WARRIOR AND THE PROPHET

Sub-titled 'The Epic Story of the Brothers Who Led the Native American Resistance', this is a towering work of scholarship. Shawnee chief Tecumseh, a fierce warrior and a savvy politician, is remembered as the charismatic architect of the greatest pan-Indian Confederation in history. But his younger brother Tenskwatawa was just as vital to the success. Over time however his role has been forgotten and now, if remembered at all, he is remembered as a charlatan and a drunk. Peter Cozzens argues that while Tecumseh was the forward-facing diplomat, behind the scenes it was Tenskwatawa who unified multiple tribes with his deep understanding of Shawnee religion and culture. The brothers together led the resistance against the threat of violence and bloody expansion by white settlers, forging an alliance with the British army in the process, and becoming a last hope for Native Americans to preserve ways of life they had known for centuries. Cozzens paints in vivid detail the violent, lawless world of the Old Northwest, when settlers spilled over the Appalachians to bloody effect in their haste to exploit lands won from the War of Independence. He brings to life an often-overlooked episode in America's past and tells the untold story of the Shawnee brothers who retaliated against this threat, who enjoyed great popularity and posed a grave threat to colonial expansion. Many maps, colour photographs and a terrific text from the author of over 17 books on the Civil War and the American West. 357pp, chunky paperback.