.
In the general accuracy of his work the author feels con-
siderable confidence : in its merit, as a literary production,
very little. Every line of it havingbeen written while suf-
fering under the depressing influence of ill health, he has
onlyaimed at a simple narrative style, without any reference
to the graces ofa polished composition. B. D.
Cincinnati, 1841.
CONTENTS.
HlSTOKTOFTHE ShAWAXOE IxDIAXS PaGK 9
Catahkcassa, orBlack-Hoof 41
CoUNSTALR 45
Spewica-Lawba,theHiGU Horn: or, Captaix Logax 49
THELIFE OF TECUMSEH.
CHAPTER
I.
— —
Parentage of Tecumseh his sister Tecumapease his brotherCheesee-
kau,Sauweeseekau, Nehasseemo, Tenskwautawa or the Prophet, and
Kumskauka 61
CHAPTER
n.
— —
Birth place of Tecumseh destruction of the Piquavillage early habits
— —
of—Tecumseh his fust battle effort—to abolishtheburningof pr—ison-
ers visitsthe Cherokecsin the south engages in several battles re-
turnstoOhioin theautumn of1790 66
CHAPTER
HI.
Tecumseh attacked nearBigRock bysomewhitesunderRobertM'Clel-
—
land severebattlewithsomeKcntuckiansoutheEastForkoftheLittle
—
Miami attack upon Tecumsehin 1793, on thewatersof Paintcreek
—Tecumseh present at the attack onfort Recoveryin 1794—partici-
patesinthebattleoftheRapidsofthe Maumee, in 1794 71
CHAPTER
IV.
—
T-^cumseh'sskill asahunter declinesattendingthe treaty of Greenville
— —
rn 1795 in 1796removed toGreat—Miami in 1793 joineda party of
Delawares on White river, Indiana in 1799 attended a council be-
A 2 V
————
>1 CONTENTS.
—
tween—tljewhites and Indian—s near Urbanp. anotheratChillicothein
1803 m—akesanablespeech removeswith—the Prophet toGreenville,
in 1805 thelattercommencesprophecying causesthedeathofTete-
—
boxti,Patterson,Coltos,andJosh—ua governor Harrison'sspeech tothe
Prophettoarrestthesemurderers effortofWelletheU.S.Indianagent
topreventTecumsehandthe Prophet from assembling the Indians at
— —
Greenvi—lle Tecumseh'sspeechin—reply henttendsacoun—cil at Chil-
licothe speech on that occasion council at Springfield Tecumseh
principal speakerand actor 83
CHAPTER
V.
—
GovernorHarrison—'saddress to the Shawanoe chiefs at Gre—enville the
Prophet'sreply hisinfluencefeltamong—theremotetribes heisvisit-
edin 1808bygreat numbers of Indians Tecumseh and the Prophet
—
r—emovetoTippecanoe thelattersendsa speech to governor Harrison
makeshim avisitatVincennes 100
CHAPTER
VI.
Tecumseh visits the Wyandots—governor Harrison's letter about the
—
ProphettotheSecretary ofWar Britishinfluenceover the Indians
TecumsehburnsgovernorHarrison's letter to the chiefs—great alarm
inIndiana, in consequence of the assemblage ofthe Indians at Tip-
—
pecanoe deathofLeatherlips, a Wyandotchief, on achargeofwitch-
craft 109
CHAPTER VH.
GovernorHarrison makes—another eflbrt to ascertain thedesigns ofTe-
cumseh and the Prophet Tecumse—h visits the governo—r atVincennes,
attended by four hundred warriors a council is held Tecumseh be-
comes deeply excited, andchargesgovernor Hamsonwithfalsehood
—
council broken upindisorder renewed thenextday 120
CHAPTER Vni.
—
Ahum on thefrontiercontinues aMuskoeIndiankilled at Vincennes
governorHarrison sends a pacific speech toTecumseh and the Prophet
—
-theform—errepliestoit inJuly'i'ecumseh visitsgovernorHarrison at
Vincennes disavowsany intention of makingwar upon the whites
explainshisobjectin formingaunion amongtlietribes—governorHar-
rison's opinion of Tecumseh and the Prophet—murder of the Deaf
—
Chief Tecumseh visitsthesouthernInihans 133
———
CONTENTS. V]I
CHAPTER IX.
GovernorHaiTisonappliestotheWar Departmentfortroopsto maintain
—
peaceon thefrontiers battleofTippecanoeon the 7thofNovember
itsinfluence on the Prophetandhisfollowers 146
CHAPTER X.
—
Tecumsehreturnsfromthesouth proposes tovisitthePresident,butde-
clines,becausenotpermittedtogo toWashingtonatthehead ofapar-
ty—attendsacouncil atfort Wayne—proceedstoMaidenandjoinsthe
British—governor Harrison's letter tothe War Departmentrelativeto
thenorth-westtribes 153
CHAPTER
XI.
—
Tecumsehparticipatesin thebattleof Brownstown commandstheIndi-
ansintheactionnearMaguaga—present at Hull'ssurrender—general
—
Brockpresentshimliismilitary sash attack on Chicagobroughtabout
byTecumseh 1G3
CHAPTER Xn.
— —
iSiegeoffortMeigs TecumsehcommandstheIndians actswithintrepid-
—
ity rescues the American prisoners from the tomahawkandscalping
—
knife, afterDudley's defeat .reported agreement between Proctor and
Tecumseh, thatgeneral Harrison,if taken prisoner,shouldbedelivered
tothelattertobeburned 167
CHAPTER
Xlli.
—
t^ccumsehpresentatthe second attackonfortMeigs hisstratagemofa
—
snam-battle to drawout general Clay isposted in the Black Swamp
w—iihtwotriousandwarriorsatthetimeof—theattackonfortStephenson
from thence passesby land to Alalden compels general Procter to
—
releasean American prisoner threatens—to desert theBritish cause
urgesan—avtacsupon theAmericanfleet opposesProctor'sretreatfrom
Maiden deaversrasj^eechtohimonthatoccasion 183
CHAPTER XIV.
Retreatof the combinedBritish 4nJ Lilian army totheriverThames
—
skirmishatChathamwiththe troops under generalHarrison Tecum-
Vlll CONTENTS.
—
seh slightly wounded in theaim battleon theThamesonthe5thof
—
October Tecumseh's death IOC
CHAPTER XV.
Criticalexamination of the question"who killedTecumseh?"—colonel
R. M.Johnson'sclaim considered 199
CHAPTER XVI.
— —
Mr.Jefferson'sopinion—of theProphet ^brief sketchofhischaracter an-
ecdotesof Tecumseh areviewof the great principles of his plan of
—
union among the tribes general summary of his life and charac-
ter 219
HISTORY
OF THE
SHAWANOE INDIANS
m
There is a tradition among the Shawanoes, re-
gard to their origin, which is said to be pecuhar to that
U'ibe. While most of the aborigines of this country
beheve that their respective races came out of holes in
theearth atdifi'erentplaces onthis continent,the Shaw-
anoes alone claim, that their ancestors once inhabited
a foreign land; but having determined to leave it,they
assembled their people and marched to the sea shore.
Here, under the guidance of a leader of the Turtle
Iribe, one of their twelve original subdivisions, they
walked into the sea, the waters of which immediately
parted, and they passed in safety along the bottom of
the ocean, until they reached this island."^
TheShawanoeshave been knownbydiflerentnames.
The Iroquois, according to Colden'shistoryofthe "Five
Nations/' gave them the appellation of Satanas. The
Delawares, says Gallatin, in his synopsis of the Indian
tribes, call them Shawaneu, which means southern.
The French writers mention them under the name of
Chaouanons; and occasionally they are denominated
Massawomees.
The orthography ofthe wordby which they are gen-
erally designated, is not very well settled. It has been
written Shawanos, Savv^anos,Sliawaneu,Shawnees and
Shawanoes, which last method of spelling the word,
will be followed in the pagesof this work.
* HistoryoftheIndianTribesof North America, by .lamesHall and J.
]>. McKiiinry,avaluable work,containingone hundred andtwentyrichly
colored {)ortraiis of Indian chiefs.
9
—
10 HISTORY OP THE
The original seats of the Shawanoes have been
placed in different sections of the country. ^This has
doubtless been owing to their very erratic disposition.
Of their history, prior to the year 1680, but little is
known. The earhest mention of them by any writer
v/hose work has fallen under our observation, was in
the beginning of the seventeenth century. Mr. Jeffer-
son, in his "NotesonVirginia,'' says that when captain
John Smith first arrived in America, a fierce war was
raging against the allied Mohicans, residing on Long
Island, and the Shawanoes on the Susquehanna, and
to the westward of that "river, by the Iroquois. Cap-
tain Smith first landed on this continent in April, 1607.
In the following year, 1608, he penetrated down the
Susquehanna to the mouth of it, where he met six or
seven of their canoes, filled with warriors, about to
attack their enemy in the rear. De Laet, in 1632, in
his enumeration of the different tribes, on either side
of the Delaware river, mentions the Shawanoes.
Charlevoix speaks of them under the name of Cha-
ouanons, as neighbors and allies in 1672, of the An-
dastes, an Iroquois tribe, living south of the Senecas.
Whether any Of the Shawanoes were present at the
treaty''- made in 1682, under the celebrated Kensington
elm, between William Penn and the Indians, does not
positively appear from any authorities before us that
;
such, however, was the fact, may be fairly inferred,
from the circumstance that at a conference between
the Indians and governor Keith, in 1722, the Shawa-
noes exhibited a copy of this treaty written on parch-
ment.
To the succeedingone made at Philadelphia, in Feb-
ruary, 1701, the Shawanoes were parties, being rep
resented on that occasion, by their chiefs, Wopatha,
Lemoytungh and Pemoyajagh.t More than fiftyyears
afterward, a manuscript copy of this treaty of com-
merce and friendship, was in the possession of the
Shawanoes of Ohio, and was exhibited by them. In
*"Thistreaty,"says Voltaire,"wasthefirstmadebetweenthosepeople
(theIndians) and the Christians,that wasnotratifiedwithanoath,and
thatwasneverbroken."
j-Proud'sKisiory oi" Pi'r.us\Iva.'.ia.