A Dark and Dastardly Fight: The Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811

“Sleep with your moccasins on. Them Red Devils are going to fight before day.” –Comment by a member of the Indiana Militia on the evening of November 6, 1811 at the Tippecanoe Bend of Burnett’s Creek, near Prophetstown. By early 1811, tensions in the western portion of Ohio and the remaining Northwest Territory were increasing almost daily. Conflict with Great Britain loomed, and the Native American inhabitants were also alarmed regarding increasing US settler encroachments on their lands in violation of the 1795 Treaty of Greenville. Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskatawa (who many Americans nicknamed “Prophet”), traveled amongst the various tribes and nations seeking to unite the diverse native inhabitants into a force that could counter the growing US threat. Many of the followers of the brothers’ messages flocked to Prophetstown, where Tenskatawa took up residence, in the Indiana Territory. US General William Henry Harrison, alarmed at the growing force of Native American warriors, assembled an army and began moving towards Prophetstown. Tecumseh counseled that war had to be avoided until the British initiated hostilities with the US, which he believed would occur in 1812. However, Tenskatawa claimed in his visions that an earlier battle with Harrison’s army would be successful. When Tecumseh set out in late October 1811 to travel one more time to meet with the Native American leaders that were not at Prophetstown, the Prophet took the opportunity to order a daring night time attack on the American army encamped nearby. One of the most epic battles fought between the US and the Native Americans was about to take place. Can you do as well, or better? Each copy of A Dark and Dastardly Fight is composed of the following: • One 8.5 by 11 inch map with Turn Record Track. • 90 double-sided counters. • This set of rules with Game Turn/Record Track. Players will also need a standard deck of playing cards (a custom card set for this and all of the other games in the Battles of Old Northwest series is available from the publisher) and a six sided die are needed to play the game.