>1810 Battle of Tippecanoe
Tecumseh was the Chief of the Shawnee Nation. He rejected the individual treaties made by tribes that had ceded greater and greater amounts of land to the settlers. His claim was based on the belief that all the land belonged to the Indians, and not even the whole membership of a single tribe could alienate the property of a race. Tecumseh journeyed south to gain additional support for his alliance. While Tecumseh was away, General Harrison saw a good opportunity to attack. He camped with 1,000 men outside the village that acted as headquarters for Tecumseh and his brother (the medicine man known as "Prophet"). Harrison provoked the Indians to attack, and then decimated the village. The destruction of Tecumseh's headquarters disillusioned many of the supporters of Tecumseh, who had believed he and his brother had supernatural powers.
William Henry Harrison was the governor of the newly formed Indiana Territory. He hoped to grow the territory and turn it into a state. Harrison negotiated a treaty with the Native Americans, including the Treaty of Fort Wayne, which opened up 3,000,000 acres for settlers, taking the land from the Indians. Tenskwatawa, an Indian leader known as the Prophet, had growing influence in the area. He called for the Indians to return to their ancient ways. His brother Tecumseh was adamantly opposed to the deal. He went around to different Indian tribes, pressuring them to void the pact and warning both them and Harrison, whom he met with, that he was willing to go to war to stop the treaty.
In August 1811, Harrison once again met with Tecumseh, who tried to assure him that he did not intend to go to war with the US government. After the meeting, Tecumseh headed south to try to gain new allies from the South. Harrison returned from a visit eastward with 100 allies. He gathered local militia and Indian allies and marched on Prophetstown, the headquarters of Tenskwatawa.
Harrison and his men camped outside Prophetstown. In the early morning of November 7th, the Indians attacked Harrison's force in their encampment. The Indians initially broke through Harrison’s lines and entered the camp. However, the regulars managed to regroup and force the Indians out. The Indians attacked two more times but failed to break through the lines. After a brief counterattack by Harrison’s forces, the Indians broke and retreated. Harrison’s forces lost 62 men killed and 126 wounded. The much smaller Indian force lost fewer men.
Harrison fortified his camp overnight, fearing another attack. The next morning, scouts reported that the Indians had abandoned Prophetstown. Harrison’s forces then entered and destroyed the village. The battle went down as a major victory and propelled Harrison to hero status, which helped him eventually win the Presidency.