I remember when I was a kid I spent the weekend with my cousin Annie. My Aunt Edna (Annie’s mom) took Annie, Grandma, and me to Battleground. We went to see the tombstones at the Memorial. Aunt Edna and Grandma took Annie and me certain tombstone. The name on the tombstone was Isaac White. Aunt Edna told us Isaac White was one of our ancestors. I am not sure if that was family lore but I, as a kid, thought it was wonderful having an ancestor die in the Battle Of Tippecanoe. This article brought back the memory.
Compared to last year’s three-day bicentennial celebration, the 201st Battle of Tippecanoe Commemoration was a tame affair.
Boasting a day’s worth of educational programs, a memorial flag lowering and a handful of re-enactors, visitors to the event were able to stop by and take in the attractions at their own pace.
But despite the more laid-back atmosphere, the passion for the event and battle it highlights was as intense as ever.
“I think it’s extremely important to learn about this piece of local history that had such a large impact on our nation’s history,” said Lafayette’s Carolyn Freeman who made the trip to the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum with her grandson Sunday afternoon. “This is where we come from, so to learn about the events that shaped our community and pass that information on — it’s very important.”
Fought on Nov. 7, 1811, the Battle of Tippecanoe pitted American forces against a confederation of American Indians from several tribes who were living near the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers.
The U.S. Army troops were commanded by Gen. William Henry Harrison, and the Indians were led by the Prophet Tenskwatawa, brother of Tecumseh, a Shawnee who wanted to settle on the land.
According to various historical accounts, U.S. casualties’ amounted to 62 men killed or mortally wounded and 126 others less gravely injured.
Native American casualties, while not precisely recorded, may have ranged from 44 to as many as 50 killed and up to 80 wounded.
Sunday’s commemoration featured five speakers that touched on different aspects of the battle and the era.
The educational sessions started with a presentation from Michael E. Dotson, a western historian and Adjutant of DuBois’s Company of Spies and Guides.
Dotson’s company of re-enactors — which formed about two years ago in preparation for the bicentennial — set up camp just south of the Battlefield Museum throughout the day.
“They were handpicked men out of the Vincennes area, and they were Harrison’s eyes and ears. They reported to him and no one else,” Dotson said.
Dotson, a Monon resident, added that the quality and scale of last year’s celebration helped bring much-needed attention to the Battle of Tippecanoe.
“I never really paid that much attention to the battle before that,” he said. “I can tell u all this has really caught on, and it’s right in my backyard.”
Brad DeLude, a member of DuBois’s Company of Spies and Guides who brings with him more than three decades of re-enacting experience, agreed, stating that the significance of this moment in American history should not be overlooked.
“The battle here is glanced over in history. I don’t even know if they teach it in history anymore,” DeLude said. “But what happened here was very important for the whole outcome of the United States. Had this battle not happened, it would have vastly changed American history.”
