In 1806, Tecumseh and the Prophet began to gather the remnants of the Shawnee tribe together into what became known as Prophetstown near Greenville Ohio. The religious fanaticism and eloquence of the prophet combined with the statesmanship of Tecumseh not only caused Indians from many tribes to flock around them, but it also raised alarms with the Ohio settlers. By 1807, the settlers were beginning to panic causing Governer Kirker to send the militia under General Thomas Worthington to Greenville to learn of Tecumseh's immediate plans. First they met with a large Indian council where Tecumseh, Blue Jacket and other Shawnee leaders assured the Governor and local residents of the their peaceful purposes of the Prophstown's mission. A few days later, they met at a courthouse meeting presided over by Governor Kirker where Tecumseh spoke to hundreds in this historic address where he eased the fear of those present with his belief that all Indians and white brothers could live in peace. Tecumseh was not yet the legend he would become, but dressed in a suit of neatly fringed deerskin, he cut a remarkable figure. He was an exceptionally fine and noble looking man who gave an unusually impressive first sight. His posture was athletic, his eyes were stern, and he became very animated in conversation. Many marveled at his "impetuous and commanding" speech. Tecumseh was adamant that the Greeville Shawnees meant no harm to the whites. They were there to obey the will of the Great Spirit, nothing more. But they had malicious enemies full of lies. One of these was The American Indian Agent William Wells. Tecumseh then looked at Wells and his blood vessels in his forehead swelled passionately and his voice reached a higher tone startling some of the listeners with these words:
"Congress has a great many good men [he said]. Let them take away Wells and put one of them there. We hate him. If they will not remove him, we will! When the Indians are coming in to hear the Prophet, he sets doors to stop them. He asks them, 'Why go ye to hear the Prophet? He is one possessed of a devil. I would as soon go to see a dog with the mange.' When we want to talk friendly with him, he will not listen to us, and from beginning to end his talk is blackguard. He treats us like dogs."
Later in the meeting when Tecumseh was asked what he meant about removing Wells, he softened his tone and stated that they would simply ignore him. The meeting continued for several hours covering other complaints such as encroachments on native lands, but throughout the whole meeting Tecumseh and the other Indians present stressed their commitment to peace. Governor Kirk believed them, and dismissed the militia. On October 8th, he wrote to President Jefferson. He passed on Tecumseh's objections to Wells, but also told Jefferson that he believes that their lives are peaceable and that the doctrines they profess will do them honor.
In Jefferson's seventh annual address to Congress just a couple of weeks later, he relayed the news that the tribes "are sincerely disposed to adhere to their friendship with us and to their peace with all others". Here are Jefferson's words regarding the "Indian neighbors in the northwestern quarter". He describes the events at Prophetstown as "some fermentation".
"Among our Indian neighbors in the northwestern quarter some fermentation was observed soon after the late occurrences, threatening the continuance of our peace. Messages were said to be interchanged and tokens to be passing, which usually denote a state of restless among them, and the character of the agitators pointed to the sources of excitement. Measures were immediately taken for providing against that danger; instructions were given to require explanations, and, with assurances of our continued friendship, to admonish the tribes to remain quiet at home, taking no part in quarrels not belonging to them. As far as we are yet informed, the tribes in our vicinity, who are most advanced in the pursuits of industry, are sincerely disposed to adhere to their friendship with us and to their peace with all others, while those more remote do not present appearances sufficiently quiet to justify the intermission of military precaution on our part."Jefferson continued to state that on our Southwestern quarter, peace and friendship was even more abundant.
"The great tribes on our southwestern quarter, much advanced beyond the others in agriculture and household arts, appear tranquil and identifying their views with ours in proportion to their advancement. With the whole of these people, in every quarter, I shall continue to inculcate peace and friendship with all their neighbors and perseverance in those occupations and pursuits which will best promote their own well-being."Unfortunately, in just a few short years as conflict with Great Britain would escalate, this peace with the tribes would unravel. In 1811, Tecumseh led the Shawnee into battle against the Americans in the Battle of Tippecanoe.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29449
https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/sugden-tecumseh.html
http://www.worthingtonmemory.org/scrapbook/text/tecumseh-speaks-chillicothe-1807-and-l-insley-memoirs-continued
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/7354/8421
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