Chapter 15
Section 15 of Four American Indians by Edson L. Whitney and Francis M. Perry. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapters 1 and 2 of The Story of Tecumseh by Francis M. Perry. Chapter 1. Early Years The great Indian leader Pontiac died in 1769,
disappointed in his attempt to unite the Indians in a confederacy strong enough to withstand the white race. But the struggle between the red man and the white was not ended. At about the time of the old chief's death, a child was born among the Shawnee Indians who was to take up the cause of his people with equally great courage and intelligence. This child was called Tecumseh, which means shooting star.
The tribe to which Tecumseh belonged had not yielded to the temptations offered by the white man. Although many of the tribes north of the Ohio River, through the influence of alms and whiskey, were fast losing their savage virtues and becoming spiritless beggars, idle, drunken, and quarrelsome, the Shawnees were still strong and warlike. Several of the Shawnee tribes lived together in a large village on Mad River,
not far from the place where Springfield, Ohio, now stands. There they had built for themselves rude huts made of sapling logs. Around these lodges on the fertile land along the river were cornfields, where the Indian women worked while the men hunted or went to war. In this village, on a bluff near the river, stood Tecumseh's first home.
His father was chief of a small tribe and was highly respected for his courage and good sense. His mother, the daughter of a chief, was a woman of strong character. As Tecumseh was the son of such worthy parents, and as he was one of three brothers born on the same day, he was regarded even in babyhood with uncommon interest. The superstitious Indians believed that the three little boys would become extraordinary men. Two of them, Tecumseh and his brother, Laloasakau, fulfilled the largest expectations of their friends.
The child, Tecumseh, was a bright-eyed, handsome little fellow, at once winning and masterful in manner. His favorite pastime was playing war. The boys he played with always made him chief and were as devoted to him as ever Indians were to a real chief. It is no wonder that at this time the Shawnee children played war, for their elders were almost constantly fighting with settlers. Tecumseh's childhood was far from a peaceful, happy one.
He learned early the oppressive gloom and the wild excitement that accompanied war. He was called upon, now to take part in the fierce rejoicing that followed an Indian victory, again to join in the mournful wailing of the women when the dead warriors were brought from the battlefield. But his experience of war was not limited to celebrating and mourning distant victories and defeats. The enemy did not spare the village in which he lived.
He knew that when the Braves were on the warpath, the children must stay near their mother's lodge. For several times, runners had come in hot haste bidding the squaws flee with their papooses to the forest and hide there till the pale faces had passed. It made little Tecumseh's heart beat hard to think of the excitement and terror of those days. Even in time of peace, Tecumseh was accustomed to suffering and discontent.
Food and clothing were so scarce that the Indians were often in want of enough to eat and wear. Children died from the effects of hunger and cold, and men and women grew gaunt and stern. Frequently the hunters came home empty-handed or bringing only small game. They attributed all their troubles to the long knives, as they called the white men, who they said had stolen their hunting grounds.
So when Tecumseh was but a child, he hated the pale faces and was glad when his tribe made war against them. In 1774, the Ohio Indians learned that the Virginians were coming into their country to destroy their villages. Accordingly, all able-bodied warriors took up their weapons and went with the proud chief, Cornstalk, to meet the enemy. Tecumseh's father and eldest brother, Chisikow, were among the number. After anxious waiting, those who had stayed behind were gladdened by the good news that
for the present their homes were safe. But many of those homes had been made desolate by the battles waged in their defense. Chisikau came home from the war alone. His father had fallen in battle. The mother and her children ceased their wailing and for the time forgot their loss as they
sat by the fire with Chisikau and heard the young warrior talk of his first battle. He said that he wished to die on the battlefield as his father had done, for an Indian could hope for no better end. He told what a good fight the Indians had made and how brave their leader had been. All over the field, he said, you could hear Cornstalk shout to his men,
Be strong! Be brave! The warriors had more fear of Cornstalk's hatchet than of the long knife's guns. They did not dare to run. Some tried it, but Cornstalk buried his tomahawk in the head of the first, and the rest turned back to fight the palefaces.
When the battle was over, Cornstalk called a council and said, The palefaces are coming against us in great numbers. We cannot drive them back. What shall we do? Shall we fight a while longer, kill a few more of them, and then yield?
Shall we put to death our women and children and fight till we die? No one spoke. Then he said, I see you will not fight. I will go and make peace with the white men. And he made us a good peace. Cornstalk is the greatest chief we have had since Pontiac. Then followed stories of the great Pontiac, who had tried to make the Indian tribes stop fighting
with one another and unite their strength against the white man. Thus, before Tecumseh could talk plainly, he heard about the heroes of his race and learned what was expected of a good Indian. From this time, the youthful warrior, Chisikow, took his father's place as head of the family. He not only provided the family with food and clothing, but also looked after the education of his younger brothers.
Tecumseh was his favorite, and he strove to teach him all that was needful to make him a brave warrior and a good man. Chapter 2. Youth During Tecumseh's boyhood, the Revolutionary War was being fought.
The Indians took the part of the British. It was natural that they should feel a more bitter hatred for the colonists who had actually taken their lands and fought against them than they had for the distant, mysterious king, whom they had been taught to call father and to regard as a superior being. Besides, they little doubted that the king who had already beaten the French could subdue
his own rebellious subjects, and they looked forward to the reward he would give them for their aid when the war was over. The victories of the colonists were familiar topics of discussion among the Indians. They spoke with increasing uneasiness of the deeds of Washington, Putnam, and Green, but the name to them more terrible than all the rest was that of George Rogers Clark. With sinking hearts they heard of his victories on the frontier.
In the summer of 1780, scouts brought word to the Shawnees on Mad River that this dreaded soldier was approaching with his army. Though alarmed, the Indians determined to do what they could to save the cabins and fort which they had built with much toil, and the growing corn upon which they depended for their winter food.
Three hundred warriors assembled in the village. They held a hurried council and decided to advance to meet Clark's army and surprise him with an attack at daybreak. But if there was a surprise where General Clark was concerned, he was usually the man to give it. Accordingly, the Indians learned with dismay that their plan could not be carried out, for General Clark's army, by forced marches, had reached and was already surrounding their villages.
The Indians had built a fort, but now they were afraid to use it and took refuge in their log huts. They began to cut holes in the walls so that they might fire on the enemy. When General Clark heard this, he said, Hold on a minute, and I'll make holes enough for them. With that, he ordered up his cannon and caused it to be fired into the village.
The Indians were so terrified that all who could do so fled into the woods and swamps. The rest fell an easy prey to the soldiers, who killed many warriors, made prisoners of the women and children, burned the houses, and cut down the corn. Tecumseh and his brothers were among those who escaped the sword of Clark, but they could not forget the distress of their kindred.
Tecumseh was too young to take part in this battle, Although he spent much time in fighting sham battles, it was not until six years later that he had an opportunity to fight in a real one. In 1786, he and his elder brother went out with a band of warriors to check or drive back Captain Logan, who was advancing toward Mad River. In an encounter near Dayton, the boy was forced for the first time to face a cavalry charge. He had never imagined anything so terrifying.
He saw those great rushing horses, the cruel flash of steel. He forgot his hatred of the white man, his dreams of glory. His only thought was to save his life. He threw down his gun and ran. As soon as he recovered from his fright, he felt very much ashamed of his cowardly conduct.
He was eager for another opportunity to test his courage. Fortunately for him, he did not have to wait long. Tecumseh was with a party of Indians who attacked some flatboats on the Ohio River. The boats were taken, and all the men in charge of them were killed except one, who was made a prisoner. This was an important occasion in the life of Tecumseh.
He acted with such daring and bravery that the old warriors of the party were astonished. From that night, the Shawnees spoke of Tecumseh as a brave. Besides winning the good opinion of others, he regained his self-respect and conquered fear. The memory of this victory was not pleasant to Tecumseh. It was followed by the burning of the prisoner.
Although the burning of prisoners was not rare among the Shawnee Indians, this was the first time Tecumseh had seen a man put to death in that barbarous manner, and he grew sick and faint with horror at the sight. But this time he was terrified not for himself, but for another, and he was not ashamed of his feelings. Boy, though he was, he stood before the older Indians and told them plainly what he thought of their cruel act.
He spoke with so much power that he made all who heard him feel as he did about it, and they all agreed never again to take part in so inhuman a practice. On this night, Tecumseh gave glimpses of the man he was to be. He proved his valor. He showed mercy.
He influenced warriors by his words. End of section 15
