The Death of Tecumseh

During the attack on Backmetack Marsh, Tecumseh was fatally shot. As word of his death spread, one American account said the warriors gave “the loudest yells I ever heard from human beings” and that ended the fight. Who killed Tecumseh remains debated. Many accounts say the badly wounded Colonel Richard Johnson shot him just before losing consciousness, although until much later in his political career Johnson claimed only to have shot an Indian. Some evidence points to Colonel Whitley, whose body was found very close to Tecumseh. Another report came from the badly wounded Colonel James Davidson, who claimed that a man in his company, Private David King, shot Tecumseh with Whitley’s rifle.

Ontario · Canada