Tecumseh

Discussion in 'The War of 1812' started by The General, Jul 22, 2007.

  1. The General

    The General New Member

    With all of the reading I've been doing on the War of 1812, I've come across quite a bit of interesting material on Tecumseh, the great Shawnee Indian chief. Some have described Tecumseh as the greatest leader of all of the Indian tribes, and that with Tecumseh's death at the Battle of the Thames in 1813, any chance for the Indians to regain their past glory was lost.

    Tecumseh was born about fifty miles from Columbus, very near Chillicothe, which was the first capital of Ohio. Historian Alan Eckert has spent most of his life documenting the life of Tecumseh and of the development of the Northwest Territory/State of Ohio. He's also an Emmy award winning screenwriter. He was commissioned to write a script for an outdoor drama to be aired near Chillicothe. This is the 35th year for the play, which continues to be enormously popular.

    After twenty years in Ohio, after Susan suggested it, I finally decided that, after twenty years in Ohion, it was time for me to see this show. We went to see it last night. The play is nearly three hours long, features three battle scenes, and is quite entertaining. It covers a period of nearly thirty years, and did a good job of telling the story of Tecumseh's life. As Eckert wrote it, it's historically accurate, which is always important to me.

    If any of you ever have the opportunity to see the show do yourself a favor and take it in. It's an excellent evening and a bargain at $19 per ticket. The web site for the production is www.tecumsehdrama.com.
     
  2. Patriot

    Patriot New Member

    Eric,

    I have also heard rave reviews re: the Blue Jacket drama that takes place in Xenia.
     
  3. CrescentCorps

    CrescentCorps New Member

    Eric,

    Have you read "Tecumseh: A Life" by John Sugden? While Eckert's biography of Tecumseh is a good read, his dialogue is mostly fictional, and he tends to accept debated historical facts which increase the drama of his story. Sugden's narrative captures the suspense and drama of the events but is much more credible history.

    Chris
     

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