tion to his aid. Suddenly, his brother began to dream dreams and see visions; he became afterward an inspired prophet, favored with a divine commission from the Great Spirit— the power of life and death was placed in his hands - he was appointed agent for preserving the property and lands of the Indians, and for restoring them to their original happy condition. He thereupon commenced his sacred work. The public mind was aroused, unbelief gradually gave way, credulity and wild fanaticism began to spread its circles, widening and deepening, until the fame of the prophet and the divine character of his mission had reached the frozen shores of the lakes and overran the broad planis which stretched far beyond the great Father of Waters.' Pilgrims from remote tribes sought with fear and trembling the headquarters of the prophet and the sage. Proselytes were multiplied and his followers increased beyond all former example. Even Tecumseh became a believer, and seizing upon the golden opportunity, he mingled with the pilgrims, won them by his address, and on their return sent a knowledge of his plan of concert and union to the most distant tribes. The bodily and mental labors of Tecumseh next commenced. His life became one of ceaseless activity. He traveled, he argued, he commanded. His persuasive voice was one day listened to by the Wyandots, on the plains of Sandusky; on the next his commands were issued on the banks of the Wabash. He was anon seen paddling his canoe across the Mississippi, then boldly confronting the Governor of Indiana in the council house at Vincennes. Now carrying his banner of union among the Creeks and Cherokees of the south, and from thence to the cold and inhospitable regions of the north, neither intoxicated by success nor discouraged by failure."

It is not my purpose, in this narrative, to explain any of those international disputes which led to the war of 1812. We have only to deal with those events which induced the Indians to join in that war against the Americans, and of these the reader has already observed many.

CHAPTER XXXI.

TECUMSEH AND THE PROPHET UNITING THE SAVAGES FOR WARTROUBLE IN THE COUNCIL AT VINCENNES - GOVERNOR HARRISON DENOUNCES TECUMSEH AND ORDERS HIM TO LEAVE THE VILLAGE -THE BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE - HARRISON'S VICTORY.

THROUGHOUT the year 1809, we find Tecumseh and the prophet preparing themselves for the contest that was approaching. Governor Harrison again suspected that the Indians were preparing for another war, and he wrote to the Secretary of War to that effect, giving, also, his views of the defenses of the frontier, and the course proper to be pursued in case of a war with England.

In the latter part of the year 1809, the Governor of Indiana made several treaties with the Delawares, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians, Weas and Kickapoos, in which these nations ceded certain lands upon the Wabash, but against all of these Tecumseh entered a bitter protest in the following year, and now it was plain to Governor Harrison that the Shawanoe chieftain had formed a determination to unite all the Western tribes in hostility to the United States, unless the government of the latter should consent to relinquish all the lands bought at the treaties of Fort Wayne, and, for the future, recognize the principle that no purchases could be made unless from a council representing all the tribes united as one nation. By various acts, the feelings of Tecumseh became evident, and in August, 1810, he met Governor Harrison in council at Vincennes. The Governor had made arrangements for holding the council on the portico of his own house, which had been fitted up with seats for the occasion. Here, on the morning of the fifteenth of August, he awaited the arrival of the chief, being attended by the Judges of the Supreme Court, some

officers of the army, a sergeant and twelve men from Fort Knox, and a large number of citizens. At the appointed time Tecumseh arrived, followed by forty of his principal warriors, the others remaining outside of the village. When the chief had approached within thirty or forty yards of the house, he suddenly stopped, as if awaiting some further invitation from the Governor. An interpreter was sent out to tell him to take seats on the portico. To this Tecumseh objected. He did not think, he said, that the place was suitable for holding a council, but preferred that they should repair to a neighboring grove. The Governor said he had no objection to the grove, except that there were no seats in it for their accommodation. Tecumseh replied that that constituted no objection to the grove, "the earth being the most suitable place for the Indians, who loved to repose upon the bosom of their mother." Governor Harrison consented to remove to the grove, where the chiefs were soon seated in order on the grass.

The council was opened by Tecumseh, who stated at length his objections to the treaty of Fort Wayne, made by Governor Harrison in the previous year; and in the course of his speech, boldly avowed the principles of his party to be, that of resistance to every cession of land, unless made by all the tribes, who, he contended, formed but one nation. He admitted that he had threatened to kill the chiefs who signed the treaty of Fort Wayne; and that it was his fixed determination not to permit the village chiefs, in future, to manage their affairs, but to place the power with which they had been heretofore invested, in the hands of the war chiefs. The Americans, he said, had driven the Indians from the sea coast, and would soon push them into the lakes; and, while he disclaimed all intention of making war upon the United States, he declared it to be his unalterable resolution to take a stand, and resolutely oppose the further intrusion of the whites upon the Indian lands. He concluded, by making a brief but impassioned recital of the various wrongs and aggressions inflicted by the white men upon the Indians, from the commencement of the revolutionary war down to the period of that council; all of which was

calculated to arouse and inflame the minds of such of his followers as were present.*

Governor Harrison replied, and the interpreter at once began explaining the speech to the Shawanoe chieftain, who, becoming offended at some portion of it, sprang to his feet, interrupting the interpreter, and began to speak with great force. The governor was completely astonished at this proceeding, but as he did not understand him, thought he was making some explanation, and suffered his attention to be drawn towards Winnemac, a friendly Indian lying on the grass before him, who was renewing the priming of his pistol, which he had kept concealed from the other Indians, but in full view of the governor. His attention, however, was again directed towards Tecumseh, by hearing General Gibson, who was intimately acquainted with the Shawanoe language, say to Lieut. Jennings, "those fellows intend mischief; you had better bring up the guard." At that moment the followers of Tecumseh seized their tomahawks and war clubs, and sprang upon their feet, their eyes turned upon the governor. As soon as he could disengage himself from the arm chair in which he sat, he rose, drew a small sword which he had by his side, and stood on the defensive. Capt. G. R. Floyd, of the army, who stood near him, drew a dirk, and the chief, Winnemac, cocked his pistol. The citizens present were more numerous than the Indians, but were unarmed; some of them procured clubs and brick-bats, and also stood on the defensive. The Rev. Mr. Winans, of the Methodist Church, ran to the governor's house, got a gun, and posted himself at the door to defend the family. During this frightful scene, no one spoke, until the guard came running up, and appeared to be in the act of firing. The governor gave orders for them to halt, and then demanded of the interpreter an explanation of what had happened. He replied that Tecumseh had interrupted him, declaring that all the governor had said was false; and that he and the Seventeen Fires had cheated and imposed on the Indians.

The governor then declared that Tecumseh was a bad man, and ordered him to leave the village at once, which, of course, * American State Papers.

The

terminated the council. It was now evident that the savages were bent on war, and Harrison began to strengthen his position, in expectation of it. He soon received reinforcements and marched to the Wabash, where, about sixty miles above Vincennes, he built "Fort Harrison." At this place one of his sentinels was fired upon, and news received which plainly indicated that the Indians were preparing for battle. governor then determined to move directly upon Tippecanoe Tecumseh's headquarters-and upon the thirty-first of October, he arrived near the mouth of the Vermilion River, where he built a blockhouse for the protection of his boats, and a place of deposit for his heavy baggage. From this place he marched directly into the prophet's town, where he was met by ambassadors; he told them he had no hostile intentions, provided the Indians were true to existing treaties, and made preparations to encamp.

*

The spot where the troops encamped was not altogether what could have been wished, as it afforded great facility to the approach of savages. It was a piece of dry oak land, rising about ten feet above the level of a marshy prairie in front (towards the Indian town) and nearly twice that height above a similar prairie in the rear, through which and near to this bank, ran a small stream clothed with willows and brushwood. Towards the left flank this bench of high land widened considerably, but became gradually narrow in the opposite direction, and at the distance of one hundred and fifty yards from the right flank, terminated in an abrupt point. The two columns of infantry occupied the front and rear of this ground, at the distance of about one hundred and fifty yards from each other on the left, and something more than half that distance on the right flank these flanks were filled up, the first by two companies of mounted riflemen, amounting to about one hundred and twenty men, under the command of Maj.-Gen. Wells, of the Kentucky militia, who served as a Major; the other by Spencer's company of mounted riflemen, which amounted to eighty men. The front line was composed of one battalion of United

*Dawson's Historical Narrative. American State Papers. Western

Annals.