The Prophet was the brother of TECUMSEH and an important Native American religious leader in the early 19th century. He was born in present-day Ohio in 1775, one of a set of triplets born to Puckeshinwa and Methoataske. Unfortunately for the young Shawnee, his father, a war chief, was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant (October 10, 1774). His mother, a Creek, abandoned her children and fled the Ohio region during the turmoil of the REVOLUTIONARY War (1775-83). The young orphan and his brothers, including his elder brother Tecumseh, were raised by an older brother named Chiksika and older sister named Tecumpease. These older siblings favored Tecumseh over his younger brothers because he showed signs of becoming an excellent hunter and warrior. The boy who would become the Prophet was never a good hunter and showed no prowess for war. He even gouged his eye out in a hunting accident. The young man attempted to compensate for his deficiencies by talking boldly, earning him the nickname Lalawethika, which meant “the Rattle” or “Noisemaker.” As Lalawethika grew into adulthood, he became a notorious drunkard and underachiever. He followed his brother Tecumseh at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (August 20, 1794), but his performance was not meritorious.
His first 30 years passed without Lalawethika finding a role in Shawnee society. He attempted to become a healer with little success. By 1804, Lalawethika had joined his brother Tecumseh and his followers in Indiana. In April 1805, Lalawethika lapsed into a comatose state and awakened a changed man. He said he had experienced a vision in which he had gone to the Master of Life, or Great Spirit, and seen the paradise of the spirit world. Lalawethika had been told by the Great Spirit that in order to go to the spirit world, the Indians had to adopt a stricter and more traditional way of life. No longer could the Indians drink alcohol, eat non-Indian food, or follow any of the practices of European-American culture. In fact, the Indians had to restrict all contact with European Americans, especially those from the United States. To reflect his newfound religious calling, Lalawethika adopted the name Tenskwatawa, or “The Open Door.” He gave up drinking and became a holy figure known to European Americans as the Prophet.
During the next several years, Tenskwatawa spread his message and attracted a large following. William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, attempted to discredit Tenskwatawa and called him a fraud. Tenskwatawa accurately predicted a solar eclipse in 1806, solidifying his claim to be a prophet. Tenskwatawa and his followers moved to various locations in Ohio and Indiana, constantly facing supply problems and famine. In 1808 Tenskwatawa and his brother Tecumseh, who served as the organizer and everyday leader of the Prophet’s followers, moved their village to Prophetstown on the Tippecanoe River in western Indiana. By 1811 Tecumseh was building a political alliance in unison with Tenskwatawa’s religious movement. Tecumseh hoped to ally all of the tribes on the frontier to resist further expansion by the United States. While Tecumseh was in the South recruiting allies, Governor Harrison formed an army and destroyed Prophetstown at the Battle of Tippecanoe (November 7, 1811). Much of the blame for the defeat fell on the shoulders of Tenskwatawa, who had promised the warriors that he could protect them from the bullets of Harrison’s army. As a result of his failure, Tenskwatawa lost most of his influence. During the War of 1812 (1812-15), he followed Tecumseh into Canada, where Tecumseh died at the Battle of the Thames (October 5, 1813). After the war, Tenskwatawa and a few family members remained in Canada. He returned to the United
States in 1825 and assisted the government in removing many of the Shawnee to Missouri. He established a village near modern Kansas City, where he died in 1836.
Further reading: R. David Edmunds, The Shawnee Prophet (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983).
—Michael L. Cox
Pulaski, Casimir (1748-1779) Polish exile and Continental army general
A petulant and at times pretentious man, Casimir Pulaski fled Poland to serve in the Continental army. Despite his aristocratic heritage, he identified with the revolutionary cause and commanded a unit of the Continental army called Pulaski’s Legion, which was largely recruited from German deserters from British service. His intractability hindered his effectiveness as a leader, and his record in combat was mixed.
Pulaski was born the second child of an unusually wealthy family in Poland. During the late 1760s, he fought alongside his father in the Knights of the Holy Cross in
Polish soldier Casimir Pulaski (Independence National Historical Park)
Opposition to Russian control of Poland through King Stan-islaw II. Although this movement crumbled in the wake of military defeat, Pulaski continued to lead periodic campaigns against the Russians. For a short time he became the nation’s most venerated hero. This fame came to a crashing halt, however, when he was framed for the attempted murder of the Polish king. Stigmatized and in terrible debt from his futile military campaigns, Pulaski fled to France only to be thrown into debtors’ prison. With virtually nowhere else to go, Pulaski appealed to the American revolutionaries and offered his services in the summer of 1776.
In July 1777, Pulaski arrived in North America, the beneficiary of a deal between representatives from the governments of France and the United States. Armed with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin, Pulaski met with George Washington in August. Although he had yet to receive his commission and had only volunteered to serve as an aid to Washington, he was pressed into service at the Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777). The Pole led a dramatic counterattack on the British that, at the very least, afforded time for Washington’s collapsing right flank to retreat.
Pulaski also led cavalry at Haddonsfield in support of General Anthony Wayne’s expedition to round up cattle. After resigning in protest of having to take orders from Wayne rather than Washington, he gained reappointment in March 28, 1778, to lead Pulaski’s Legion, a force composed of 68 dragoons and 200 foot soldiers. Pulaski’s policy of recruiting German deserters from the British army, in violation of Washington’s orders, proved disastrous. During the British raid on Little Egg Harbor (October 6-22, 1778) in southern New Jersey, one of these men defected back to the British and led a devastating attack on Pulaski’s unsuspecting infantry. Fifty of his 200 infantrymen died in the night assault.
After a brief stint at the town of Minisink on the Delaware River, Pulaski was sent south to help meet the British invasion of Georgia. On May 11, 1779, during this southern campaign, Pulaski’s Legion was cut to pieces by a 900-man advanced guard. Already in ill repute, Pulaski found himself involved in yet another bungled operation when the British, tipped off by a deserter, defeated the revolutionaries during their attack on Savannah on October 9, 1779.
Pulaski suffered a fatal wound that day and died en route to a hospital on the U. S. ship Wasp. He was buried at sea. Still a national hero in his native country, Pulaski remains a symbol of the bonds between Poland and the United States. See also siege of Savannah.
Further reading: Clarence A. Manning, A Soldier of Liberty: Casi-mir Pulaski (New York: Philosophical Library, 1945).
—Daniel M. Cobb
Putnam, Israel (Old Put) (1718-1790) Continental army general
By the beginning of the Revolutionary War (1775-83) Israel Putnam had established a reputation as a soldier. Born in present-day Danvers, Massachusetts, Putnam moved to Pomfret, Connecticut, where he farmed for a living. He fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63), serving in campaigns at Montreal in 1760 and the siege of Havana in 1762, before commanding Connecticut forces during Pontiac’s War (1763-64) at Detroit. He was also a member of the general assembly and the Sons of Liberty during the 1760s and 1770s. An outspoken critic of the British, legend has it that he immediately abandoned his farm to join the war effort after hearing about the fighting at the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775). During the Revolutionary War he rose to the rank of major general in the Continental army. He played a key role in the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775) but blundered in subsequent actions, suffering blame for losses in the Battle of Long Island (August 27-30, 1776) and the capture of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton (October 6, 1777). Court-martialed for negligence, he was exonerated, but he had lost the faith of George Washington. In 1779 Putnam succumbed to a paralytic stroke while on leave thus bringing his military career to an end. He died 11 years later.
Further reading: William Farrand Livingston, Israel Putnam: Pioneer, Ranger, and Major-General (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1905).
—Sarah Eppler Janda
World History
