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(ominous music)

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Inhabitants of Canada.

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The army under my command

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has invaded your country.

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United States offers you peace,

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liberty, and security.

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Your choice lies between these and war,

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slavery and destruction.

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We are engaged in an awful and eventful contest.

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We may teach the enemy this lesson.

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That a country defended by free men,

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enthusiastically devoted to the cause

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of their king and constitution,

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can never be conquered.

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(gunfire)

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The Americans.

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We know them to have always been the enemy

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of the aboriginal nations.

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We shall participate in the shout of victory

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or in the grave.

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(epic music)

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(adventurous music)

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In the first year of the war of 1812

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the United States would almost certainly have prevailed

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over the defenders of Canada,

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were it not for one man.

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The Shawnee war chief Tecumseh.

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His name is wrapped in myth and legend,

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but this much is known to be true.

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He was born to a warrior family.

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His father killed defending Shawnee land

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against a white settler army.

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In the archival records, friend and foe alike

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remember his natural eloquence,

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his chivalry towards the unarmed,

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his courage in battle.

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(epic music)

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In war, his British military allies

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were astonished by his generalship

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and call him the Wellington of the Indians.

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The Shawnee took it as a sign from heaven that a comet

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blazed across the sky at the moment of his birth.

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The name Tecumseh means shooting star.

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I am Shawnee.

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My forefathers were warriors.

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Their son is a warrior.

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Once there was no white man on this continent.

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It all belonged to red men.

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Once a happy race

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since made miserable by the white people.

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Who never contented, always encroaching.

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In the years leading up to war

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Tecumseh campaigned to unite Indian nations,

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which had been fighting and killing

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each other for generations.

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He saw native unity as the only way to resist

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domination by the ever expanding United States.

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His movement preached a return to fundamental values,

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turning away from the evils brought by white society,

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especially alcohol.

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The Shawnee chief established a model commune

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on the banks of the Tippecanoe River in Indiana.

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It was called Prophet's Town.

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His fame spread far and wide

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to chiefs like John Norton of the Grand River Mohawks

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in upper Canada.

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This is the word about Tecumseh.

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He denies the validity of all treaties.

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He says the great spirit has given aboriginal natives

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the soil they possess.

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They should be defended even at the expense of their lives.

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To challenge Tecumseh,

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the American government chose its champion.

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A man who would one day become president

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of the United States, General William Henry Harrison.

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Harrison realized that this was an Indian leader

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unlike any he had dealt with before.

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The implicit obedience and respect which the followers

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of Tecumseh pay to him is really astonishing.

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In more than any other circumstance bespeaks him

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one of those uncommon geniuses that spring up occasionally

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to produce revolutions

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and overturn the established order of things.

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According to historical records of their

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public and private meetings,

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Tecumseh accused Harrison and the American government

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of stealing the ancestral lands of the tribes

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and the territories south of the Great Lakes.

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Harrison rejected the allegations.

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I will tell the president what you have said.

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But since we have acquired title to these lands

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through fair treaty, I am sure this title will be upheld

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by the sword.

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Tecumseh made a strategic error

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in one encounter with Harrison.

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The Shawnee chief revealed that he was going off

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on an extended visit to Indian tribes

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in the southern United States.

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Harrison decided to turn Tecumseh's absence

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to his military advantage.

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(epic music)

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(gunfire and howling)

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While Tecumseh was gone

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American troops under Harrison's command attacked

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Indian villages throughout Indiana and the Ohio Valley,

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burning many of them to the ground.

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One of the villages destroyed by Harrison

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is Tecumseh's Prophet's Town.

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With his quest for peace in ashes,

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Tecumseh now calls on the red nations to join in alliance

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against the United States.

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As I stood on the ashes of my own home

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where my own wigwam had sent its fires

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up to the great spirit,

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I summon the spirit of those braves

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who had fallen in their vain attempts

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to protect their homes from the grasping invader.

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War now.

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War always.

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War on the living

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and war on the dead.

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(adventurous music)

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From the Mohawks in the north

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to the Creeks in the south,

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the First Nation's answered Tecumseh's call to arms.

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If we side with the British in the coming battles

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we will gain our country.

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They enter the war of 1812

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on the British and Canadian side

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and play a key role in early victories over the Americans

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at Fort Mackinac and at Detroit.

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The Michigan territory is reattached to the British empire

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and promised to the Indians as a possible

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independent native nation in North America.

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For the Americans, the defeats are a totally unexpected

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turn of events.

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But they slowly rally to the flag.

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In autumn of 1812 a new American army

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is marshaled by General Harrison

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to recapture the lost territory.

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Those brave men who may give their services

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on this occasion, may be assured that an opportunity

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of distinguishing themselves will be afforded.

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I shall command the expedition in person.

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Hundreds of American volunteers

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pour in to Indiana.

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Many are drawn by the reputation of General Harrison.

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Among the legions arriving from Kentucky

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is private Billy Atherton.

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General Harrison addressed the whole army

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in a most thrilling speech

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that kindled in the breasts of the men

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an increased desire to meet the enemy

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and a willingness to endure any privations

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they might be called to suffer.

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Men of the west.

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Your country has called you and you have answered that call.

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The innocent heads of women and children

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have fallen victim to the prey of red savages

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brought on by England.

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I'm very proud to stand with you today as you answer

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your country's call.

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Right face.

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Mark.

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Halt.

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Front.

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The regular US army is well trained

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but small in number.

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The brunt of the fighting will be born by

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American militia who would be up against

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Britain's professional army, the best in the world.

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Harrison tries to be diplomatic about his concern.

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The troops which I have with me

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perhaps the best materials for forming an army

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that the world has produced,

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but no equal number of men were ever collected

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who knew so little of military discipline.

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In the American capital, the politicians

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are astounded by the early defeats of the US army.

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President James Madison has drastically underestimated

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the power of the First Nations

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now siding with the British against him.

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His hopes and his political future are riding

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on William Henry Harrison.

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Harrison has a prospect of doing something towards

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retrieving the campaign.

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The force under his command will at least

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save the military character of the nation.

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Will satisfy Great Britain that the tendency of defeat

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is to rouse, not depress the American spirit.

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And will stamp deep on the Indian mind

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the little security they have in British protection.

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(marching music)

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Right turn.

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In the forts of upper Canada

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the British and Canadian forces are Tecumseh's key allies.

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They make disciplined preparations

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for the new American storm.

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And morale is high.

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Shoulder arms.

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Eager for a crack at the Americans

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is John Richardson, the son of a doctor

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from Queenston Ontario.

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I detested school as I was often flogged

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and meditated running away.

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The commencement of hostilities on the part

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of the United States and the unexpected appearance

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of a large body of troops signaled the end of classes.

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I felt disposed to bless the Americans

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for the bold step they'd taken.

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(marching music)

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All for praying, we're finding out.

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To defend Canada, young men have come

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from far away with the British army.

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Shadrach Byfield joined in London to follow

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the footsteps of his brothers.

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I entered the militia service in the year 1807.

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Upon hearing that I was unlisted, and having two sons

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before in the army,

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my mother was so affected that on the evening

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of the same day she fell ill in a fit.

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And we never spoke again.

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I was obliged to march off the next morning.

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She expired three days later.

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(majestic music)

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It is late in the year 1812.

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The US presidential orders to recapture the northwest

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were easy to write.

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But moving armies north across a rugged frontier

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turns out to be a daunting affair for General Harrison.

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(wind blows)

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First his forces are inundated with driving rains.

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Then comes what will prove to be

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a most devastating Canadian adversary.

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The Canadians and the British have made some preparations

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to fight in the snow.

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The Americans have not.

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There is nothing that gives me more apprehension

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than the destitute condition of many of my men

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in clothing and blankets.

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It appears to me that it is impossible for them

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to act in such a climate as that of Canada

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without warm clothing.

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The conditions fulfill

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Harrison's worst expectations.

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More dangerous for the men,

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the officers neglect sanitation when they make camp.

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We're called to contend with severe weather

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which not only prevents the necessary supply of provisions

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from reaching us, but

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in our thinly clad condition

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becomes very oppressive.

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The men are very sickly.

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Typhus fevers, raging with violence.

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Three or four are dying every day.

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Upward of 300

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on the sick list at one time.

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January 1813.

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The US attempt to recapture Michigan begins.

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Harrison divides his army in two columns.

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He leads one northwest to Upper Sandusky

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while a second column under General James Winchester

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pushes up further west.

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The plan is for the columns to stay close enough

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to support each other.

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But an overconfident Winchester moves ahead on his own.

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Up to the settlement at Frenchtown on the River Raisin.

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Canada's defenders respond by marching across

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the frozen Detroit River,

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hoping to catch the Americans by surprise.

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Early morning, January 21st 1813.

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(intense music)

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(men yell)

274
00:17:28,576 --> 00:17:31,227
As the British and Canadian troops advance relentlessly

275
00:17:31,227 --> 00:17:33,572
towards the Frenchtown encampment,

276
00:17:33,572 --> 00:17:37,572
the US troops inside scramble for their weapons.

277
00:17:39,794 --> 00:17:42,188
I was sleeping soundly until awakened by

278
00:17:42,188 --> 00:17:44,872
the startling cry of to arms, to arms.

279
00:17:44,872 --> 00:17:47,894
And the thundering of cannon and the roar of small arms

280
00:17:47,894 --> 00:17:51,955
and the more terrific yelling of the savages.

281
00:17:51,955 --> 00:17:54,122
(gunfire)

282
00:18:00,574 --> 00:18:04,741
In the battle, 290 Americans are killed.

283
00:18:07,659 --> 00:18:11,826
Threatened with a massacre, almost 600 US troops surrender.

284
00:18:17,616 --> 00:18:21,366
General Harrison has a disaster on his hands.

285
00:18:22,424 --> 00:18:24,524
He promptly blames the entire debacle

286
00:18:24,524 --> 00:18:27,458
on his subordinate, General Winchester.

287
00:18:27,458 --> 00:18:30,192
It is with the deepest regret that I have to inform

288
00:18:30,192 --> 00:18:33,572
you sir that the detachment under General Winchester

289
00:18:33,572 --> 00:18:37,019
has been entirely destroyed by an Indian and British force

290
00:18:37,019 --> 00:18:40,994
on the morning of the 22nd at the River Raisin.

291
00:18:40,994 --> 00:18:43,469
The movement which led to it was not only without

292
00:18:43,469 --> 00:18:45,079
my knowledge or consent,

293
00:18:45,079 --> 00:18:47,469
but entirely at variance with the instructions

294
00:18:47,469 --> 00:18:50,719
that I had given to General Winchester.

295
00:19:03,432 --> 00:19:05,305
After their victory,

296
00:19:05,305 --> 00:19:07,140
fearing Harrison is on the way,

297
00:19:07,140 --> 00:19:09,443
the British return to Canada.

298
00:19:09,443 --> 00:19:11,283
They have no sleighs to carry back

299
00:19:11,283 --> 00:19:14,131
the worst American wounded, who are left behind.

300
00:19:14,131 --> 00:19:16,048
And now in great peril.

301
00:19:21,095 --> 00:19:23,866
The US soldiers are now prisoners of Indian people

302
00:19:23,866 --> 00:19:27,891
who had suffered much at the hands of American frontiersmen.

303
00:19:27,891 --> 00:19:31,808
One of the American captives is Billy Atherton.

304
00:19:33,906 --> 00:19:37,540
The door to our room was forced open by an Indian

305
00:19:37,540 --> 00:19:40,748
who entered with a tomahawk in his hand

306
00:19:40,748 --> 00:19:43,581
ready to commence his bloody work.

307
00:19:48,003 --> 00:19:49,086
Captain Hart.

308
00:19:51,460 --> 00:19:53,795
He came out of his room

309
00:19:53,795 --> 00:19:57,245
barefoot with nothing on but shirt and drawers

310
00:19:57,245 --> 00:19:59,519
and he stood in the snow for

311
00:19:59,519 --> 00:20:02,352
a long time pleading for his life.

312
00:20:04,077 --> 00:20:08,244
He said to the Indian, if you agreed to take me away

313
00:20:11,382 --> 00:20:14,965
I'll give you a horse or a hundred dollars.

314
00:20:16,361 --> 00:20:20,173
And the Indian said, I cannot take you.

315
00:20:20,173 --> 00:20:22,090
Why asked Captain Hart?

316
00:20:22,987 --> 00:20:27,170
You're too badly wounded said the Indian.

317
00:20:27,170 --> 00:20:31,337
Captain Hart asked them what they intended to do with them.

318
00:20:34,333 --> 00:20:36,083
Boys, said the Indian

319
00:20:37,617 --> 00:20:39,367
raised themselves up.

320
00:20:41,756 --> 00:20:43,839
You are all to be killed.

321
00:20:46,273 --> 00:20:48,940
(intense music)

322
00:20:51,815 --> 00:20:54,482
(crowd yelling)

323
00:20:58,855 --> 00:21:01,038
Billy Atherton survived

324
00:21:01,038 --> 00:21:03,564
but Captain Hart and an estimated 50 other

325
00:21:03,564 --> 00:21:08,207
American prisoners are massacred at the River Raisin.

326
00:21:08,207 --> 00:21:10,606
Such are the allies of the power which boasts

327
00:21:10,606 --> 00:21:13,124
its attainments in every art and science.

328
00:21:13,124 --> 00:21:15,631
In such the war associates of British officers

329
00:21:15,631 --> 00:21:18,610
who claim distinction for their nice feelings

330
00:21:18,610 --> 00:21:20,943
and delicate sense of honor.

331
00:21:22,116 --> 00:21:24,129
Defenders of Canada make no apology

332
00:21:24,129 --> 00:21:26,342
for their alliance with the native warriors.

333
00:21:26,342 --> 00:21:27,675
John Richardson.

334
00:21:28,592 --> 00:21:31,675
The act of aggression was not ours.

335
00:21:33,164 --> 00:21:36,081
We declared no war against America.

336
00:21:37,132 --> 00:21:40,382
We raised no armies to invade her soil.

337
00:21:43,579 --> 00:21:45,670
But we availed ourselves of our right

338
00:21:45,670 --> 00:21:47,920
common to every weak power,

339
00:21:49,426 --> 00:21:51,814
the right of repelling acts of aggression

340
00:21:51,814 --> 00:21:54,481
by every means within our reach.

341
00:22:10,009 --> 00:22:12,232
In the spring of 1813

342
00:22:12,232 --> 00:22:15,311
it is the best of times for the defenders of Canada,

343
00:22:15,311 --> 00:22:19,067
the worst of times for the United States.

344
00:22:19,067 --> 00:22:22,350
Instead of presiding over reclaimed Michigan territory,

345
00:22:22,350 --> 00:22:25,330
Harrison's army is hunkered down at Fort Meigs

346
00:22:25,330 --> 00:22:26,698
on the Miami River.

347
00:22:26,698 --> 00:22:31,386
Rebuilding, not yet strong enough to venture forth.

348
00:22:31,386 --> 00:22:34,342
In control of the territory is the Canadian Alliance,

349
00:22:34,342 --> 00:22:36,425
stationed at Fort Malden.

350
00:22:41,582 --> 00:22:43,891
The alliance has completed preparations to strike

351
00:22:43,891 --> 00:22:45,632
another blow at Harrison,

352
00:22:45,632 --> 00:22:48,108
with the ships waiting to ferry the Canada force

353
00:22:48,108 --> 00:22:49,608
across Lake Eerie.

354
00:22:51,395 --> 00:22:54,822
Everything waits for one commander.

355
00:22:54,822 --> 00:22:57,905
the British cannot fight without him.

356
00:22:59,041 --> 00:23:03,812
The First Nations will not fight unless he comes.

357
00:23:03,812 --> 00:23:05,812
The 16th of April, 1813.

358
00:23:10,175 --> 00:23:12,258
Tecumseh finally appears.

359
00:23:14,139 --> 00:23:18,306
He has recovered from injuries and ready for battle.

360
00:23:19,471 --> 00:23:23,638
Even Harrison has called Tecumseh the Moses of his people.

361
00:23:24,727 --> 00:23:27,159
Now he is coming to lead them back to the land

362
00:23:27,159 --> 00:23:29,159
promised by the British.

363
00:23:32,909 --> 00:23:35,576
(ominous music)

364
00:23:45,501 --> 00:23:48,100
The British, First Nations, and Canadian Alliance

365
00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,017
make a formidable army.

366
00:23:50,922 --> 00:23:52,245
Their plan?

367
00:23:52,245 --> 00:23:54,250
To strike at Harrison before the United States

368
00:23:54,250 --> 00:23:58,167
can build an overpowering force against Canada.

369
00:24:01,029 --> 00:24:03,279
Their target is Fort Meigs.

370
00:24:10,535 --> 00:24:14,170
The US fort is a masterpiece of military engineering,

371
00:24:14,170 --> 00:24:18,337
with huge mounds to smother and deflect British cannonballs.

372
00:24:22,234 --> 00:24:25,221
The US army stays safe in underground bunkers

373
00:24:25,221 --> 00:24:27,136
while Harrison plots revenge against

374
00:24:27,136 --> 00:24:29,219
Tecumseh and the British.

375
00:24:31,626 --> 00:24:34,266
My men are in fine spirits.

376
00:24:34,266 --> 00:24:37,518
Do not my dear sir doubt the results.

377
00:24:37,518 --> 00:24:39,983
The enemy little dream of the bitter pill

378
00:24:39,983 --> 00:24:42,066
I have prepared for them.

379
00:24:43,957 --> 00:24:46,957
(adventurous music)

380
00:24:50,998 --> 00:24:53,900
Tecumseh is every bit as determined.

381
00:24:53,900 --> 00:24:57,649
Before the battle he vows to capture Harrison personally

382
00:24:57,649 --> 00:25:00,087
to make him pay for the death and destruction

383
00:25:00,087 --> 00:25:01,739
at Prophet's Town.

384
00:25:01,739 --> 00:25:05,364
Brush from your eyes the sleep of slavery

385
00:25:05,364 --> 00:25:09,671
and strike for vengeance and for your land.

386
00:25:09,671 --> 00:25:12,406
Many red men have fallen.

387
00:25:12,406 --> 00:25:15,234
Just as the leaves now fall.

388
00:25:15,234 --> 00:25:18,401
I hear their voices in the aged pines.

389
00:25:20,444 --> 00:25:24,369
Will no son of these brave men strike at the pale face

390
00:25:24,369 --> 00:25:27,286
and quiet these complaining ghosts?

391
00:25:32,670 --> 00:25:34,423
The British assure Tecumseh

392
00:25:34,423 --> 00:25:36,722
that the royal artillery will crack open Fort Meigs

393
00:25:36,722 --> 00:25:38,639
without any difficulty.

394
00:25:39,888 --> 00:25:42,230
On the early morning of May the 1st

395
00:25:42,230 --> 00:25:44,203
the British guns open up.

396
00:25:44,203 --> 00:25:45,786
Fire!

397
00:25:46,724 --> 00:25:48,725
(cannon fire)

398
00:25:48,725 --> 00:25:51,460
In the next five days they rain down

399
00:25:51,460 --> 00:25:55,460
1,649 cannon shot on the American fortification.

400
00:26:04,123 --> 00:26:05,667
When the smoke clears,

401
00:26:05,667 --> 00:26:09,084
the American fortifications are unbroken.

402
00:26:14,099 --> 00:26:15,994
It is the fifth day of the siege

403
00:26:15,994 --> 00:26:18,494
and now it is Harrison's move.

404
00:26:21,998 --> 00:26:25,106
Down river, 1400 American reinforcements,

405
00:26:25,106 --> 00:26:29,273
the Kentucky militia, are on their way to lift the siege.

406
00:26:31,172 --> 00:26:34,589
They ambush the Canada force from behind.

407
00:26:37,227 --> 00:26:40,296
The First Nations retreat, but Tecumseh proves

408
00:26:40,296 --> 00:26:44,296
once again why he is such a dangerous adversary.

409
00:26:45,419 --> 00:26:48,156
Outnumbered, Tecumseh withdraws with his men

410
00:26:48,156 --> 00:26:50,709
deeper into the woods, enticing the Americans

411
00:26:50,709 --> 00:26:52,292
to chase after him.

412
00:26:54,093 --> 00:26:56,894
Much to Harrison's dismay, the US reinforcements

413
00:26:56,894 --> 00:26:58,311
swallow the bait.

414
00:27:00,239 --> 00:27:02,064
Before Harrison can stop them

415
00:27:02,064 --> 00:27:06,231
the Kentucky regulars and militia set off after the Indians.

416
00:27:07,441 --> 00:27:11,524
The pursuit leads them two miles into the forest.

417
00:27:16,994 --> 00:27:19,327
Tecumseh prepares an ambush.

418
00:27:24,162 --> 00:27:27,162
The Kentucky troops stumble into it.

419
00:27:32,871 --> 00:27:36,038
(gunfire and yelling)

420
00:27:39,986 --> 00:27:44,850
For Kentucky, dreams of glory become a nightmare.

421
00:27:44,850 --> 00:27:47,971
In vicious hand to hand fighting over half their militia

422
00:27:47,971 --> 00:27:51,221
are killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.

423
00:27:58,002 --> 00:28:01,504
By the end, Kentucky provides only 5% of the troops

424
00:28:01,504 --> 00:28:03,453
in the War of 1812,

425
00:28:03,453 --> 00:28:07,120
but suffers 64% of all the combat dead.

426
00:28:12,029 --> 00:28:14,428
I am sorry to inform you of another disaster

427
00:28:14,428 --> 00:28:16,728
to the Kentucky troops.

428
00:28:16,728 --> 00:28:19,125
Not indeed bearing any comparison to that of the

429
00:28:19,125 --> 00:28:21,938
River Raisin in point of killed and wounded,

430
00:28:21,938 --> 00:28:25,855
but exceeding it as to the number of prisoners.

431
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,647
(yelling)

432
00:28:36,612 --> 00:28:38,910
Once again some Indian warriors move in

433
00:28:38,910 --> 00:28:41,001
to massacre the American prisoners,

434
00:28:41,001 --> 00:28:44,584
against the express orders of their chiefs.

435
00:28:46,775 --> 00:28:49,850
The worthless Chippewa of Detroit,

436
00:28:49,850 --> 00:28:53,125
having with him a number of wretches like himself,

437
00:28:53,125 --> 00:28:55,862
who did not have the courage to kill their enemies

438
00:28:55,862 --> 00:28:59,779
while in arms assail the unfortunate prisoners.

439
00:29:03,068 --> 00:29:04,995
This time Tecumseh is alerted

440
00:29:04,995 --> 00:29:07,162
that a massacre has begun.

441
00:29:08,281 --> 00:29:10,526
Tecumseh, apprised of what was happening

442
00:29:10,526 --> 00:29:13,010
rode up at full speed and raised his tomahawk,

443
00:29:13,010 --> 00:29:14,851
threatening to destroy the first man

444
00:29:14,851 --> 00:29:18,018
who resisted his injunction to desist.

445
00:29:20,172 --> 00:29:22,780
Never did Tecumseh shine more truly.

446
00:29:22,780 --> 00:29:25,770
As merciful as he was courageous.

447
00:29:25,770 --> 00:29:30,032
Although war was his idol, the element in which he lived,

448
00:29:30,032 --> 00:29:31,988
his heart was formed with the nobler

449
00:29:31,988 --> 00:29:33,988
impulses of the warrior.

450
00:29:40,026 --> 00:29:42,074
Nine days after it began

451
00:29:42,074 --> 00:29:45,407
the siege of Fort Meigs comes to an end.

452
00:29:46,794 --> 00:29:51,492
The defenders of Canada retreat back across the border.

453
00:29:51,492 --> 00:29:55,659
They have bloodied Harrison, but have not defeated him.

454
00:29:59,311 --> 00:30:01,939
With a retreat back to the Canadian side of Lake Eerie

455
00:30:01,939 --> 00:30:06,106
in May 1813, the stage is set for a decisive summer.

456
00:30:08,345 --> 00:30:12,262
Everything rides on control of the Great Lakes.

457
00:30:13,373 --> 00:30:15,824
With almost no roads, just about everything

458
00:30:15,824 --> 00:30:18,331
has to move by water.

459
00:30:18,331 --> 00:30:21,102
The navy that controls the lakes controls the war

460
00:30:21,102 --> 00:30:23,786
and so far that's the British navy.

461
00:30:23,786 --> 00:30:27,119
But the Americans intend to change that.

462
00:30:29,056 --> 00:30:31,973
For President James Madison, the coming naval contest

463
00:30:31,973 --> 00:30:36,140
is crucial to victory over the British and Tecumseh.

464
00:30:37,175 --> 00:30:39,816
The command of the Great Lakes is a fundamental point

465
00:30:39,816 --> 00:30:42,339
in the national policy.

466
00:30:42,339 --> 00:30:44,593
Without ascendancy over these waters,

467
00:30:44,593 --> 00:30:47,063
we can never have it over the savages.

468
00:30:47,063 --> 00:30:49,542
With this ascendancy we command the Indians,

469
00:30:49,542 --> 00:30:52,059
can control the companies trading with them

470
00:30:52,059 --> 00:30:54,412
and hold Canada whilst in British hands

471
00:30:54,412 --> 00:30:57,329
as a hostage for peace and justice.

472
00:31:02,219 --> 00:31:04,639
The task of constructing a powerful new

473
00:31:04,639 --> 00:31:06,862
American fleet on Lake Eerie is assigned to

474
00:31:06,862 --> 00:31:10,779
a 27 year-old naval officer named Oliver Perry.

475
00:31:15,307 --> 00:31:18,224
He is told that money is no object.

476
00:31:19,927 --> 00:31:23,816
His opponent is a British naval hero named Robert Barclay,

477
00:31:23,816 --> 00:31:25,687
who has lost an arm fighting at the side

478
00:31:25,687 --> 00:31:28,250
of Admiral Nelson in Europe.

479
00:31:28,250 --> 00:31:32,083
Barclay is allowed few resources and no money.

480
00:31:36,815 --> 00:31:40,112
(adventurous music)

481
00:31:40,112 --> 00:31:42,321
In early September 1813

482
00:31:42,321 --> 00:31:44,887
the British Captain Barclay leads his armada

483
00:31:44,887 --> 00:31:47,610
of six ships and 63 guns onto Lake Eerie

484
00:31:47,610 --> 00:31:49,443
to meet the Americans.

485
00:31:56,152 --> 00:31:59,054
The Americans are in a clearly superior position

486
00:31:59,054 --> 00:32:02,554
with seven ships and double the firepower.

487
00:32:04,770 --> 00:32:08,099
(cannons fire)

488
00:32:08,099 --> 00:32:10,403
The 10th of September, morning.

489
00:32:10,403 --> 00:32:12,920
An immense naval battle on a lake.

490
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:17,087
One of the most important actions of the War of 1812.

491
00:32:21,739 --> 00:32:25,454
Our fleet has beyond all doubt met that of the enemy.

492
00:32:25,454 --> 00:32:29,010
An incessant and tremendous cannonading has been heard.

493
00:32:29,010 --> 00:32:31,593
I am all anxiety for the event.

494
00:32:38,901 --> 00:32:40,981
In the first moments of the battle

495
00:32:40,981 --> 00:32:44,070
the British captain's superior tactics pay off.

496
00:32:44,070 --> 00:32:47,903
Murderous fire dismasts the American flagship.

497
00:32:49,829 --> 00:32:53,329
85% of its crew is killed or wounded.

498
00:32:56,006 --> 00:32:57,970
In his moment of distress though,

499
00:32:57,970 --> 00:33:02,137
the American Captain Oliver Perry improvises brilliantly.

500
00:33:03,223 --> 00:33:05,577
He has himself rowed in a small boat away

501
00:33:05,577 --> 00:33:07,449
from his stricken flagship

502
00:33:07,449 --> 00:33:12,050
to take up command of the battle from another vessel.

503
00:33:12,050 --> 00:33:14,633
(cannons fire)

504
00:33:21,215 --> 00:33:24,303
Superior American firepower is brought to bare

505
00:33:24,303 --> 00:33:26,682
and within a few minutes the British ships

506
00:33:26,682 --> 00:33:30,099
are all disabled and forced to surrender.

507
00:33:35,100 --> 00:33:37,871
William Henry Harrison receives a famous dispatch

508
00:33:37,871 --> 00:33:41,704
from the young American Captain, Oliver Perry.

509
00:33:42,909 --> 00:33:45,327
We have met the enemy and he is ours.

510
00:33:45,327 --> 00:33:49,410
Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.

511
00:33:58,822 --> 00:34:00,484
At the Canadian forts

512
00:34:00,484 --> 00:34:03,541
the defeat on Lake Eerie brings panic.

513
00:34:03,541 --> 00:34:04,820
They are now vulnerable to an

514
00:34:04,820 --> 00:34:08,075
American invasion across the lake.

515
00:34:08,075 --> 00:34:12,242
The troops are ordered to prepare for an immediate retreat.

516
00:34:17,249 --> 00:34:20,863
The orders are issued by General Henry Procter.

517
00:34:20,863 --> 00:34:24,718
He is the British officer who failed to crack Fort Meigs.

518
00:34:24,718 --> 00:34:28,759
Now at Fort Malden, Procter wants to run.

519
00:34:28,759 --> 00:34:30,818
Tecumseh is appalled.

520
00:34:30,818 --> 00:34:33,632
You always told us you would never draw

521
00:34:33,632 --> 00:34:36,141
your foot off of British ground.

522
00:34:36,141 --> 00:34:38,920
And now we see you are drawing back.

523
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,911
And we are very sorry to see you doing so father

524
00:34:41,911 --> 00:34:44,727
without seeing the enemy.

525
00:34:44,727 --> 00:34:46,762
We must compare our father's conduct to that

526
00:34:46,762 --> 00:34:50,705
of a fat animal carrying its tail on its back.

527
00:34:50,705 --> 00:34:54,872
And when frightened, drops it between its legs and runs off.

528
00:35:00,592 --> 00:35:02,434
On September the 27th,

529
00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:06,048
as the American invasion force sails across Lake Eerie,

530
00:35:06,048 --> 00:35:08,445
they report seeing Tecumseh riding along the shore

531
00:35:08,445 --> 00:35:10,278
as a sign of defiance.

532
00:35:13,438 --> 00:35:16,477
Tecumseh has extracted a promise from the British.

533
00:35:16,477 --> 00:35:19,060
To make a stand further inland.

534
00:35:22,495 --> 00:35:24,608
As the British and Canadian forces retreat

535
00:35:24,608 --> 00:35:27,861
past Lake St. Clair and east along the Thames River,

536
00:35:27,861 --> 00:35:30,641
General Harrison occupies Fort Amherstburg

537
00:35:30,641 --> 00:35:34,048
and the town of Sandwich, now Windsor,

538
00:35:34,048 --> 00:35:36,548
and prepares to go after them.

539
00:35:40,652 --> 00:35:43,434
I have the honor to inform you that I landed the army

540
00:35:43,434 --> 00:35:46,458
under my command about three miles below this place

541
00:35:46,458 --> 00:35:48,725
without opposition.

542
00:35:48,725 --> 00:35:51,475
I will pursue the enemy tomorrow.

543
00:35:55,928 --> 00:35:57,724
As the Canadian Alliance retreats

544
00:35:57,724 --> 00:35:59,126
up the River Thames,

545
00:35:59,126 --> 00:36:03,209
General Harrison and his army are in hot pursuit.

546
00:36:04,854 --> 00:36:07,449
October the 4th, 1813.

547
00:36:07,449 --> 00:36:10,997
The redcoats meet Moravian Town on the Thames River.

548
00:36:10,997 --> 00:36:13,515
The British, under pressure from Tecumseh,

549
00:36:13,515 --> 00:36:17,432
agree finally to make a stand and fight it out.

550
00:36:24,727 --> 00:36:27,227
(group sings)

551
00:36:37,111 --> 00:36:40,144
A force of 500 Indians under the command of Tecumseh

552
00:36:40,144 --> 00:36:43,227
will attempt to hold the right flank.

553
00:36:45,423 --> 00:36:47,513
For the First Nations, who with Tecumseh

554
00:36:47,513 --> 00:36:49,473
have given their all in this war,

555
00:36:49,473 --> 00:36:53,640
there is a sense that a moment of destiny has come.

556
00:36:56,175 --> 00:36:59,088
Tecumseh also has a message for the defenders of Canada

557
00:36:59,088 --> 00:37:00,588
and their general.

558
00:37:01,554 --> 00:37:02,387
Father.

559
00:37:03,647 --> 00:37:06,425
Tell your young men to be firm

560
00:37:06,425 --> 00:37:08,933
and all will be well.

561
00:37:08,933 --> 00:37:09,766
As for us?

562
00:37:11,035 --> 00:37:14,518
Our lives are in the hands of the great spirit.

563
00:37:14,518 --> 00:37:17,773
We are determined to defend our lands

564
00:37:17,773 --> 00:37:20,190
or leave our bones upon them.

565
00:37:27,275 --> 00:37:30,792
The morning of October 5th 1813.

566
00:37:30,792 --> 00:37:33,561
General Harrison leads his 3,000 men army

567
00:37:33,561 --> 00:37:37,313
up the northwest towards the battlefield.

568
00:37:37,313 --> 00:37:40,563
Just outside Moraviantown near Chatham.

569
00:37:42,395 --> 00:37:46,753
Facing him are Tecumseh and his 500 warriors

570
00:37:46,753 --> 00:37:49,348
and 450 British regulars under the command

571
00:37:49,348 --> 00:37:50,931
of General Procter.

572
00:37:54,846 --> 00:37:57,167
Colonel Richard Johnson and his 1,000 man

573
00:37:57,167 --> 00:38:01,715
Kentucky cavalry regiment will lead the American charge.

574
00:38:01,715 --> 00:38:04,333
Always worried about the discipline of Kentucky troops,

575
00:38:04,333 --> 00:38:08,678
General Harrison issues Johnson a draconian order.

576
00:38:08,678 --> 00:38:11,063
Your men must be particularly cautioned against

577
00:38:11,063 --> 00:38:14,393
shouting or firing upon their approach to the enemy

578
00:38:14,393 --> 00:38:16,496
until ordered to do so.

579
00:38:16,496 --> 00:38:19,847
You are hereby positively ordered to direct the officers

580
00:38:19,847 --> 00:38:24,763
to cause the first man who offends to be shot down.

581
00:38:24,763 --> 00:38:26,978
The lives of hundreds must not be jeopardized

582
00:38:26,978 --> 00:38:30,811
by the folly or villainy of a few individuals.

583
00:38:45,286 --> 00:38:47,599
Only a few minutes before the American bugles

584
00:38:47,599 --> 00:38:49,042
ran through the forest.

585
00:38:49,042 --> 00:38:51,133
Tecumseh passed along our line,

586
00:38:51,133 --> 00:38:53,633
seemingly sanguine of success.

587
00:38:54,682 --> 00:38:57,672
He pressed the hand of each officer

588
00:38:57,672 --> 00:39:02,272
and made some remarks appropriate for the occasion.

589
00:39:02,272 --> 00:39:05,439
And then passed forever from our view.

590
00:39:08,578 --> 00:39:10,995
(epic music)

591
00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:23,000
The Battle of Moraviantown is a short one.

592
00:39:26,460 --> 00:39:30,522
In the face of the charge, the British defense line wavers.

593
00:39:30,522 --> 00:39:34,432
It is not a proud moment for Shadrach Byfield.

594
00:39:34,432 --> 00:39:38,451
After exchanging a few shots our men gave way.

595
00:39:38,451 --> 00:39:41,188
I was in the act of retreating when one of the sergeants

596
00:39:41,188 --> 00:39:44,605
said, for god's sake men stand and fight.

597
00:39:45,908 --> 00:39:47,617
I stood by him

598
00:39:47,617 --> 00:39:49,200
and fired one shot.

599
00:39:50,564 --> 00:39:52,831
But the line was broken,

600
00:39:52,831 --> 00:39:55,906
and the men were retreating.

601
00:39:55,906 --> 00:39:59,489
Then made my escape further into the woods.

602
00:40:00,638 --> 00:40:03,638
(adventurous music)

603
00:40:06,189 --> 00:40:08,013
Deserted by the British,

604
00:40:08,013 --> 00:40:11,380
now the First Nations are once again on their own.

605
00:40:11,380 --> 00:40:15,547
Sustaining the full force of the furious American attack.

606
00:40:18,214 --> 00:40:21,718
Over the sounds of battle, Tecumseh's voice could be heard

607
00:40:21,718 --> 00:40:23,968
rallying the Indian people.

608
00:40:27,729 --> 00:40:29,896
(gunshot)

609
00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:47,350
The Indians on the raid sustained the assault

610
00:40:47,350 --> 00:40:51,517
but were finally obliged to retire with some loss.

611
00:40:52,424 --> 00:40:56,007
Among the killed was the intrepid Tecumseh.

612
00:40:59,631 --> 00:41:02,214
(somber music)

613
00:41:15,935 --> 00:41:17,895
Tecumseh is certainly killed,

614
00:41:17,895 --> 00:41:20,286
wrote one of Harrison's officers.

615
00:41:20,286 --> 00:41:22,627
I saw him with my own eyes.

616
00:41:22,627 --> 00:41:26,602
There was something so majestic, so dignified, and yet

617
00:41:26,602 --> 00:41:30,477
so mild as he lay stretched on his back on the ground.

618
00:41:30,477 --> 00:41:32,477
I shall never forget it.

619
00:41:54,722 --> 00:41:57,447
The Shawnee say that they rescued their chief's body

620
00:41:57,447 --> 00:42:01,115
and removed it from the battlefield, as was their custom,

621
00:42:01,115 --> 00:42:04,198
to allow his spirit to rest in peace.

622
00:42:09,273 --> 00:42:12,773
Tecumseh's final resting place is unknown.

623
00:42:14,689 --> 00:42:16,978
I have the honor to inform you that by the blessing

624
00:42:16,978 --> 00:42:20,361
of providence, the army under my command has obtained

625
00:42:20,361 --> 00:42:24,828
complete victory over the combined Indian and British forces

626
00:42:24,828 --> 00:42:27,097
under General Procter.

627
00:42:27,097 --> 00:42:31,264
General Procter has escaped by the fleetness of his horse.

628
00:42:35,794 --> 00:42:37,983
General Procter did flee the battlefield

629
00:42:37,983 --> 00:42:39,856
and was widely condemned for it.

630
00:42:39,856 --> 00:42:41,639
Court-martialed and found guilty,

631
00:42:41,639 --> 00:42:46,260
he was reprimanded and retired from the army in disgrace.

632
00:42:46,260 --> 00:42:48,638
Ironically General William Henry Harrison

633
00:42:48,638 --> 00:42:50,903
was also shoved aside after the battle.

634
00:42:50,903 --> 00:42:54,866
The victim of a power struggle in the American military.

635
00:42:54,866 --> 00:42:57,782
He went on however to become a congressman

636
00:42:57,782 --> 00:43:01,196
and then a senator and finally in 1840

637
00:43:01,196 --> 00:43:03,779
President of the United States.

638
00:43:15,060 --> 00:43:17,810
(majestic music)

639
00:43:18,806 --> 00:43:22,017
In death, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh was elevated

640
00:43:22,017 --> 00:43:24,270
to mythological status.

641
00:43:24,270 --> 00:43:28,759
Lionized by his former enemies, the Americans.

642
00:43:28,759 --> 00:43:32,280
This one ton marble sculpture, the Dying Tecumseh,

643
00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:36,280
is kept at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.

644
00:43:43,590 --> 00:43:47,757
In Canada however, Tecumseh is rarely given his due.

645
00:43:50,785 --> 00:43:53,610
His military contribution to the defense of Canada

646
00:43:53,610 --> 00:43:57,527
approached that of British General Issac Brock.

647
00:43:59,414 --> 00:44:03,581
Brock is awarded a massive monument at Queenston Heights.

648
00:44:06,664 --> 00:44:09,831
At this main 1812 memorial, far below,

649
00:44:10,717 --> 00:44:14,884
the role of First Nations is confined to a small rock.

650
00:44:17,669 --> 00:44:21,419
Tecumseh is not even mentioned on the plaque.

651
00:44:28,427 --> 00:44:31,742
While he clearly was as savior of Canada,

652
00:44:31,742 --> 00:44:34,523
Tecumseh's own dream of a strong confederation

653
00:44:34,523 --> 00:44:37,106
of First Nations died with him.

654
00:44:39,100 --> 00:44:41,487
The tragic destruction of the Indian civilizations

655
00:44:41,487 --> 00:44:43,523
and way of life in North America,

656
00:44:43,523 --> 00:44:45,440
had been set in motion.

657
00:44:48,528 --> 00:44:51,980
No other leader of Tecumseh's stature would ever come along

658
00:44:51,980 --> 00:44:52,897
to stop it.

659
00:44:55,055 --> 00:44:57,148
(chanting)

660
00:44:57,148 --> 00:45:00,433
Oh that I might make that of my own red people.

661
00:45:00,433 --> 00:45:04,600
And of my country as great as the conceptions of my mind.

662
00:45:09,390 --> 00:45:12,223
Oh what will become of my Indians?

663
00:45:23,241 --> 00:45:25,741
(regal music)