The War of 1812 - a First Nations Perspective
Before war, the U.S. wanted to expand its territories, fueling the invasion of native homelands. Tribal nations of the lower Great Lakes, including the
Shawnee,
Potawatomi,
Ojibwa, and others saw their homelands at risk. The same was true for the
Muscogee Creek,
Seminole,
Choctaw,
Cherokee and
Chickasaw in the south.
Some sided with the Americans - Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother led a
Seneca splinter group at the Battles of Fort George and Chippewa; but most sided with the British, believing a British victory would end U.S. expansion. In addition to the Lower Great Lakes Indians, led by
Tecumseh, and Southern Indians, the Mohawks fought under
Chief John Norton for their homelands in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario.
Shawnee war chief, Tecumseh, and his brother, the Prophet, also known as
Tenskatawa, created critical leadership roles in the war. By 1811, Tecumseh had constructed a confederation of more than two dozen Indian nations. The French and Indian War, called the
Seven Year's War in Canada (1756-1763) and the
American Revolution (1775-1783) had cost many native lives and land. Tecumseh argued that an Indian
confederation held the best hope of stopping U.S. westward expansion. He gained support and respect and
many followers, although the Choctaws remained neutral and
Pushmataha, the Choctaw leader, opposed Tecumseh's grand alliance.
In 1811, when Tecumseh was in the South, a group of natives led by Tenskwatawa, attacked U.S. army forces in the
Battle of Tippecanoe. Despite being a draw, U.S. General William Henry Harrison declared victory and subsequently sacked and burned Prophetstown, Tecumseh's home base in the Indiana territory.
The First Nations fought forty battles and skirmishes against the U.S., and they were essential to the British success at both Detroit
and Queenston. At the
Battle of Beaver Dams, native warriors, with no British help, defeated the Americans, taking 500 prisoners of war. However,
the most significant battle was in 1813 when Tecumseh and his warriors, deserted by the British forces, faced a pursuing army of Americans led by William Henry Harrison at the
Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh promised his warriors that there would be no retreat and he was mortally wounded.
This victory cleared the way for the U.S. claim to the native interior of North America. After the War of 1812, the U.S. negotiated over two hundred Indian treaties that involved the ceding of Indian lands and 99 of these agreements resulted in the creation of reservations west of the Mississippi River. The War of 1812, the treaty that ended it and British infidelity proved devastating to all of the eastern Indian nations.
(Source: PBS News)
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