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William Henry Harrison: American Indians
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Harrison's orders from the President were not to take aggressive action unless absolutely necessary. Harrison intended to hold a parley with the Prophet on the 7th. If there were no successful outcome, he would then attack and disperse Prophetstown. Jo Daviess and others urged him to attack at once, and teach the savages a lesson, but Harrison was firm. Daviess saw the chances of military glory dissipating if the situation were resolved by diplomacy and they marched back to Vincennes without a fight. No one, not even Harrison, expected the Indians to attack the camp.
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It was an absurdly cold day, March 4, 1841, when Harrison was to take the oath of office. Nevertheless, he braved the weather with no coat on, and delivered the longest inaugural address in American history, at nearly two hours. During this address he caught a cold, which developed into pneumonia. He passed away a month later, the first American president to die in office.
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Harrison ravaged the surrounding villages, but unlike most American commanders, gave strict orders against murdering women, children, and the aged. The hostile Indians, largely Pottawatomies, Kickapoos and Menominees, dispersed to their homes or lurked in the friendly villages, dismayed by the failure of the Prophet's medicine. The Prophet himself lay low, but did not leave the Wabash. Tecumseh was far away among the Creeks, and had ordered the Prophet not to fight. He was exasperated by the result, when he heard what had been done. Tecumseh's support evaporated; when he returned, his alliance was in ruins, and the tribes scattered.
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Harrison was nationally known as a war hero, but he had no record on political issues and his appeal was enormous. His election was more significant for the new style of politics it demonstrated than for his subsequent tenure in office because he served only one month before dying of pneumonia. He may have contracted the illness at his inaugural ceremony, which took place on the coldest inauguration day in American history. Harrison was the first President to die in office.
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Harrison fought in many battles against the Indian confederacy, including Tecumseh's War leading him to have the nickname William "Tecumseh" Harrison. He ... fought another battle near the Tippecanoe River, known for its dangerous rapids earned another nickname "Tippecanoe."
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In 1799 Harrison was elected territorial delegate to Congress. As delegate, Harrison endeared himself to the frontier voters by persuading Congress to divide the public lands of the territory into small homestead lots, to be sold to settlers under four-year credit terms. The sale of these public lands was legalized by the Land Act of 1800. When in the same year the Indiana Territory was carved out of the Northwest Territory by another piece of legislation pressed by Harrison, he was appointed governor of the Indiana Territory.
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