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The Battle of Tippecanoe, 1811: Harrison and Tecumseh's Confederacy

American frontier · 7 November 1811 · United States vs Native confederacy · ~6 min read · Updated October 2026

By Echoes of Battle

The Battle of Tippecanoe, 7 November 1811, lithograph

At a glance

United StatesGov. William Henry Harrison
vs
Tecumseh's ConfederacyTenskwatawa, the Prophet
Date
7 November 1811
Location
Near Prophetstown, Indiana Territory (Tippecanoe River)
Period
Tecumseh's War
Outcome
American victory
By the numbers
SideStrengthLosses
United States~1,000~190 killed and wounded1
Native confederacy~500 to 700 warriors1Losses uncertain, likely fewer

Figures are approximate; Native losses are not recorded precisely.

Quick answer

At the Battle of Tippecanoe on 7 November 1811, American forces under Governor William Henry Harrison1 withstood a pre-dawn attack by warriors of Tecumseh's Native confederacy near Prophetstown in the Indiana Territory, then destroyed the settlement. Tecumseh himself was away.1 The clash weakened his growing confederacy and later gave Harrison the campaign slogan 'Tippecanoe and Tyler too.'

On the Wabash in 1811, two visions of the frontier collided. Tecumseh was building a confederacy to stop American expansion; William Henry Harrison marched to break it. The battle came at dawn, at the place called Tippecanoe.

Part of The greatest battles in American history · Next: The Battle of Lake Erie

Tecumseh's confederacy

As American settlers pressed west, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh worked to unite the Native nations of the frontier into a confederacy2 that would resist further land cessions. Its spiritual centre was Prophetstown, led by his brother3 Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet.

Painted portrait of Tenskwatawa wearing a red headscarf, ear ornaments and holding ritual objects
Tenskwatawa, the Prophet, brother of Tecumseh, painted by George Catlin in 1830 to 1832. Public domain

The march on Prophetstown

With Tecumseh away recruiting in the south, Governor William Henry Harrison marched a force up the Wabash and camped near Prophetstown, seeking either to overawe the confederacy or to provoke a fight while its leader was gone.

Oil portrait of William Henry Harrison in a dark military coat with gold epaulettes
William Henry Harrison, governor of Indiana Territory and commander at Tippecanoe, painted by Rembrandt Peale in about 1813. Public domain

The dawn attack

Before dawn on 7 November the warriors attacked Harrison's camp4, hoping to surprise and scatter it. The soldiers held their lines through fierce fighting in the dark, and when daylight came the attackers, short of ammunition, drew off.

Hand-drawn 19th century map of a river bend with handwritten notes marking Prophetstown and the battle site
A treaty map of 1819 by Joseph S. Allen marking Prophetstown and the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe on the Wabash. Public domain
Tecumseh was building a nation of nations, and Tippecanoe struck at its heart.

Prophetstown burned

Harrison's men then advanced on Prophetstown, found it abandoned, and burned it along with its stores4. The destruction struck a blow at the confederacy's base, though it did not destroy the movement itself.

Why Tippecanoe mattered

Tippecanoe damaged Tecumseh's confederacy and inflamed the frontier on the eve of the War of 18125, in which Tecumseh allied with the British and was later killed. For Harrison the battle became a lasting political asset, remembered decades later in his presidential slogan, Tippecanoe and Tyler too.6

Printed sheet music titled Tip and Ty with several staves of notes and lyrics
Tip and Ty, a comic Whig glee published for the 1840 presidential campaign, when Harrison ran on the memory of Tippecanoe. Cornell University Collection of Political Americana. Public domain

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the Battle of Tippecanoe?

It was fought on 7 November 1811 near Prophetstown, by the Tippecanoe River in the Indiana Territory.

Who fought at Tippecanoe?

American forces under Governor William Henry Harrison against warriors of Tecumseh's Native confederacy, inspired by Tecumseh's brother Tenskwatawa, the Prophet, who urged them on from Prophet's Rock.

Was Tecumseh at the battle?

No. Tecumseh was away recruiting other nations, and the attack was launched without him.

Who won the Battle of Tippecanoe?

The Americans held their ground and then destroyed Prophetstown, so the battle is counted an American victory.

Why is Tippecanoe remembered?

It weakened Tecumseh's confederacy before the War of 1812 and later gave Harrison the famous campaign slogan 'Tippecanoe and Tyler too.'

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

  1. American Battlefield Trust, “Tippecanoe” ↩ a b c d
  2. John Sugden, Tecumseh: A Life (Henry Holt and Company, 1998). ↩
  3. R. David Edmunds, The Shawnee Prophet (University of Nebraska Press, 1983). ↩
  4. The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Battle of Tippecanoe” ↩ a b
  5. Adam Jortner, The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier (Oxford University Press, 2011). ↩
  6. Miller Center, University of Virginia, “William Henry Harrison: Campaigns and Elections” ↩
  7. Wikipedia, “Battle of Tippecanoe”

Hold the camp at Tippecanoe

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