Tecumseh, famed for his skills as an orator, warrior, military strategist, and leader of his Shawnee people, has been called one of the great American leaders. In 1812 he assembled 3,000 warriors from 32 American Indian tribes in an effort to save the Indian lands from the onslaught of the white soldiers and settlers. It was the largest Indian army ever to fight against the whites. He was born in 1768 in Old Piqua, a prosperous Shawnee village of 4,000 people located near what is now Springfield, Ohio. By the time he was six white settlers were attacking Shawnee villages and taking over tribal lands. Tecumseh was respected as a leader among both his people and other tribes and he devoted his life to stopping the white invaders and saving the lands of his people. He believed that only by uniting into a strong Indian confederacy could his people have any chance against the whites and he traveled from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico enlisting other tribes in his cause. Between 1811-1813 his forces actively resisted the white armies of General William Henry Harrison, but in 1813 at the Battle of Thames Tecumseh was killed and the power of the Indian people in the Ohio Valley destroyed. Many legends grew up about his power and honor and Indian people remember with pride a great man who loved his people so much he died for them. This volume is one of a series of biographies of American Indian leaders; it is intended for grades 5 and up. (DS)