What mistakes did the Prophet make when attacking Gen. William Henry Harrison's troops?

Question

The Prophet was Tecumseh's brother and led an assault on Harrison's troops when Tecumseh was absent from the tribe.

The Prophets actual given name was Tenskwatawa.

Answer 1

Leaving his brother (The Prophet Corn Planter) in charge, in the 1811 Tecumseh set off on a journey that took him west of the Mississippi, south to the Gulf of Mexico, and across the southeast, seeking to warn the Indian peoples of the need to unify against the whites. In his absence the astute and ambitions governor of the Indiana territory, William Henry Harrison, divined Tecumseh's great plan and thwarts it by provoking the Prophet into the Battle of Tippecanoe, with results so disastrous to the Indian cause that the amalgamation largely disintegrates.

Although existing accounts are unclear about exactly how the skirmish began, Harrison’s sentinels encountered advancing warriors in the pre-dawn hours of November 7. As the soldiers awoke to scattered gunshots, they discovered themselves almost encircled by the Prophet’s forces. Fierce fighting broke out as the Indians broke through Harrison’s lines and entered the camp. As the sentinels fled back to camp, the volunteers quickly regrouped and repulsed the advance while securing their own lines. Throughout the morning Harrison's troops fought off several charges. When the Indians began to run low on ammunition and the sun rose, revealing how small the Prophet's army really was, the Indian forces finally retreated. Harrison had 68 men killed or mortally wounded, and about 120 less seriously wounded. The number of Indian casualties is the subject of intense debate, but it was certainly lower than that of the United States forces. Historians estimate that as many as 50 were killed and about 70-80 were wounded.

Fearing Tecumseh's imminent return with reinforcements, Harrison ordered his men to fortify their position. The next day, November 8, he sent a small group of men to inspect the town, which was deserted, as the defeated Indian forces had retreated during the night. Harrison ordered his troops to burn down Prophetstown and destroy the Indians' cooking implements, without which the confederacy could not survive the winter. Harrison's troops also desecrated the Indians' graveyard, digging up many of the corpses and scattering the bodies.

Years after the Tecumseh's death, his brother, the Prophet, set a curse on William Henry Harrison saying to one of his visitors: Harrison will not win this year to be the Great Chief. But he may win next year. If he does...He will not finish his term. He will die in his office. After his visitor protested pointing out that no president has ever died in office, Prophet replied: “But Harrison will die I tell you. And when he dies you will remember my brother Tecumseh's death. You think that I have lost my powers. I who caused the sun to darken and Red Men to give up firewater. But I tell you Harrison will die. And after him, every Great Chief chosen every 20 years thereafter will die. And when each one dies, let everyone remember the death of our people.”

Harrison was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for President in 1836. The second Harrison campaign for president in 1840 was the best organized, most exciting ever seen up to that time. He won by a majority of less than 150,000, but swept the Electoral College, 234 to 60.

Exhausted from the campaign, Harrison left for Washington, D.C. in early 1841. Inauguration Day was cold and windy. The speech that Harrison gave lasted more than two hours. He refused to wear a coat during this speech and returned home chilled and tired. The next four weeks were extremely busy for the new president. His health was getting worse each day. One month into his presidency, he died of pneumonia.

William Henry Harrison was the first President to die in office.

Answer 2

Principally, he attacked before he was ready. Like some other native visionaries, he had also promised his men that they could not be harmed by the enemy. Their losses in the action disproved this, and cost him support.

I am attaching a link to information about the battle.

Answer 3

Do you mind just telling us who this "prophet" was?
I wasn't aware that prophets made any mistakes.