The Franklin Mint History Of The United States, 1776-1973
Manufacturer
The Franklin Mint
DateNo Date
MediumSilver
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/4 in. (45 mm.)
ClassificationsDecorative arts
Credit LineGift of Dr. Eugene F. Poutasse
Object number76.81.36
On View
Not on viewThe 1811 medal: Battle of Tippecanoe Against Indians
It was a part of President Jefferson's policy to encourage western migration in order that the United States might remain agricultural. He looked forward to removing the Indians across the Mississippi. General William Henry Harrison, Governor of indiana, was particularly strong for this policy and, between 1795 and 1809, the indians were induced to part with 48 million acres of land.
Two indians who realized that the westward push would never stop, unless it was stopped by force, were Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskwatawa, a medicine man better known as The Prophet. Tecumseh sought to unite the different tribes of Indians into a confederacy. From their headquarters on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana, Tecumseh visited Indian tribes throughout the eastern United States to enlist their aid.
While Tecumseh was on his second trip to the south, General Harrison decided to move against the Indians. Taking about a thousand men, the Governor marched up the Wabash River and, on November 6, camped a mile distant from the Prophet's Town. That night the soldiers selpt on their arms, ready for instant action. It is well that they did, as shortly before dawn on the 7th, the Indians attacked. The battle raged at close range until daylight when a series of charges drove the warriors back. After sniping from cover during the day, the Indians vanished, and Harrison destroyed the Prophet's Town.
It is estimated that the Indians lost between 25 to 40 men. Harrison lost 61 killed and 127 wounded but claimed that "the Indians have never sustained so severe a defeat." Although Indian ravages on the side of the British during the War of 1812 showed that Tippecanoe was merely a start, the story grew until Harrison was elected President in 1840 on the slogan of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too."
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