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Extracts from “Madison: The Man, and the President”
By Harvey F. Jameson
Notre Dame University
St. Joseph, Indiana
(c) 1922 Turtelbaum & Sons: Columbus, Ohio. Used with permission.
...The Battle of Pigeon Creek[1] started on June 23rd, 1811 and was one of two significant battles to occur between the U.S. and the first Indian alliance before the Meeting At Charleston[2]. The battle originally started when a division of the 15th U.S. Army spotted a small group of about 250 Indians camped near Gnessau, Ohio around noon. One soldier fired a warning shot into the air to get their attention, and so their commander, Levi Andrews, could give them a set of demands to follow. Little did they know most of the Indians were Shawnee warriors; unfortunately for Andrews and his men, that realization came almost too late as dozens of the Indians rushed towards the American soldiers, weapons in hand. However, though, even the small element of surprise didn't give the Indians much of an advantage, given that many of the soldiers were expecting a conflict. For the next 18 days, the battle raged on as Indian and soldier alike fought and perished in the summer heat, with either side gaining little advantage. Late on the night of July 10th, a draw was negotiated between the two sides, and both armies went home to their families. 185 U.S. Soldiers had lost their lives, compared to 217 Indians, over those 2 and a half weeks of pitched battle.
This was the first time that President Madison had to deal with the Indians during his administration, and while he felt that the losses of the brave men who fought in Pigeon Creek could not be suffered in vain, he also understood that any further conflict with certain amongst the Indians, particularly the Shawnee, might eventually lead to a wider war. So, on July 15th, Tecumseh was invited to the White House, the first time any man of Indian blood had ever been allowed into the President's abode......
July 18th, 1811
Washington, D.C.
United States of America
“Mr. President, I do believe Tecumseh is here to see you.” said one of the White House staff members.
“Ah yes, the Indian chief. Thank you kindly, Jenkins. Will you send him in, please?” Madison hoped this meeting wouldn't backfire on him. After all, the Shawnee were still friendly with Britain and any wider conflict with them could possibly bring the Canadas, or even England herself into the fracas. And he knew that might very well end badly for the United States, even if the latter was still embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars. This dealing with Tecumseh might just be the perfect opprotunity to stave off another war for a while, or so he had hoped.
Tecumseh walked in a few seconds later, flanked by two men who could be called his entourage of a sort. “Greetings. So you are the Great White Father Madison. May I ask why I was brought here, to your capital city?” he said, in the most respectful tone he could muster.
“Please, do call me just Mr. President. It's so much less.......pompous.” the President replied. He wasn't exactly fond of super-lofty titles, since they reminded him of British royalty. “I requested your presence to discuss the terms of a possible cease fire between us and your people.”
“Fine then, Mr. President. I will consider such. What are your terms?” Tecumseh wanted no additional conflict but had a feeling deep down that things might not turn out as well as he would have hoped; he also feared that too much capitulation might earn a harsh rebuke from some of his allies, or perhaps even worse, betrayal.
“Firstly, we request that the Shawnees relinquish all claims of the land which currently consists of an area from south-west Indiana to eastern Ohio, to allow further settlement by American citizens, white men or otherwise. We also request that you cease all raids against American settlements and that you should attempt to convince your allies to follow your lead.”
“It will not be easy, Mr. President. Many of my people have much anger towards your nation. They see you in a manner comparable to what your people thought of the British just 3 decades ago. And what of our allies?”
Madison replied, “As long as you adhere to the terms of this cease fire, no wars will come to your people unless evidence of provocation has been found. I trust you understand?”
“We are a peaceful people. We only wish to be left to our own devices, and not to constantly be in battle with other tribes and nations.”, said Tecumseh.
“But your people did ally with those who sacked the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Some of your fellow Shawnee even directly participated in the mayhem. My people cannot forgive such actions easily.” said Madison.
“Perhaps so, but it was a matter of honor, that they joined our Maumee[3] comrades.”
Madison shot back. “Honor?” “Then you haven't heard of the more than 2 dozen American civilians who lost their lives in Louisville, my good chief? If your people are truly peaceful, then this surely cannot stand. Or was that kind of revenge justified, in your view?” Was this Indian truly such a careless fool, he wondered? To Madison, civilians were to be protected as much as humanly possible during any conflict.
“I was informed that some of the Maumee had engaged in unfortunate behavior during the battle. Those that lived have been disciplined; I personally requested such, as our relationship with the Maumees has been good for some time.” Tecumseh hadn't been happy about the massacres of the American civilians, but at the same time, he didn't forget what had happened to his own people, either.
Madison's anger simmered down. “Fine then, at least you show some dignity. Now, about the land-”
“We Shawnees don't believe in land ownership, Mr. President. Like many of our fellows, we believe that all land belongs to the Great Spirit, and all the peoples of this world.”
“Would you at least accept some resettlement?” Madison inquired.
“Some of my people will protest, but I see no other choice, even if only to prevent war.” Tecumseh replied. He didn't like how things were going at this time, but to protest too much might anger the President and could perhaps undo any compromise that might have been reached.
Madison paused for a second and then replied. “Fine then. The Shawnee north of the 37th parallel [4] shall be relocated to the eastern part of our state of Kentucky, and the northern third of the state of Indiana, and those living south of the 37th parallel shall be relocated to northern Georgia, until further settlement can be agreed upon.”
“Then it is agreed? No further conflict shall arise?” asked Tecumseh, hoping for the answer he'd like to hear.
Madison replied a little more swiftly this time. “That is correct, but only if you adhere to the terms of the cease-fire. Perhaps in a year or two, we may be able to sign a lasting treaty.”
Tecumseh sighed. “Let us hope, Mr. President, our attempts at making peace, shan't come too late.......”
As he walked out the doors with his 2 bodyguards, Tecumseh began to wonder if the American palefaces would actually keep their word.....or would be more than happy to break it at the first sign of opprotunity. “Only time will tell, perhaps.”, he thought, as he approached the waiting stagecoach.
Later that day...
“Now, let me see if I can understand, Mr. President. You actually let TECUMSEH of all people, just walk into the White House?” George Clinton remarked, his voice slightly raised in agitation.
“No, George. He was invited to the Presidential home so we could discuss terms for a possible cease-fire. Right now, we have no need of a war with Britain.” Madison calmly replied.
"But perhaps if the Indians go behind our backs-"
Madison interrupted the Vice-President. "Tecumseh may be an Indian but he does seem to be a honorable one.” The Shawnee chief had appeared to be a man of a decent moral standing, even if he had been considered to be a savage by the white Americans, and perhaps a more permanent peace could someday be undertaken. Still, some doubt lingered in his mind at that moment. “The other chiefs, however, may not be so trustworthy, especially the Maumees in Ohio and the Ouiatenon[4] in Indiana at the moment. And I still wonder if perhaps Tecumseh may yet feel more allegiance to his fellow Indians than our cease-fire agreement?” Some rather worrying intelligence had started coming into D.C. as of late. The Maumees in particular, were beginning to tire of Tecumseh's peace making efforts, and desired to once again make war with Washington, despite the Shawnee Chief's attempts at settling the matter.
"Can't we just raid their camps and-" Clinton asked.
Madison sighed. "To do so would be disastrous at this moment."
“I understand, Mr. President.” Clinton had little respect for the Shawnee, but was even less so of many of the other Indians, the Maumees in particular, whose warriors had wrecked much of Louisville, Kentucky not too terribly long ago. But even he understood that fighting them at that moment would've meant a declaration of war by not just the Canadas, but perhaps even Britain herself. And no one wished for America to be conquered & brought back into the English fold.
“However, if by some chance, the Shawnees make the most unfortunate choice to break the cease-fire, then we may proceed with retaliation. Unfortunately, should Britain exert any pressure on Tecumseh, he and his men may feel they have no choice but to concede to the King's demands, and attack this nation anyway. Our only hope in that situation may be appeasement when necessary, and continued pressure when the opprotunity exists.”
Clinton nodded in agreement.“I fear you may be correct on that, sir.”
“Now, if you'll excuse me George, I do believe I have a meeting with the Secretary of the Army.”
“All right, I shall be on my way then.” Clinton walked out of the room.
Not long afterwards, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. President?”
“Yes, Mr. Jenkins? You may open the door.” Madison replied.
Jenkins peeked thru. “Secretary Wilkinson would like to see you now, sir.”
“Well, then, let him in. And thank you.” said Madison. Jenkins smiled, and left.
James Wilkinson entered right then. The somewhat weathered 54-year old Revolutionary War Veteran had long been an agent of controversy and intrigue; from his sabotaging of Zebulon Pike's plan of exploration of what was then the northwest of New Spain in 1806, to the apprehension of Aaron Burr in 1807, and even the rumors of him being a Spanish agent[5], did nothing to really help his reputation. On the other hand, he did help quell the riots in Providence following the bombing of the 'Mary Louise' in 1808, with no casualties, and still had had his military career to fall back on, so Madison kept him around as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army as Jefferson had. “Well, good evening, Mr. President. I assume all went well with Tecumseh?”
Madison replied, “Yes. We've agreed to a cease-fire, but whether he keeps his word or plunges a knife in our back is yet to be seen. Perhaps the man is truly honorable, at least for a primitive Indian, but due to the fact that he does take orders from London[6], he may feel compelled to take the path of least resistance.”
“I see. Well, in any case, sir, I have the latest reports from the frontlines.” Wilkinson replied.
“And that would be?” Madison asked.
“Perhaps you should look for yourself, sir.......”
[1]Another small Ohio town, generally in the vicinity of OTL's Frankfort.
[2]An important event that occurred between the U.S. & and the Native tribes not too much later onwards.
[3]Also called the Miami IOTL.
[4]A minor Native American tribe which had a little significance IOTL, but not quite on the level of say, the Shawnee, Cherokee, or Creek.
[5]Which, sadly, turned out to be true.
[6]Or at least, that's how Madison sees things at the moment.