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The battle of Tippecanoe of 1811 was the end result of the rise of the Prophet, a religious leader who rose amongst the Indians of the north-western frontier as their lands came under increasingly heavy pressure from American settlers.
This book studies the build-up to the campaign, the US advance to the battlefield, the battle itself and its aftermath. The rise of the Prophet is a fascinating but tragic tale, one reaction to the steady advance west of American settlers and the constant loss of Indian lands. It ended up producing internal civil war, purges and witch hunts within Indian society at the same time as triggering a war with the United States.
The campaign itself is mainly seen from the American view, at least on the military side. This is mainly because the Indians were fairly static at Prophetstown, while the Americans were undertaking a difficult advance into potentially hostile territory. The battle is seen from both sides, with a look at both side's tactics. Harrison, the American commander, expected just the sort of night attack that actually took place, and put measures in place to deal with it. The end result of the battle perhaps shows the danger of having a single plan of attack that could be predicted and prepared for, but night attacks on American armies had generally been successful in the past.
The text is supported by some very useful maps. Some cover the political situation in the build-up to the war. Others cover the American advance to Prophetstown. Finally the account of the battle itself is supported by a series of atmospheric 3D maps of the battle, which do a particularly good job of showing how the presence or absence of firelight changed the course of the battle.
Chapters
Chronology
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Armies
Opposing Plans
Campaign and Battle
Aftermath
The Battlefield Today
Author: John F Winkler
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 96
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2015