Indian Biography; Vol. 2 (of 2): Or, An Historical Account of Those Individuals Who Have Been Distinguished among the North American Natives as Orators, Warriors, Statesmen, and Other Remarkable CharactersThatcher, B. B. (Benjamin Bussey)
History
Indian Biography; Vol. 2 (of 2): Or, An Historical Account of Those Individuals Who Have Been Distinguished among the North American Natives as Orators, Warriors, Statesmen, and Other Remarkable Characters
Thatcher, B. B. (Benjamin Bussey)
Indians of North America -- Biography; Indians of North America -- History
History of Tecumseh and the Prophet continued--The latter encamps at
Tippecanoe---Sends a message to Governor Harrison--Visits him at
Vincennes--Increase of his forces--Attention of the General Government
aroused--Tecumseh visits the Governor--His speech, and journey
southward--Battle of Tippecanoe, November, 1811--Consequences of
it--Indian Council at Mississiniway--Council at Malden--Speeches and
Anecdotes of the Crane, Walk-in-the-Water, Round-Head, and other
Chiefs--Sequel of the history of the two brothers--Final exertions of
Tecumseh--His death--The death of the Prophet.
To resume our narrative;--such reports came to the ears of Governor
Harrison, during the year 1807, respecting the movements of the Indians,
and especially those of the Prophet in pursuit of his victims, that he
thought proper to send a "speech" to the Shawanese chiefs, couched in very
severe terms. Most of those addressed being absent, the necessity of
replying devolved on the Prophet, and he requested the messenger to indite
for mm the following address:
"Father!
"I am very sorry that you listen to the advice of bad birds. You have
impeached me with having correspondence with the British; and with calling
and sending for the Indians from the most distant parts of the country,
'to listen to a fool that speaks not the words of the Great Spirit, but
the words of the devil.' Father! these impeachments I deny, and say they
are not true. I never had a word with the British, and I never sent for
any Indians. They came here themselves, to listen and hear the words of
the Great Spirit.
"Father! I wish you would not listen any more to the voice of bad birds;
and you may rest assured that it is the least of our idea to make
disturbance, and we will rather try to stop such proceedings than
encourage them."
The year 1808 opened with immense numbers of Indians from the lakes
crowding round the neighborhood of Fort Wayne. Their attendance on the
Prophet, the year previous, had induced them to neglect raising corn, and
they now found themselves in a state of starvation. It was considered
necessary by the Governor, to supply them with food, lest hunger might
drive them to extremities, and to marauding upon the frontier settlers of
the United States; and he therefore sent orders to the Agent at Fort Wayne
to allow them provisions from the public stores.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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