¿Tecumseh-Hero/ Traitor/ Other ?

[underpants]

This Day In History | General Interest

October 5

1813 Tecumseh defeated


During the War of 1812, a combined British and Indian force is defeated by General William Harrison's American army at the Battle of the Thames near Ontario, Canada. The leader of the Indian forces was Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief who organized intertribal resistance to the encroachment of white settlers on Indian lands. He was killed in the fighting.

Tecumseh was born in an Indian village in present-day Ohio and early on witnessed the devastation wrought on tribal lands by white settlers. He fought against U.S. forces in the American Revolution and later raided white settlements, often in conjunction with other tribes. He became a great orator and a leader of intertribal councils. He traveled widely, attempting to organize a united Indian front against the United States. When the War of 1812 erupted, he joined the British, and with a large Indian force he marched on U.S.-held Fort Detroit with British General Isaac Brock. In August 1812, the fort surrendered without a fight when it saw the British and Indian show of force.

Tecumseh then traveled south to rally other tribes to his cause and in 1813 joined British General Henry Procter in his invasion of Ohio. The British-Indian force besieged Fort Meigs, and Tecumseh intercepted and destroyed a Kentucky brigade sent to relieve the fort. After the U.S. victory at the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813, Procter and Tecumseh were forced to retreat to Canada. Pursued by an American force led by the future president William Harrison, the British-Indian force was defeated at the Battle of the Thames River on October 5.

The battle gave control of the western theater to the United States in the War of 1812. Tecumseh's death marked the end of Indian resistance east of the Mississippi River, and soon after most of the depleted tribes were forced west.


http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=general&month=10272962&day=10272970

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. I'll let you know when I finish the book....

but I'm guessing - Hero!

[kentuck]

3. Supposedly had a white grandmother ?

Is that true?

[CatWoman]

8. grandfather, not grandmother

Some of the confusion results from the fact that Creeks and Cherokees were eager to claim the famous Tecumseh as one of their own; many Creeks named children after him.4 The details are sketchy, but some traditions suggest that Tecumseh's paternal grandfather (Pukeshinwah's father) may have been British.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecumseh

[OnionPatch]

2. Hero

I've read several books on him. Totally a hero.

Edited to add: He was defending his people and his land in the best way he knew how and with much courage. Whose side he was on during the revolution makes no difference.

[CatWoman]

4. what makes him any different than the "insurgents" in Iraq?

invading ones land does have its consequences.

[underpants]

5. I was hoping not to have to get off topic to discuss this matter but

in "Red Dawn" the Russians and Cubans refer to the Patrick Swayze/Charlie Sheen lead pack of high schoolers as "insurgents". They quickly learned how to make explosive devices that were improvised and left them for the invading troops to fall victim to.

WOLVERINES!!!

Seriously-my wife watched it last weekend.

[CatWoman]

6. I can't tell you how many times I sat down to watch that movie

only not to watch in its entirety.

It's now on my to-do list.

[underpants]

10. Not ONE Oscar nod either

:bounce:

Horrible movie (on its own-not including the cold war pap)but funny as hell to look back at now....actually a bit freightening.

[madrchsod]

7. did he actually think by joining the brits that

he could stop the invasion of the white man? he should have known that the brits were just as bad as the americans after the indians watched the british run the french out of the western lands.
i wonder what he thinks of this----
http://www.tecumseh.com/homepage.htm

[underpants]

9. Odd, I just remembered that

our mower has a Tecumseh engine

[mzteris]

11. Traitor?

To whom? I'm not sure I understand how one could call him a traitor, please explain.

[underpants]

14. Well I had to have that option didn't I?

Some might say that because he sided with an enemy of the US....yeah yeah I know that doesn't make any sense-I just thought I would throw it out there.

[Hubert Flottz]

12. I vote...

Hero...

Tecumseh = PANTHER-ACROSS-THE-SKY

Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa,(The Prophet)was a lot like George Dumbya Bush.(A Sorry FAKER)

Tecumseh did some very strange things, that one would be hard pressed to explain away, as simple twists of fate. Like predicting to the day, the "HUGH" earthquake in the Mississippi valley. (THE NEW MADRID EARTHQUAKE OF 1811) The comet that Tecumseh's father saw the moment of Tecumseh's birth, indeed, marked the beginning of a charmed life.

'A sorrow in our heart, the life of Tecumseh' by Allan W. Eckert, is a great book. I've read and reread all of Eckert's books on the settlement of the Ohio valley and it's tributaries.

The last place I lived was in sight of the place where the captive Mary Draper Ingles helped the Shawnee raiding party make salt, on the banks of the Great Kanawha river. I now live in sight of old Fort Tackett.

The Shawnee chief Cornstalk and his son Ellinipisco, were murdered about 30 miles from where I live now. Lots of ghosts around here. Lots of nice arrowheads too...

[cmd]

17. Have you read

Warrior Woman : The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief ?

It's a great story about Cornstalk's sister. Lots of tri-state history.

I'm a great fan of Tecumseh and agree that The Prophet was the * of his day.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. the Grenadier Squaw was a lady who fought right alongside the...

warriors at both Point Pleasant and the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Grenadier Squaw's Town was a large Indian village lying on the south side of Scippo Creek. Grenadier Squaw's Indian name was Nehalema. She was a big chief in the Shawnee nation. She was also a big woman — over 6 feet tall. She was indeed as you say, the sister to Chief Cornstalk.

I've not read the book you speak of(Warrior Woman)but it sounds like a good read...I'll look for it.

Have you read 'Chronicles of Border Warfare' by Alexander Scott Withers? It's a great book. Originally published in 1895.

http://www.wvbookco.com/display_title_detail.cfm?ID=243

So many great books about that period. I read every one I can find. We gripe about the way things are today, but those folks were tough as nails back then. We wouldn't last a month in the hard times those folks lived in.

[cmd]

21. I'll add that to my reading list

Nehalema struggled with her religion and the Christianity that David Zeisberger brought to Ohio. She wanted Zeisberger's approval, but never was able to meet his very stuffy standards. Schoenbrunn Village in New Philadelphia, just a few miles from me, was the first missionary settlement in Ohio. The Moravian ministers did a lot of good, but an equal amount of bad where the Delaware (Lenni Lenape) were concerned. Zeisberger and the other missionaries ran very tight villages. Nehaleme had just a high morals as the Moravians, but rightfully clung to her own religion. She was a woman to be admired.

My daughters and I worked as a tour guide family at Schoenbrunn Village many years ago. I learned to spin, weave, make soap and candles, and cook on an open hearth. I was a great admirer of Zeisberger until I read Warrior Woman. Now I consider him another vile missionary who didn't really want what was best for the natives.

[Me.]

13. Tecumseh's Curse

It is said his curse is the reason why every president who enters office on a 00 year dies in office, Hasn't been exact. Raygun was shot but didn't die and B***'s presence is still haunting us.

[applegrove]

15. He's a hero in Canada. Very much so.

[semillama]

16. hero, i'd say

Definitely an admirably and tragic figure in our history. Heros aren't limited to those who fight for the US.

On a side note, I'm currently working on a project that involves the Shakers of Union Village. at the time of Tecumseh and the Prophet, the Shakers were very interesting in them and sent out elders to visit them and learn about them. The Shawnee then sent some folks back to return the visit, which got the Shakers' neighbors spooked and spread rumors that the Shakers were in league with the dreaded Shawnee!

[H2O Man]

18. "A Sorrow in Our Heart"

is Allan Eckert's 1000+ page biography of Tecumseh. It's a fun book to read, and is generally recognized as the authoritative work on this heroic "fiery orator, ... brilliant diplomat, revolutionary thinker, ... political and military genius..."

[Lisa]

20. his exploits are studied by Canadian elementary school students ...

I went to school in Ontario, and I remember we spent months looking at the US invasions of Canada (from the 1700s through the War of 1812, to the Fenian Raids). We had pictures/drawings of Tecumseh and other allies of the British, on our class bulletin board (another favourite was Joseph Brant). And we also looked at the United Empire Loyalists, who left the US after the Revolution. Some of my classmates were descended from them (it's kind of like being on the Mayflower, in Ontario). Instead of Paul Revere, we learned about Laura Secord (born in the States, but moved up here, and warned British forces about an American attack). There's a popular line of chocolates and candy that's named after her.

Our teacher (British) even had kind words for Benedict Arnold, even though he's considered a huge traitor in the States!

I don't think that there is quite as much emphasis on the US/Canada warfare for students in some other provinces -- but there's certainly a lot of awareness in much of Ontario (and Quebec too).