The Gods of Prophetstown : The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier

It began with an eclipse. In 1806, the Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa ("The Open Door") declared himself to be in direct contact with the Master of Life, and therefore, the supreme religious authority for all Native Americans. Those who disbelieved him, he warned, "would see darkness come over the sun." William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory and future American president, scoffed at Tenskwatawa. If he was truly a prophet, Harrison taunted, let him perform a miracle. And Tenskwatawa did just that, making the sun go dark at midday. In The Gods of Prophetstown , Adam Jortner provides a gripping account of the conflict between Tenskwatawa and Harrison, who finally collided in 1811 at a place called Tippecanoe. Though largely forgotten today, their rivalry determined the future of westward expansion and shaped the War of 1812. Jortner weaves together dual biographies of the opposing leaders. In the five years between the eclipse and the battle, Tenskwatawa used his spiritual leadership to forge a political pseudo-state with his brother Tecumseh. Harrison, meanwhile, built a power base in Indiana, rigging elections and maneuvering for higher position. Rejecting received wisdom, Jortner sees nothing as preordained-Native Americans were not inexorably falling toward dispossession and destruction. Deeply rooting his account in a generation of scholarship that has revolutionized Indian history, Jortner places the religious dimension of the struggle at the fore, recreating the spiritual landscapes trod by each side. The climactic battle, he writes, was as much a clash of gods as of men. Written with profound insight and narrative verve, The Gods of Prophetstown recaptures a forgotten turning point in American history in time for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Prologue: The Eclipse......Page 14 1. Thrown Away......Page 26 2. Master of Life......Page 38 3. Primogeniture......Page 48 4. Defeat......Page 62 5. The Careerist......Page 84 6. Grouseland......Page 92 7. Prophecy......Page 108 8. Witchcraft......Page 120 9. Conspiracies......Page 132 10. Greenville......Page 144 11. The Nation of Prophetstown......Page 154 12. The Bargain......Page 166 13. The Gathering......Page 178 14. Fiasco......Page 198 15. “A War of Extirpation”......Page 212 Epilogue: The Funeral......Page 236 Notes......Page 244 Bibliography......Page 296 B......Page 312 D......Page 313 H......Page 314 J......Page 315 M......Page 316 O......Page 317 S......Page 318 T......Page 319 W......Page 320 Y......Page 321 In 1806, a Shawnee known as Lalawauthika proclaimed himself Tenskwatawa ("The Open Door"), a spiritual leader in direct contact with the Master of Life. In the five years before the battle of Tippecanoe, Tenskwatawa used his spiritual leadership to forge a political pseudo-state, together with his twin brother Tecumseh. William Henry Harrison, meanwhile, built a power base in Indiana, rigging elections and maneuvering for higher position. Jortner places the religious dimension of the struggle at the fore, recreating the spiritual landscapes trod by each side. The climactic battle, he writes, was as much a clash of gods as of men. --publisher's description An original, readable narrative of the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe and the role of religion in the history of the American West