In 1810, Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa created an inter-tribal, religious stronghold along the Wabash River in Indiana for 3000 Native Americans. This area in the Indiana territory was known as Prophetstown by the United States. Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet, had been leading this religious movement, calling for a return to their ancestral ways. Meanwhile, his brother Tecumseh, was outraged by the Treaty of Fort Wayne and insisted that the Fort Wayne treaty was illegitimate. In 1809 the Treaty of Fort Wayne took 3 million acres of land from the Indians and gave it to the settlers. But these negotiations did not include the Shawnee tribes, nor Tecumseh and his brother. They were minor inhabitants of the area and had been asked to leave the area earlier by Miami chief Little Turtle. It was Governor William Henry Harrison, future president who negotiated the treaty.
In a meeting in 1810 with Harrison, Tecumseh demanded that Harrison nullify the treaty and warn that settlers should not attempt to settle into the sold lands. Governor Harrison rejected these demands, and Tecumseh responded with a warning that he would seek an alliance with Great Britain if hostilities broke out. America was already on the verge of war with Great Britain over naval blockades and impressment of sailors.
Then, in October of 1811, Harrison set out with a force of 1000 men towards Prophetstown. James Madison, feeling the pressures of war mounting around him, called on Congress earlier than normal for this Annual Address. On November 5th, he addressed congress about the British hostilities on the seas, and asked congress to begin making preparations for possible war. He also announced the march on the Shawnee tribe.
"In this disposition is included a force consisting of regulars and militia, embodied in the Indiana Territory and marched toward our northwestern frontier. This measure was made requisite by several murders and depredations committed by Indians, but more especially by the menacing preparations and aspect of a combination of them on the Wabash, under the influence and direction of a fanatic of the Shawanese tribe."
Harrison's men reached Prophetstown on November 6th, one day after James Madison's address. They declared to Tecumseh that they had only peaceful intentions and asked for a council between Harrison and the chiefs of the tribe. But that very next morning, very early at 4:45, hundreds of Indians began a surprise attack on the camp. The fighting was intense and lasted more than two hours. The Shawnee and their allies had the upper hand, but as day broke, the advantage shifted to their American troops and their American bullets. Tenskwatawa, the Prophet had assured his warriors that they were invulnerable to the bullets. Harrison lost 62 of his men, and another 125 were seriously wounded. As the Indians retreated, Harrison's men did not know if they had suffered a defeat or gained a victory. The next day, Harrison dispatched mounted cavalry men and riflemen to the Indian village. They found it abandoned. Harrison's men destroyed what was left and burned the village of Prophetstown. Some disbursed fighting continued, but Harrison accomplished his goal of destroying Prophetstown and proclaimed that he had won a decisive victory. Because of this, he acquired the nickname "Tippecanoe", which was later popularized in the song "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" during his 1840 election.
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