Town History

In the late summer and fall of 1811, William Henry Harrison, then Governor of the Indiana Territory, organized a military expedition against the increasing resistance of the federation of Indian tribes being formed by the Shawnee brothers and chiefs, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, also known as the Prophet. With their community of Prophetstown as his objective, General Harrison marched from Vincennes, Indiana, at the head of a small army of about one thousand men.

General Harrison met with representatives of the Prophet on November 6, 1811, when he arrived at Prophetstown. He presented demands in the name of his government. General Harrison was to meet with the Prophet and his council the next day about the demands of the government. General Harrison set up his encampment on a ridge about a mile northwest of Prophet’s Town. fearing a surprise attack by the Prophet’s forces, General Harrison placed his troops in battle formation, instructed his men to sleep fully clothed, and assigned a large detail of men for sentinel duty. On the morning of November 7, 1811, after 4 o’clock AM, the camp was attacked by the Prophet. After a fierce battle, General Harrison and his army defeated the Prophet’s Indian confederation at the Battle of Tippecanoe. This defeat all but ended the Indian wars in the Midwest, especially as Tecumseh was killed in a battle in Canada in 1813.

Battle Ground was consolidated in 1867 with the Town of Harrisonville. The governments of both towns decided to name the consolidation Battle Ground. The Town of Battle Ground was named for the Battle of Tippecanoe and the Town of Harrisonville was named after William Henry Harrison, commander of the American forces of the Battle of Tippecanoe.

The Tippecanoe battlefield monument was erected in 1908 and dedicated to the men who served and were killed in the Battle of Tippecanoe. The Tippecanoe Battlefield has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It includes a museum and recreation area. The Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama premiered at a nearby amphitheater in Battle Ground in 1989 and played for two summers.

*Information from Wikipedia