Tecumseh - Softcover

Sugden, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712665080 ISBN 13: 9780712665087

Publisher: Pimlico, 1999

Synopsis

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. A good, clean and sound softcover copy. Tecumseha life. xvii, 492 p. :. . Originally published: New York : Henry Holt & Co., 1998; Includes bibliographical references and index.. ; .

About this title

Review

Of Indian chief Tecumseh, U.S. president William Henry Harrison said, "If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would, perhaps, be the founder of an empire that would rival in glory that of Mexico or Peru." As it was, however, he was born just more than a decade shy of the discovery of the New World, and came of age in an era of violence and cultural decay in which Indian tribes across the continent expended all their energy to repulse the Europeans who were commandeering their land. By the end of the century, Tecumseh, a member of the Shawnee tribe, was an accomplished warrior; after losing his father and two older brothers to battle, he assumed the role of war chief. There seemed to be only two courses of action that might preserve his tribe: assimilation or war. After watching other tribes fail in their bids to mimic European society, the charismatic Tecumseh, aided by his brother (known as "the Prophet"), attempted a short-lived but inspired strategy of organizing a pan-Indian alliance to put down the European encroachers. It was while fighting alongside the British in the War of 1812 that Tecumseh was killed. His body was never found. Richard Johnson, the man who claimed to have taken the great chief down, went on to become Martin Van Buren's vice president.

With Tecumseh, biographer John Sugden expands the scope of his earlier book Tecumseh's Last Stand, which focused exclusively on the chief's final, fatal battle. In both books Sugden displays intimate knowledge of his subject; Tecumseh, however, takes a much more in-depth look at this complex man, his life, and the times that shaped him, and thus should appeal to American-history buffs as well as anyone interested in a carefully crafted biography of a fascinating character.

About the Author

John Sugden is already acknowledged as the leading authority on Tecumseh and the Shawnee. Dr. Sugden's previous books include Tecumseh's Last Stand and the critically acclaimed Sir Francis Drake.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pimlico
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0712665080
• ISBN 13: 9780712665087
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 503