Volume 16 , Issue 4

Tecumseh's Comet & Battle of Tippecanoe

The 1811 and 1812 earthquakes were preceded by the appearance of a great comet [Tecumseh's Comet, America (or Napoleon's Comet, in Europe)]. The comet was visible around the globe for seventeen months, and was at its brightest during the earthquakes.

This comet had an orbit of 3,065 years, and was last seen during the time of Ramses II in Egypt.

Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian leader whose name meant "Shooting Star" or "He who talks across the sky." Tecumseh, a great orator and military leader, organized a confederation of Indian tribes to oppose the takeover of three million acres of Indian lands, which were obtained by the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809. Tecumseh's brother was a religious leader called "The Prophet," had gained fame when he foretold the total eclipse of the sun on 16 June, 1806.

It was during this time, the Governor of Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison, worried about "The Prophet's" popularity, and challenged him to produce a miracle. Around that time after the day of the "Black Sun," it was said the "Black Sun" could predict a future war. On 17 September 1811 there was another solar eclipse, which was predicted by "The Prophet." "Prophet's Town" was located near the junction of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers in northern Indiana. Tecumseh was traveling and recruiting warriors among the southeastern tribes, when Governor Harrison attacked "Prophet's Town" with over a thousand men on 6 November 1811. A pre-emptive strike by the U.S. marked the beginning of Tecumseh's War. On December 16, 1811, when the earthquakes began. Tecumseh was at the Shawnee and Delaware Indian villages near Cape Girardeau, 50 miles north of the epicenter at New Madrid.

The earthquakes continued as Tecumseh traveled back to Prophet's Town, arriving there in February, 1812. Tecumseh's followers lost the Battle of Tippecanoe, but they continued to fight as allies of the British during the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain. Tecumseh was killed in battle in Canada in 1813. He was honored as one of the greatest of Indian leaders, in the U.S. and in Canada (where he was considered a national hero).   |  View or Add Comments (2 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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