Why is tecumseh important to canada

In the aftermath, Tecumseh returned to try and rebuild his shattered confederacy. In the Northwest Territory, the different Native Americans tribes found their allegiances split. As British forces were stationed just outside the range of the Americans' guns, Tecumseh had his warriors repeatedly parade out from a nearby wooded area and circle back, making it appear that their numbers were much greater.

The circumstances surrounding Tecumseh's death and burial are unclear. At the time, there were several claims that one or another American soldier had killed him, though none of these claims has ever been confirmed. It is currently believed that Tecumseh's body was carried off the field and secretly buried in an unmarked grave. Exhausted Native American tribes were subsequently moved west of the Mississippi River over the next several decades.

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Crazy Horse was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who fought against being relocated to an Indian reservation. He took part in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Red Cloud was a chief of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He is best known for his success in confrontations with the U.

On 5 August, Tecumseh confronted a far more numerous force south of Brownstown, killing In another attack he surprised Van Horne, killing 20 and wounding The ambushes at Brownstown were remarkable victories and weighed heavily on Hull's fragile frame of mind. On 9 August , soldier and future writer John Richardson met Tecumseh, whom he was the first to call the real hero of the war.

He described "that ardour of expression in his eye But Tecumseh chose the ground well and signalled the attack. Outgunned, the First Nations and British were forced to retreat and Tecumseh was wounded in the neck. It was an American victory but, as happened so often in this war, there was no follow-up and the blockade of Detroit remained intact.

These incursions against his supply lines continued to disturb General Hull. On 13 August General Isaac Brock arrived at Amherstburg and the famous meeting took place between him and the Shawnee chief. Brock's aide, Captain John Glegg , described Tecumseh "with bright eyes beaming cheerfulness, energy and decision.

On the night of 15 August, hundreds of canoes glided across the river to land near Detroit, led by Tecumseh, Roundhead and others. The British followed at daylight on the 16th, south of the town.

Brock marched directly on the town while Tecumseh's men swept north through the forest. Hull had no idea how many First Nations warriors were present, but he feared thousands. British ships shelled the fort with more psychological impact than real.

Unbelievably, Hull surrendered without a shot. Hull's ignominious surrender certainly caused him and his nation grief. Unquestionably Tecumseh's harassment of his supply lines and his fear of a savage massacre at the hands of the First Nations learned from his captured letters played a big part in his decision. It was a great victory for the allies, seen by many as the saving of Upper Canada , and a demoralizing defeat for the Americans.

Tecumseh played a major role and gained the admiration of Brock, who called him the "Wellington of the Indians. It needs to be made clear, however, in this process of making Tecumseh into a Canadian hero, that he himself did not care, as one historian has put it, "a spent pistol ball" for the king or the colony of Upper Canada. Tecumseh's obsession was the plight of his people and his own ambition to unite all the First Nations.

After some failures of the allies on the Maumee and at Forts Wayne, Madison and Harrison, there was a stalemate in the mid-West. Tecumseh decided that his priority was to recruit as many warriors as he could for the defence of Canada. After a serious illness, Tecumseh returned to the Detroit area for an attack on Fort Meigs. The Americans had greatly strengthened the fort with 1, men, well-engineered defences and powerful armament.

The British began a bombardment on 30 April but Tecumseh had serious doubts about attacking the fort, which deepened with the arrival of 1, reinforcements from Kentucky. While the allies were preoccupied, Colonel John Miller slipped from the fort and surprised the British guns. Tecumseh realized what was happening and vigorously counterattacked and recovered the guns. The siege was lifted 5 May. General Procter decided, without telling Tecumseh, that his position at Amherstburg was untenable with his supply lines threatened and that he would have to withdraw.

Tecumseh was outraged and castigated Procter by likening him to "a fat animal that carries its tail upon its back; but when affrighted, it drops it between its legs and runs off. He dithered about where to make a stand, changing his mind three times, and when he chose the spot on the north bank of the Thames, 1. Prior to the Battle of the Thames Moraviantown , William Caldwell sat with Tecumseh and the chief suddenly started as if shot. Tecumseh said that he "could not exactly tell, but it was an evil spirit which betokens no good.

The redcoat line was broken in an instant. With 43 dead, the rest surrendered. Procter fled in a shameful display. When the Americans picked their way through the swamp to charge the First Nations Tecumseh had no intention of retreating without a fight, despite being outnumbered 3, to His warriors rose from cover and delivered a volley.

Tecumseh stood reassuringly tall, firing his musket and yelling encouragement. He sprinted forward at one of the Americans, who raised his gun and fired. The British lost men killed or captured in the battle, but the greatest loss was Tecumseh. His body was discovered on the field, identified by Anthony Shane. Observers noted that his body bore numerous injuries.

American soldiers had scalped the body and torn strips of skin to make razor strops. Harrison and Shane admitted to being mortified by the abuse. No one knows where the body was buried. Some stories tell of his warriors spiriting it away to an unmarked grave. Tecumseh's death was the end of serious resistance in the Northwest. Odawa Chief Naywash said it clearly: "Since our Great Chief Tecumtha [sic] has been killed we do not listen to one another, we do not rise together.

When peace came at Ghent it did nothing for the First Nations; the redcoats had failed them again. Was it necessary for Tecumseh to die prematurely at Moraviantown for him to be made into a hero? It seems unlikely for there were battles to be fought and the First Nations continued to fight. He was perhaps the major figure of all three sides in the war and little has been said of his impressive effect that was not said at the time. He disagreed because he thought that he had to have permission from all the leaders of the aboriginal tribes.

Since his wishes were not respected, he did not sign the treaty, believing it was illegal. In , Tecumseh travelled to the southern United States to look for a group of people who would support him with respect to the treaty.

In , he had still not returned from his trip. To make up for that loss, Tecumseh forged an alliance with the British when he returned from the United States, and there began the fighting against the colony that he had just betrayed. The War of The War of is of great importance to Canadians. Had the United States won this battle, we would not have this territory or our great variety of cultures, and we probably would not have this wide range of languages, like French.

The British, led by Sir Isaac Brock, defended us during the war, but Tecumseh and his men backed them when the Americans wanted to expand to the west.