USA > Ohio > The history of the state of Ohio; from the discovery of the great valley, to the present time > Part 48
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that the mistake or ignorance of the lawyer could not in equity entitle Mrs. Harrison to hold the property. He obtained the con- sent of the co-heir, and immediately relinquished the whole prop- erty to the purchasers. Such transactions are not so common in this world as not to be remarkable.
About the year 1806 two very remarkable Indians of the Shaw- anese tribe became very prominent. They were twin brothers. One was called Tecumseh, or the Crouching Panther. The other was Olliuachica, or the Prophet. Tecumseh, from his abilities as
BIRTH-PLACE OF TECUMSEH.
a warrior and a statesman, would probably have attained emi- nence in any nation on the globe. He had long regarded with dread the encroachments which the white men were making on the hunting-grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was an orator of great renown, and a religious teacher. The Indians generally regarded him as endowed with supernatural powers.
These savages, who have obtained world-wide renown, were born on the banks of the Scioto, near Chillicothe. It is said that
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from his earliest years Tecumseh gave evidence of the very remarkable character which he subsequently developed. He had a high reputation for integrity. His word was inviolable. And, most remarkable of all, he was a temperate man, never indulging in intoxicating drinks. In all his domestic relations he was a man of singular purity. He was entirely devoted to the interests of his countrymen, and, in the Indian wars, obtained great celebrity as one of the bravest and most sagacious of the warriors. He led in many of the terrible inroads which the savages made into the territory of Kentucky. And no one could boast of having plundered more houses, or of having intercepted more boats on the Ohio River, than he.
When pursued by overpowering numbers he retreated far away to the banks of the Wabash, and there remained in security until the storm of war had exhausted itself. Then, just as the settlers were returning to the plow, he would swoop down upon them like the desolating hurricane. Though often immense amounts of booty were thus obtained, his pride of character was such that he would seldom allow any portion of it to be appropriated to his own use. The love of gain, with the common Indian, was the crowning motive. But Tecumseh foresaw the annihilation of his race by the inroads of the pale-faces with their superior civiliza- tion. It is said by the white men that it was his high and all absorbing ambition to avert that dreadful doom by the extermina- tion of the invaders. He possessed all the qualifications of a suc- cessful military chieftain, and was apparently born to command.
The two brothers, Tecumseh and the Prophet, according to the account as generally received, about the year 1804, conceived the project of uniting all of the western Indians in a confederacy, to make a simultaneous attack upon all the frontier settlements, so that soldiers could not be sent from one to the aid of another. The Prophet very shrewdly decided to bring in the element of religious belief to inspire their followers to enthusiastic action. He became, in reality, a sort of Mahomet with the Indians. The foresight and true wisdom he displayed in adapting his religious system to the accomplishment of the object he and his brother had in view, must be regarded as one of the most remarkable events in the history of man. It would seem that he must have heard of the religion of Jesus, and that he must have appreciated in a striking degree its wonderous efficacy as a motive power.
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A large council was assembled, probably of the leading chiefs and warriors of very many tribes. The Prophet addressed them in those rare strains of eloquence, ever at his command, which moved all their hearts as the forest leaves are swayed by the wind. He first very forcibly described the degeneracy and corruption into which the Indians had fallen since their intercourse with the white men. Like a temperance lecturer, he depicted the fearful woes which the fire-water of the white men had brought to all their tribes; the new diseases which had been introduced; the desolating wars, destroying all their habits of industry, often lay- ing their pleasant homes in ashes, and driving their women and children miserably to perish of starvation in the woods.
Pathetically he described the immense extent of their hunting grounds, which had already been wrested from them by the pale- faces, and showed clearly that the invaders were every year grow- ing stronger, while the Indians were growing weaker. He con- trasted the long, peaceful and happy lives of their forefathers with the tumult, terrors and wars with which their homes had been desolated since the white man came among them. This historic narrative was enlivened with anecdotes of particular trans- actions of duplicity, fraud and outrage, on the part of the whites, which roused those savage natures to the highest pitch of indigna- tion.
Having thus shown the evils which they were enduring, he then turned to the remedy. He said that he had received a commis- sion from the Great Spirit to extricate his red children from the utter ruin with which they were menaced. In proof of the authority with which he was thus invested, he affirmed his ability to perform wondrous miracles, and in fact did perform some feats which his hearers regarded as supernatural.
He then declared that the Great Spirit demanded, first of all, a radical reform in the manners and morals of his red children. They were commanded to abandon entirely and forever all use of intoxicating drinks. They were no longer to use any articles of clothing brought to them by the whites, but were to dress in furs and skins, as their ancestors had done before them. Stealing, quarreling with one another, and all impurity and immorality of conduct whatever, were strictly forbidden. And especially they were prohibited from engaging in any wars with each other. The red men were enjoined to remember that the Great Spirit was the
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common father of all the Indians, and they were ever bound to regard each other as brothers.
That such a system of faith and practice should have origi- nated in the mind, and have been clearly enunciated from the lips of a savage warrior, far away in pathless wilds, is wonderful indeed.
With enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter the Hermit, in his endeavor to rouse all Europe in a crusade against the infidel Turk, these two brothers threaded the almost boundless wilder- ness, going from tribe to tribe, for two or three years, in efforts, it is said, to organize a resistless coalition for the extermination of the whites. Their journeyings led them over thousands of miles, and they visited remote and almost unknown tribes, even to the banks of the Mississippi. No toil, sufferings, discouragements, chilled their ardor. They probably wrought themselves up to the full conviction that they were truly commissioned by the Great Spirit.
The Prophet, with his brother, occasionally held protracted. meetings, which lasted for several days. The Indians came to these gatherings from great distances. They had prayers and exhortations and pledges of fidelity in the great conflict for which they were preparing. Though the measures of Tecumseh and the Prophet in organizing this formidable conspiracy had been con- ducted with as much secrecy as possible, still rumors of their movements reached the ears of Governor Harrison, whose head- quarters, it will be remembered, were at the little hamlet of huts called Vincennes, on the Wabash River. There were also many indications that the British authorities in Canada were encoura- ging the hostile movement with advice and promises of future cooperation.
Governor Harrison, therefore, during the year 1807, sent a message of inquiry and remonstrance to the Shawanese chiefs. This message was couched in very severe terms. The Prophet dictated to the governor's messenger the following reply :
"Father : I am very sorry that you listen to the advice of bad birds. You have accused me of having correspondence with the British; and of sending for the Indians 'to listen to a fool, who speaks not the words of the Great Spirit, but the words of the devil.' Father : These impeachments I deny- they are not true. I never have had a word with the British. I have never sent for
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any Indians. They came here of their own accord to hear the words of the Great Spirit. Father: I wish you would not listen any more to the voice of bad birds. You may rest assured that it is the least of our idea to make disturbance. We will rather stop such proceedings than encourage them."
It will be observed that here the Prophet emphatically denies that he had any design to rouse the tribes to another war. He asserted then, and continued to assert, that his plan of saving the Indians from extermination did not consist in the annihilation of the whites, which he knew to be impossible, but that he wished to save the Indians in their rapid downward career through intem- perance and all its corresponding vices by reforming their morals, uniting them among themselves, and encouraging industry. It is undeniable that the white men would often get a few chiefs of a tribe together, supply them freely with whisky, bribe them, and then enter into a treaty with them for the cession of lands to which these chiefs had no claim. This had been done repeatedly.
One of the leading objects of Tecumseh and the Prophet, as they declared, was to have the chiefs of all the tribes agree that no more of their hunting grounds should be surrendered to the whites but by the consent of all the tribes. This certainly, in their then condition, was very wise, and worthy of the intelligence of these remarkable men. On the other hand, the attempt to organize all the small tribes at immense distances, to send their few hundred warriors against the well-known power of the Ameri- cans, was a very foolish plan, and unworthy of the sagacity which these men displayed.
It ought, also, in historic fairness, to be stated that all the record we have of these events comes to us through the white men. The Indians have had no chance to tell their story. There are many indications that the narrative which has descended to us respecting the designs of Tecumseh and his brother, has not been given in entire impartiality.
Tippecanoe River is one of the most important tributaries of the Wabash. It takes its rise in the extreme northern portion of the present State of Indiana. Upon the upper waters of this stream, about one hundred miles northwest from Fort Wayne, which stood at the junction of the St. Mary's and the St. Joseph's Rivers, the Prophet had selected his place of residence. It was a region which probably no white man's foot had ever trodden. The
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little Indian village, constructed there contained only about one hundred and thirty souls. But prominent Indians, from distant parts, were continually visiting the Prophet to confer with him.
In July of this year 1808, the Prophet went to Vincennes, on a pacific message to the governor. This remote hamlet, in the wilderness, was at the distance of several hundred miles from Tip- pecanoe, in a southwest direction, on the eastern banks of the Wabash. B. B. Thatcher writes, in his interesting life of Te- cumseh :
"Long conferences and conversations ensued, but it could not be ascertained that his politics were particularly British. His denial of being under any such influence was strong and appar- ently candid. He said that his sole object was to reclaim the Indians from the bad habits which they had contracted, and to cause them to live in peace and friendship with all mankind; and that he was particularly appointed to that office by the Great Spirit. He frequently, in the presence of the governor, harangued his followers, and his constant theme was the evils arising from war, and from the immoderate use of ardent spirits."
The Prophet came with a large number of followers. His power over them was such that no persuasions of the whites could induce one of them to touch a drop of intoxicating drink.
- As the Prophet was about to leave Vincennes, there was a general council held, and in the following remarkable farewell speech the Indian orator addressed the governor:
" Father, it is three years since I began that system of religion which I now practice. The white people and some of the Indians were opposed to me. But I had no other intention but to intro- duce among the Indians those good principles of religion which the white people profess. I was spoken badly of by the white people, who reproached me with misleading the Indians. But I defy them to say that I did anything amiss.
" Father, I was told that you intended to hang me. When I heard this I intended to remember it, and to tell my father the truth when I went to see him. I heard that my father had de- clared that the whole land between Vincennes and Fort Wayne was the property of the Seventeen Fires .* I also heard, my
* There were then seventeen states in the Union, which the Indians desig- nated as the Seventeen Council Fires. The territory which the governor was said thus to claim amounted to the whole of the State of Indiana.
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father, that you wished to know whether I was God or man, nd that if I were God, I should not steal horses.
" The Great Spirit told me to say to the Indians that He had made them and made the world, and that He had placed them in this world to do good, and not to do evil. I told the red men that the way in which they were living was not good, and that they ought to abandon it. I assured them that we ought to con- sider the white men as our brothers, and that while they lived agreeably to their customs, we should live in accordance with ours.
"I especially urged upon them that they should not drink whisky ; that it was not made for them, but for the white people, who alone knew how to use it. It is the cause of all the mischief which the Indians suffer. I told them they should always follow the directions of the Great Spirit ; that they should always listen to His voice, since it was He who has made us.
" I said to them, 'Brothers, listen to nothing that is bad. Do not take up the tomahawk should it be offered to you by the Brit- ish or by the Americans. Do not meddle with anything which does not belong to you. Attend to your own affairs, and culti- vate your fields, that your wives and children may have food and clothing and comfortable homes.'
"And I now inform you, my father, that it is our wish to live in peace with our father and his people forever. I have frankly in- formed you of what we mean to do. And I call the Great Spirit to witness the truth of my declaration. The religion which I have proclaimed for the last three years has arrested the attention of different tribes of Indians in this part of the world. These Indians were once at variance with each other. They now live as friends. They have resolved to practice what I have communicat- ed to them from the Great Spirit.
" Brother ! I speak to you as a warrior. You are one. Let us lay aside this character and attend to the welfare of our children, that they may live in comfort and peace. We desire that you would unite with us for the promotion of the happiness both of the red man and of the white people. Formerly we Indians, liv- ing in ignorance, were very foolish. Now, since we listen to the voice of the Great Spirit, we are happy.
" I have listened to what you have said to us. You have prom- ised to assist us. I now entreat you, in behalf of all the red
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1
men, to use your exertions to prevent the sale of liquor to us. We are all well pleased to hear you say that you will endeavor to promote our happiness. We give you every assurance that we will follow the dictates of the Great Spirit."
It cannot be denied that thus far the Indian chief had decidedly the advantage over Governor Harrison in dignified and gentle- manly bearing. The governor had so far forgotten himself as to call the Prophet " a fool, a horse-thief, and one professing to be a god, while he spoke the words of the devil." The dignity with which the savage chieftain reminded the governor of these unmannerly charges, without condescending to make any reply to them, is very remarkable. One cannot refrain from inquiring, " In what school did the Prophet acquire this control over him- self?"
Still the rumor continued to spread that Tecumseh and the Prophet were marshaling the tribes for war. This created much alarm along the frontiers. Still the months passed away in peace. It was reported that the village of the Prophet contained a thou- sand souls. This was deemed very alarming. And yet, at the most, it would give him but two hundred men capable of bearing. arms. The idea is absurd that he could contemplate waging war against the United States with such a force. Gradually rumor magnified this band to the number of six or eight hundred war- riors. But these intelligent Indian chiefs well knew that the Americans could easily bring many thousands into the field. Ten years before, an army of three thousand white men had swept the valley of the Maumee with fire and the sword; and Tecumseh himself had fled before their resistless march. Since then the. strength of the white men had wonderfully increased.
Governor Harrison made such representations to the general government, that orders were issued from Washington for the capture of both Tecumseh and the Prophet. The execution of this order was suspended for a little time, that new efforts might be made to conciliate the tribes which were said to be disaffected. The governor, therefore, sent an earnest invitation to Tecumseh to visit him. The chief unhesitatingly went to Vincennes with. an imposing retinue of four hundred painted warriors. A council was appointed to be held in a small grove, a little outside from the village. The governor had sent a very threatening message to the two chiefs in their encampment on the Tippecanoe. In this
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he accused them of hostile intentions, and, in not very cour- teous phrase, said :
" I am of the Long Knife fire. As soon as my voice is heard, you will see the Long Knives pouring forth their swarms of war- riors among you, as numerous as the mosquitoes on the shores of the Wabash. Brothers! look out for their stings."
This was hardly the language to be used to high chiefs who respected themselves. Tecumseh took the precaution to surround himself with a retinue as would protect him from treachery; while at the same time his force was too small to cause any alarm to the people of Vincennes. He was aware that his capture had been threatened. Tecumseh and his party encamped a little outside of the village, and the chief sent a polite message to the governor, inquiring whether, in the approaching council, it was expected that the governor and the Indian chief should go attended with their retinues of armed men, or if they should go unarmed; stating that he was willing to adopt any course which the governor should decide to be best.
The governor politely replied that Tecumseh was left to his own option, and that the governor would follow his example. Accord- ingly, at the appointed hour, Tecumseh appeared, accompanied by quite a brilliant escort of warriors, two hundred in number, armed with bows and arrows. The governor came in far higher military state. He was escorted by a whole company of dragoons, completely armed with swords, rifles and pistols. It was probably the intention of the governor to over-awe Tecumseh by an exhibi- tion of his strength. But this was hardly fair, since it placed the chief and his party entirely at the mercy of those whom he expected to meet on equal terms. The accounts which have here- tofore been given of this interview vary in several of the details. The writer gives it here according to the best information which careful research can now obtain. The governor had, the preced- ing year, at Fort Wayne, made a treaty with several chiefs, by which they had surrendered many million acres of land, which Tecumseh affirmed that they had no title to. The chief, with great dignity, opened the council, speaking in substance as fol- lows :
" We have no intention of making war against the whites; but we do desire to unite all the tribes, in the resolve to allow no more of our lands to be disposed of without the consent of all.
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Those chiefs who have recently ceded to the Americans vast regions of our hunting grounds, which did not belong to them, all deserve to be put to death. We can not accept that treaty. It has no foundation in justice. The Indians, though divided into many tribes, are one people, and their interests are one."
He then made a very impassioned, and no one denied that it was a truthful, recital of the wrongs which had been inflicted upon the Indians by the white man. These accusations, accompanied by very vehement gestures, made the governor angry. Both the Indians and the white men, each suspecting the hostility of the other party, grasped their arms. For a few moments there was great danger of an awful scene of carnage, in which probably every Indian would have been slain. Fortunately, the first blow was not struck. The governor, much displeased with the haughty bearing of his antagonist, dismissed the council, saying to Tecumseh :
" I shall have no further communication with you. You are a. bad man. But since I promised you my protection, and a safe return, if you would come to Vincennes, you may now go. But you must immediately leave the village."
The next morning this extraordinary Indian called upon the governor and apologized for the vehement language with which he had denounced the wrongs which had been inflicted upon his. countrymen. He reiterated his declaration that he had no desire for the renewal of hostilities. At the same time he declared that the Indians could no longer consent to have any more of their hunting grounds ceded to the whites without the consent of all. the tribes. He took the same ground we take when we say that Maine cannot surrender any portion of her territory to a foreign power without the consent of all the states. The chief then bade the governor adieu, and with his warriors returned to their wilder- ness homes.
Just before the Indians left Vincennes, Governor Harrison visited Tecumseh at his camp. In this interview Tecumseh said to him:
"I have no complaint to make against the United States except- ing their purchasing the Indian lands as they do. I should very much regret the necessity of making war for this single cause. I am anxious to be on friendly terms with the United States. If the president will give up the late purchase, and agree to make no more in the same manner, we will become their ally, and fight
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with them against the English. If these terms are not complied with, we shall be obliged to fight with the English against them."
The governor assured him that the President should be informed of his views, but he did not think that there was any prospect of their being acceded to.
"Well," Tecumseh replied, "as the President is to determine the matter, I hope that the Great Spirit will induce him to give up the land. It is true that he is so far away that the war will not harm him. He may sit at his ease at home, and drink his wine, while you and I will have to fight it out."
He added very pithily: "Our white brethren have set us the example of forming a union of all their separate states. Why should they censure us Indians for following that example? I have succeeded in uniting most of the northern tribes. I am now going to the south to complete this scheme. If war ensues it will be no fault of mine. If the governor will prevent settlements from being made on the new purchase until I return in the Spring, I will then visit the President and endeavor to settle the matter with him."
In reference to this remarkable interview, B. B. Thatcher, Esq., writes: "This speech has been called an artful evasion, easily seen through. It appears to us, on the contrary, to be a model of manly frankness. The orator did not expressly state, indeed, that the combination alluded to anticipated the probability or the possibility of war. But this was unnecessary. It was the natural inference in any reasonable mind. It had been frequently so stated, and so understood. Repetition could only exasperate. On the whole, Tecumseh seems to have manifested a noble dignity in the avowal and discussion of his policy, equaled only by the profound sagacity in which it originated, and the intelligent energy which conducted it, against every opposition and obstacle, so nearly to its completion. He might be wrong, but it is evident enough that he was sincere."
It is probable that General Harrison, from false information, wa's led to suppose that there were a very large number of war- riors assembling at Tippecanoe, and that unless he dispersed them before they were prepared to commence hostilities, he might himself be overwhelmed. Thus deceived, he unfortunately struck bloody blows, which drove thousands of the Indians into the ranks of the British.
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