Benjamin Drake

Life of Tecumseh and of His Brother the Prophet: with a Historical Sketch of the Shawanoe Indians (Dodo Press) Benjamin Drake

Tecumseh (1768-1813) also Tecumtha or Tekamthi, was a Native American leader of the Shawnee. He grew up in Ohio country during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. His brother Tenskwatawa was a religious leader who advocated a return to the ancestral lifestyle of the tribes. A large following and a confederacy grew around his teachings. The religious doctrine led to strife with settlers on the frontier, causing the group to move farther into the northwest. Tecumseh took an active role in confronting Governor William Henry Harrison to demand land purchase treaties be rescinded. He began an attempt to expand the confederacy into the southern United States, but while he was away travelling his brother was defeated in the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. During the War of 1812, Tecumseh and his confederacy allied with the British in Canada and helped in the capture of Fort Detroit. The Americans, led by Harrison, launched a counter assault and invaded Canada, killing Tecumseh in the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh has subsequently became a folk legend and is remembered as a hero by many Canadians for his defense of their country.