The Lenape and the Shawnee maintained close ties in Missouri. Both tribes had problems with the Osage. The Osage were horse thieves.

   The Kaskaskia (Illinois) were also a problem. The Kaskaskia occupied an area on the east of the Mississippi, between Missouri and Ohio. Many of the Missouri Shawnee still had relatives in Ohio. They had to cross Kaskaskia territory to visit these relations. Because the Kaskaskia had suffered at the hands of the Shawnee and, because the Shawnee were now suffering from depleted numbers, the Kaskaskia decided they would not let the Shawnee cross or hunt in their territory.

BIG MISTAKE!

   Open warfare began in 1802. The Shawnee attacked a very large Kaskaskia hunting party. In the combat that ensued, the Kaskaskia lost so many of their warriors, they never had the ability, let alone the desire, to anger the Shawnee again. The Shawnee may not have been able to stand up to the Americans, with their superior fire power and what seemed like an endless supply of man power, but against another Indian force, even one with greater numbers, they had no equals.  

 After Fort Greenville the alliance disintegrated. Alcohol became a major problem. Most of the organization of the tribes disintegrated as well. Bluejacket was recognized as the Chief of the Ohio Shawnee by Wayne. In 1801, an attempt to renew the alliance failed. The title of Chief of the Ohio Shawnee passed to Black Hoof, a Mecochee. Black Hoof was known as a "peace chief" willing to seek accommodation with the Americans, however, he was determined to hang on to Shawnee lands. While visiting the new Capitol of Washington, D.C. in 1802, he surprised Henry Dearborn, the Secretary of War, by demanding a deed from the United States to the Shawnee homeland in Ohio. The demand was not met.

   There were several down sides to Tenskwatawa’s message that do not fit with Temcumseh‘s ideas and only developed after Tecumseh left home to begin his journey to the many tribes. “Tenskwatawa’s Message” became very dark and violent. He preached that the Americans were children of an evil spirit, the Great Serpent. Tenskwatawa taught that there were many traitors and “Witches” among the Shawnee and their allies. It seemed that anyone who contradicted Tenkswatawa was a traitor and killed or a witch and burned. This began during his visit to the Lenape and Wyandot villages in the spring of 1806. The Lenape head chief and several Christians were burned as witches. Incidents like this happened at the Wyandot villages as well. These “Witch Hunts” turned many villages against the Prophet.

   Tenskwatawa dramatically predicted a solar eclipse in June, a portent of a war to come. Again, many attribute this to Tecumseh, who understood and read English very well and had access to English books, including almanacs. At any case, Tenskwatawa’s influence spread during the next two years. Thousands visited him at Greenville. Tecumseh added a political element to the new religion by preaching an alliance of all tribes to stop the grab for land by the Americans.

   Having alienated most of his own people and the surrounding villages of other tribes, Tenskwatawa, in the spring of 1808, after obtaining permission of the Potawatomi and the Kickapoo, established Prophetstown in western Indiana on Tippecanoe Creek.

   Tenkswatawa visited Vincennes in August and met with William Henry Harrison. The governor of the Indiana Territory would soon become Tecumseh's arch rival for control of the Northwest Territories. The meeting ended amicably, but Harrison did not trust the Shawnee Prophet. In the spring of 1809, Harrison sent spies to keep an eye on developments in Prophetstown.

   They reported that Tecumseh had recruited close to 3,000 warriors, of different tribes, that stood ready to resist American expansion.

   On instructions from Congress, Harrison was to lay claim to all Indian lands west to Indiana and Illinois and they did not care whether he used diplomacy or force.

   In 1809, under threats of force and the wide distribution of whiskey, Harrison had signed treaties with the Miami, Kaskaskia, Lenape, and Potawatomi at Ft. Wayne and Vincennes. These treaties ceeded three million acres of southern Indiana and Illinois.  Tecumseh was outraged and threatened to execute the chiefs who had signed and any other chiefs that would sign such a treaty in the future. His followers did just that the following June to Leatherlips, a Wyandot chief. The warriors brought the wampum belts and Pipe of the old western alliance to Prophetstown.

   In August, Tecumseh met with Harrison at Vincennes. Harsh words were exchanged which almost resulted in a conflict between Harrison's soldiers and Tecumseh's escort. Both sides had weapons drawn before Tecumseh thought better of starting a fight right then and there and had his men back off.

   In the summer of 1811, they met again. By this time, both men were convinced war was inevitable. In late summer of 1811, Tecumseh, once again, headed south to recruit the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee and Muskogee. He gave his brother instructions that, while he was gone, he was not to provoke any confrontation with the Americans.

   Tecumseh had just crossed to the south side of the Ohio when, at the urgings of Tenskwatawa, the chief of the Potawatomi, Main Poche, led his warriors on raids on the settlements in Illinois, firing tempers all over the frontier.

   With both regular soldiers and volunteer militia, Harrison had approximately 1,ooo troops at his command . They were moving towards Prophetstown. North of Terre Haute, Indiana, right at the treaty line, they stopped long enough to build Ft. Harrison. The Army stopped their march in November just across Tippacanoe Creek from Prophetstown. Hostilities had not yet begun.

   Tenskwatawa ignored the orders he had received from Tecumseh. Using “kamikaze” warriors, the Prophet ordered them to attack and kill Harrison. The battle ended in a draw, The Americans lost 62 killed and 126 wounded. When the warriors withdrew, Harrison burned Prophetstown. Tippecanoe was not an important victory. It did give William Henry Harrison a new nickname, "Old Tippecanoe." (When Harrison ran for President, the campaign slogan became “Tippecanoe and Tyler too") This ruined Tenskwatawa's reputation as a seer. The Winnebago “arrested" him and held him prisoner for two weeks until Tecumseh returned in January. The alliance was destroyed and the War of 1812 (1812-14) was only months away. Only slightly restoring the alliance, Tecumseh had recruited over 1,000 warriors in Canada to fight for the British by the time the United States declared war on England in June. In May, the Wyandot, Lenape, and, most notably, the Shawnee, after a council with Tecumseh and his brother on the Mississinewa River (Indiana) declared their neutrality. Some, principally among the Lenape, even supported the Americans. 

   As war began, the Americans suffered a series of disasters. In July, General William Hull invaded Canada. Hearing a rumor that 5,000 warriors were coming by canoe, down Lake Huron, ran back to Detroit. Hull's opponent was actually only 800 warriors and 300 Canadians. A couple of detachments were attacked near Detroit. In August, Hull surrendered without a fight. His surrender was an act which earned him the distinction of being the only American general ever to stand courts-martial for cowardice, convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad. He was later reprieved by President James Madison.

   With the victory at Detroit, Tecumseh was able to recruit more warriors to the cause. With this new force, Tecumseh began raids against American forts and settlements as far west as Missouri.

   Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa returned to northern Indiana after the death of Little Turtle in July. There purpose was to recruit warriors among the Miami. In September, the Prophet led an attack on Fort Harrison, garrisoned by 50 regulars and commanded by Zachary Taylor. The failure of this action ended the military career of Tenskwatawa.

Command of the American army in the Northwest was given to William Henry Harrison. He launched a campaign, forcing the Prophet and his followers to return to Canada. In early 1813, Harrison built Ft. Ferree on the upper Sandusky and moved the Lenape from Indiana to the Shawnee villages at Piqua and Auglaize in Ohio to hinder the chances of both the Shawnee and Lenape from joining Tecumseh. By this time neither one of them trusted the other and each were equally afraid of their activities being report to Harrison or Tecumseh.

A unit of the militia numbering 900 men from Kentucky, commanded by General James Winchester, was ambushed in southeast Michigan on the Raisin River. A third (300) were killed outright. After surrendering, 50 prisoners were killed while British officers stood and watched. Tecumseh (who had a strong personal aversion to torture and massacre) intervened and stopped any further massacre. He branded the British officers as cowards for not protecting American prisoners. Harrison kept advancing and built Ft. Meigs on the Maumee River in February. Meanwhile, Tecumseh returned to Indiana and increased his force to almost 2,000. In May, supporting new British commander, Colonel Henry Procter, thet attacked Fort Meigs, but the Americans held on. Many of Tecumseh's warriors, like most Indians, couldn’t adapt to siege warfare and just went home. Proctor was forced to end the siege. He made a second attempt in July. It too, was unsuccessful. By August, after Oliver Perry's naval victory on Lake Erie, Harrison an army of almost 8,000, was ready to march.

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