The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier

by Adam Jortner

It began with an eclipse. In 1806, the Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa (The Open Door) declared himself to be in direct contact with the Master of Life, and therefore, the supreme religious authority for all Native Americans. Those who disbelieved him, he warned, would see darkness come over the
sun. William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory and future American president, scoffed at Tenskwatawa. If he was truly a prophet, Harrison taunted, let him perform a miracle. And Tenskwatawa did just that, making the sun go dark at midday.

In The Gods of Prophetstown, Adam Jortner provides a gripping account of the conflict between Tenskwatawa and Harrison, who finally collided in 1811 at a place called Tippecanoe. Though largely forgotten today, their rivalry determined the future of westward expansion and shaped the War of 1812.
Jortner weaves together dual biographies of the opposing leaders. In the five years between the eclipse and the battle, Tenskwatawa used his spiritual leadership to forge a political pseudo-state with his brother Tecumseh. Harrison, meanwhile, built a power base in Indiana, rigging elections and
maneuvering for higher position. Rejecting received wisdom, Jortner sees nothing as preordained-Native Americans were not inexorably falling toward dispossession and destruction. Deeply rooting his account in a generation of scholarship that has revolutionized Indian history, Jortner places the
religious dimension of the struggle at the fore, recreating the spiritual landscapes trod by each side. The climactic battle, he writes, was as much a clash of gods as of men.

Written with profound insight and narrative verve, The Gods of Prophetstown recaptures a forgotten turning point in American history in time for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Genres: History, American History, Native American, Nonfiction, War, Military History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2011

About the author

Adam Jortner studies the transformation of religious and political life in the early United States. His book, The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier, examines the rise of the Shawnee Prophet Tenskwatawa and his new religion on the Indiana frontier in the 1800s. Jortner argues that Tenskwatawa’s religious vision created a new definition of community and power that ultimately coalesced into a viable political alternative for Native Americans in the Old Northwest. The book follows the creation of this movement and its fraught relationship with the new United States and Indiana’s ambitious territorial governor, William Henry Harrison. The relationship between the two men ultimately shaped the War of 1812 and the fate of the American frontier. Gods won the 2013 James Broussard Best First Book Prize from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR).

His current research interests include new religions in the early republic, deism, witchcraft, the decline of magic, and Native American prophets; he currently teaches classes on American religion, politics, and the Age of Jefferson. He is working on a manuscript on the politics of miracles in the early republic.

Dr. Jortner has received fellowships from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Redd Center for Western Studies.

Reviews

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically a dual biography of Harrison and Tenskwatawa. While the Prophet has not received as much attention as Tecumseh, Jortner downplays Tecumseh’s role, arguing that religion played a larger role in the struggle between the Indians and the Americans on the frontier. This argument gets a little repetitive and isn’t always convincing.

Jortner succeeds in highlighting Harrison’s and Tecumseh’s divergent positions. Harrison was a fine example of frontier whites who saw no place for the natives in a future United States. Tecumseh and the Prophet believed that Indian unity was the only thing that could stop further white encroachments. This proved a challenge since not all Indians believed accommodation was impossible.

One of the book’s main problems is Jortner’s habit of meandering into discussions about Indian culture, American politics, and religion; many of these are distracting and don’t always seem relevant. And it would have seemed logical for Jortner to discuss the Battle of the Thames, where Tecumseh was killed and Harrison was present, but the coverage of this is fairly brief. The book also has a few little errors like writing that Andrew Jackson made Harrison minister to Colombia (John Quincy Adams was president at the time).

Other than that, this is a well-researched, well-written book on an interesting topic, and Jortner's book is at its best when it actually covers the events of this time period.

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often read history books like this, and I really should read more. This was a delightfully fascinating read

[Mark Lawry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to me by the lady at the gift shop of the battle site of Tippecanoe. Well worth it. As usual I read a book months after visiting a historical site to learn I should have read the book first so I could more fully appreciate where I was. I did not visit Prophetstown just down the road as I knew nothing of it and didn't want to spend the pennies on the entry fee. Now I need to head back to Indiana to correct that mistake.

[Todd Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jortner has attempted a significantly revolutionary approach to both the history of the “Old Northwest”, as well as of Native American history within the United States. Overall, I felt the work resulted in a mixed-bag product. The book starts and through roughly the first half holds up the premise on viewing the historicity through a religious lens. However, it then shifts to more of a political analysis of primarily William Henry Harrison. Tenskwatawa “the Prophet” seems to receive short shrift from that point on. Admittedly, Jortner bemoans the paucity of primary sources on Tenskwata’s personal beliefs, given the lack of written records from Native Americans. While citing and many times relying upon the masters of the subject matter, such as Colin Calloway, Gregory Evans Dowd, Richard White, and R. David Edmunds, he frequently breaks with them in conclusions, often without exceptionally clear rationale. There are times he betrays his lack of in-depth knowledge of the history of the Old Northwest and Native American-United States history. It’s interesting that this is one of his foremost works, yet his academic demesne of religion is cast off less than halfway through. It brings up many interesting thoughts and theories, but one is left with the feeling the premise of the book is left undiscovered as it could have been with more rigorous research and analysis of primary historical documents, despite them being secondary sources when recorded from Native American figures. An interesting read, and considering the brevity of the work, worth the investment for any interested in this period of history. I simply caution readers not to rely to heavily on the author as an expert on the period. For that, I do highly recommend Calloway, Dowd, and Edmunds.

[Brent McGregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing revisionsim. Paints a distorted picture of the frontier conflict between various Indian nations that would just as soon sell each other out.
Really enjoyed the historical piecing together of what early missionaries and visitors were able to get out of them, but the commentary that 'fills in the gaps' is biased.
Sadly, the Indian side of the story is mostly word of mouth. Few posessed the ability to directly transmit their thoughts to record.
The American side of the narrative always ends in a swipe of revisionism. The attacks on Harrison may mostly be warranted, but minimising their sum total beliefs based on a 20st century term?
Comparing the conflict to Vietnam? Attacking Jefferson as an elitist, violin playing slave owner, seems just a bit too "bumper sticker".
The one and only one question the author does not have a pat answer for is how he predicted the eclipse? Couldn't have been the British.
Putting that aside, I really did enjoy reading this up to the last couple chapters that just rambled.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitle attracted my interest when I noticed it on the new book shelf at the local public library. I’d lived for 34 years only seven miles from the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe. I’d visited the area a few times and vaguely knew that an Indian called “The Prophet” was involved and that Americans had claimed to have won the battle. I didn’t realize, though, that the Prophet was such a powerful, uniting and charismatic figure among Indians and of his attempt to form a comprehensive Indian city-state. U.S. Gen. Harrison led an underwhelming army to confront Indians led by the Prophet’s brother Tecumseh. Results were ambiguous, but the Battle of Tippecanoe later became a symbolic Indian defeat.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best non-fiction books I've read in a long time. I think one of the things that is hardest to comprehend as someone who grew up as an American but a non-native is the idea that Manifest Destiny wasn't actually destiny. Though the term "Manifest Destiny" originated after the time period concerned in this book, the concept is so engrained in every way most of us think about our history that it acts as a misplaced foundation onto which we build much of our political thought. Jortner's book is an antidote to this.

This book has a lot going for it in terms of historical research, great descriptions of era-specific places and events, and a disdain for anti-native racism. But what I appreciated most is summed up near the end of the book (Spoiler alert: the biggest losers in the War of 1812 were the Shawnee and the pan-Indian movement of the time):

"The historical contention that Indians were destined to fail in their wars of resistance did not originally emerge from a close comparison of military and economic forces. It derived from a nationalist (and racist) cultural comparison wherein American civilization was ipso facto superior to the cultural innovations of Native Americans. In other words, the assumption of inevitable American victory is itself the kind of nationalist cultural hubris that was a *result* of victories of Americans in the War of 1812. 'Inevitability' was a result of the contingencies of war, not an explanation of them."

This book encourages a more accurate reading of American history in every way including an invitation to examine our assumptions about how this country came to be. Highly recommended!

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gods of Prophetstown

November 7, 2011, marked the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe, near the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers in the former Indiana Territory. William Henry Harrison, the territorial governor, commanded the U.S. forces, while the Indian opposition was led by Tenskwatawa, a Shawnee religious leader and younger brother of the famous Tecumseh. Touted as a great American victory, the actual result of the battle was debatable: the Indians retreated and Harrison burned their city of Prophetstown; but the U.S. forces suffered severe casualties and the Shawnee quickly rebuilt Prophetstown, earning many new adherents from other tribes. Ultimately, the Tippecanoe skirmish would become a precipitating event of the War of 1812, and the slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” would be coined to propel Harrison to a presidency of one month, ending with his death.

Timed to coincide with the anniversary of the battle, Adam Jortner’s new and first book, The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier, examines the now legendary events as a dual biography of Harrison and Tenskwatawa combined with a history of the battle. But Jortner, who teaches history at Auburn University, has a deeper vision for the book: to show that religion constitutes an independent moving force in life rather than only an adjunct to politics. To do so, he draws on the events and circumstances around Tippecanoe and its leaders to present a lengthy analysis of Indian and non-Indian religious and revival movements in early America. The result is a sometimes diffuse and confusing work with a too wide-reaching scope.

Beginning in the middle of the story in 1806, Jortner tells of Tenskwatawa, an undistinguished alcoholic deemed a Prophet by the tribe under questionable circumstances, who taught that the Indians should give up alcohol and unite with other Indians to live separately from whites and, thereby, thwart the American government’s Indian policy of divide and conquer. By contrast, Harrison is depicted as a product of Enlightenment deism who believed in reason, in a creator deity who does not become involved in individual human affairs, and in a vague sense of providence, which favored the Americans and Western culture.

When Tenskwatawa used his religious primacy in the tribe to hunt and execute “witches” among the Shawnee, territorial governor Harrison seized an opening to challenge the Prophet to establish his credentials by “stopping the sun” or performing a similar miracle. Within days of Harrison’s challenge, a solar eclipse took place and Tenskwatawa claimed the credit. It is at this point that the book begins to perplex. Much of Jortner’s discussion of this event is confusing as he refuses to endorse the obvious naturalistic explanations for Harrison’s taunt and the subsequent eclipse. More insightful is his stating simply that the point of the story is that people believed the Prophet, as they often believe other religious leaders, regardless of the alleged character of the events, which form the basis of the belief.

In 1808, the Prophet and the Shawnee Tribe moved to Indiana and established a community known as Prophetstown, resisting the U.S. government’s attempt to gain and implement increasing land cessions from the Indians. After a series of tense meetings between the Prophet, Tecumseh and Harrison, Harrison sought and received approval from a reluctant Secretary of State to use force against the Indians on the probably specious grounds that Britain was supporting the tribal resistance. Harrison then undertook a lengthy march to Prophetstown, which the Indians were able to observe and monitor. On the eve of the battle, peace negotiations were scheduled, but a battle ensued nonetheless. While it remains unclear which side initiated the fighting, in the later 1840 presidential campaign Harrison claimed credit for a great victory and assumed the mantle of a hero. Doubts about the result of the battle and about the effectiveness of Harrison’s leadership were widespread at the time and have persisted and grown ever since.

Jortner aptly concludes that the Battle of Tippecanoe proved disastrous for both sides and points out that the War of 1812, which followed the battle, was a product of American expansionism and hubris from which the United States was fortunate to escape with no loss of territory. Jortner is less than convincing in arguing that the War of 1812 was a “holy war” as waged by the United States, followed by a wave of awakenings that changed the religious character of the young republic from the deism of the Revolutionary generation to 19th-century evangelical Christianity. This observation does not appear to advance Jortner’s argument on what he sees as the broad, independent role of religion in public life. Furthermore, Jortner is unconvincing in his attempt to tie in religious revivalism with the result of the War of 1812.

Extending his multifocal reach even further, Jortner adds an argument for the importance of contingency in the course of human events. Though tempting to assume the inevitability of American triumphalism, the author maintains in this historical sequence, for example, that with small changes at critical moments by individuals, the Indians might well have succeeded in establishing a buffer state between the United States and Canada. The many different claims Jortner makes in this book, together with its unfocused organization, make this study diffuse and not entirely successful.

The Gods of Prophetstown covers a period of history that most Americans do not know well. The War of 1812 remains the least understood of our country’s wars. A chronology would be useful in helping readers follow the events recounted in this book. Yet, with its difficulties, Jortner’s book still offers a provocative approach to American–Indian relationships in the early years of the United States, one that might open the door for additional thoughtful, novel study.

This review was originally published in the Washington Independent Review of Books, January 27. 2012.

Robin Friedman

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was another one of those books that did not hold my attention very well because I was not very interested in the topic.

[Richard Malz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the time spent, engaging and obviously well researched and told. Great book!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Picked up this book at the Tippecanoe gift shop

[Van Jones]

Worst book that I have read in my life!

[Gregg Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in Ohio, I learned in my state history classes that William Henry Harrison was one of a total of eight – count ‘em – presidents from my the Buckeye State. That made him one of my favorites. After reading Jortner’s “The Gods of Prophetstown,” though, I consider the man to have been a bit of a power-hungry narcissistic bigot. And, it turns out, it is only by a tremendous stretch that he can even be considered from Ohio.

I also learned about the great Battle of Tippecanoe in those Ohio history courses. It was presented as one of the definitive clashes between the courageous Americans, who came to bring freedom and civilization to the frontier, and the heathen savages, led by a devil-inspired soothsayer who called himself The Open Door. In reality, the battle settled nothing. American casualties were higher than Indian. Although Prophetstown was evacuated, the Americans did not have the manpower to occupy it. Before long, the Indians had re-grouped under Tecumseh to wage several battles where they reclaimed, albeit briefly, large parts of the Indiana Territory. The finality of the Battle of Tippecanoe was the work of some political mythologizing on the part of Harrison, when he later ran for President.

As a casual researcher, I appreciate that the work stands up to scholarly standards without stifling the intrigue and human interest behind the narrative. It’s really too good of a story to ruin, though. Jortner characterizes the cponflic as a battle between gods: the deist Christian Father who left men to run their own affairs, and the apocalyptic Great Spirit of the Shawnee who produced miracles and demanded obedience. In that respect, the solar eclipse of 1806 was nothing more than an astronomical novelty to the deists, while it was a sign and a warning to the Shawnee. In hindsight, neither god was all-powerful, and their worshippers on both sides had to go back and re-think their theologies. Nothing that happened was inevitable.

Reconsidering how things might have been different is almost enough to make a person wish that they hadn’t turned out quite the way that they did.

[Brian Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was most intrigued by the religious aspect of the story that is generally left out when examining this time period. There was a religious struggle occurring in the US in this era between spiritualist Christians and Deists which in turn influenced Harrison's decision making and the religion taught by the Prophet.

This book also re-examines much of the original writings and letters from that time period (which is well sourced) to make a good case for the idea that it was the Prophet and not his brother Tecumseh that was the true Shawnee leader of this time period. I think people forget or do not know that what we have accepted as the "true" historical record was, in many cases developed long after the events took place. For example, the supposed success of Tippecanoe is a great example of revisionism history that was invented when Harrison ran for President decades later. Sometimes "details" of events didn't show up in the historical record for close to a hundred years later and then those books are used as sources by other historians, and so on. Other times context matters greatly, such as Harrison's famous praise of Tecumseh's leadership skills which could be interpreted not as admiration and flattery but as a warning and a justification for war.

All in all it was a good read but not a great place to start if you are unfamiliar with this part of history. Potential readers should already have a good grasp of the events leading up to the War of 1812 and some understanding of the main characters.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took awhile to get into mostly because of the author's use of extensive vocabulary most of the general public would never use or know. He is a professor of history and it shows. A cross between a scholarly article and a regular history book. He also uses a lot of flashbacks which hinder the progression of the story. Any history buff would love this book and once involved in the situations described,there is fascinating information no history book in school ever taught. You finally realize the reasons and motivations behind what drove events that we in hindsight assume too often were cut and dried and without question. It makes you wonder outside all of the greed and self-righteous agendas, this supposed Manifest Destiny, what America could have been if Indians and Americans would have been allowed to exist among each other in peace.

[AdultNonFiction Teton County Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

TCL Call #: WA 973.5 JORTNER A

Joe's review: 3 stars

This is one of those books that throws objective history out the window. Jortner definitely had an agenda while writing this book (hint it wasn't to flatter William Henry Harrison). Jortner does do a good job of explaining the conflict between the white settlers and the Indian tribes, however his commentary on the facts is undisguised bias. Still he is able to draw some compelling comparisons in a dual biography of the Indian prophet/chief Tenskawatawa and Harrison. Showing that both men were more similar than one would expect. With each one believing their God wanted them to inhabit the land. Jortner reminds us that American expansion into Indian territory was not a "Preordained certainty" but rather the result of an extraordinary time and these extraordinary men's actions.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating look into the history of the American frontier. The author tries to approach it from a more Native American perspective, trying to turn around the traditional way that the story of the American frontier is told. The author challenges the commonly accepted notion that defeat of the Native Americans was inevitable. He also examines religion of both the Indians and the Americans, and how that affected the events of the time period. He also delves into the character of both William Henry Harrison and Tenskwatawa, comparing and contrasting them as leaders. This is a great book to learn a lot about people who have been relegated to almost footnotes of history, and to challenge common perceptions.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up and living in west central Ohio Tecumseh and Blue Jacket have achieved near mythic status. This book turns A. Ekert's novel The Frontiersman on its head by placing the Prophet at the center of the native American wars in the early 19th century. It is near sacrosanct in Ohio history that Tecumseh was the brilliant leader and his brother a pagan fanatic that destroyed the Indian coalition. This book should be be used to challenge or at least add depth to what we thought was settled Ohio history.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Jortner, you cannot just assert over and over that "From the very outset, the collision between Harrison and the Prophet was over religious truth - over whose god should rule the Ohio country." You provide plenty of evidence of Tenskwatawa's religious vision, but Harrison does not appear to have any religious vision at all. He wants power. He will do anything to get it and keep it including mocking, lying, cheating, stealing, killing (none of which are very "religious" values.)

In addition, your tone is really annoying and condescending.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and informative book about 2 notables in the American west at the time, William Henry Harrison and Tenskatawa, the Prophet and Tecumse'h brother. The book provides a detailed portrayal of both individuals and their fight for what they feel is right for their Individual nations. I learned a lot about both men and the people that ssurrounded them.

[Bryan Woerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was more than just a bio on Harrison or a description of the Battle of Tippecanoe, it was a treatise on the chaotic politics of the early US government as well as the culture and politics of the Native Americans at the time.

It's worth reading if you're into American history and cultural knowledge!

[Camden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+ stuff, lots of good info and ideas here, and he stops to contextualize info all the time in interesting ways. Not perfect by any means of course but definitely worth your time if you want to read about any of the issues it deals with.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting