Destroying Prophetstown

Posted by Jeffrey R Gudzune Jul 29, 2007

Tenskwatawa is the spiritual center of Tecumseh's new union. Though his brother is the politcal head of the proposed Indian successor state, Tenskwatawa commands more followers due to his religious teachings. He could have, if so motivated, broken away from his brother and created his own movement but he chose to remain loyal to Tecumseh and their shared vison. When Tecumseh departed on a diplomatic mission in the summer of 1811, Tenskwatawa was placed in command of the garrison at Prophetstown. Provoked by Harrison, the Shawnee prophet elected to strike hard and fast in order to remove the American threat. He was unsuccessful and as a result the Indian capital was sacked. This would not end Tecumseh's efforts to create a unified state, but it did generate a temporary rift in the relationship he had with Tenskwatawa.