30 Facts About Little Turtle

The exact names of Little Turtle's parents have been long debated.

Little Turtle was born in what became present-day Whitley County, Indiana, at either a small Miami village along Devil's Lake or a larger nearby village known as Turtletown.

Little Turtle lived at Turtletown, along the Eel River, until 1780.

Little Turtle has been described as nearly six feet tall.

Little Turtle disdained drunkenness and presented himself as a serious man.

Little Turtle was fond of wearing silver on his ears and clothing.

Little Turtle was selected as the war chief of the Atchatchakangouen division of the Myaamiaki through his demonstration of military prowess in battle.

The battle was a complete rout, and Little Turtle's army suffered almost no casualties.

Little Turtle emerged as one of the war leaders of the Confederacy, which included the Shawnee under Blue Jacket and the Delaware under Buckongahelas.

Little Turtle moved north and found the convoy of nearly 100 horses and 100 Kentucky militia under the command of Major John Adair encamped outside Fort St Clair.

Little Turtle's force lost two warriors but captured Adair's camp and its provisions.

When Little Turtle was unable to persuade the leaders of the tribal Confederacy to negotiate peace, he stepped down as the intertribal war chief.

Little Turtle is said to have ceded command to Blue Jacket, although he retained leadership of his group of Miami tribesmen.

Little Turtle's son-in-law, William Wells, a white man who was born in Kentucky and lived among the Miami for eight years after his capture in 1784, sensed the defeat of the Indian alliance and switched his alliance to the Americans.

Little Turtle traveled with his wife to Greenville and gave a speech before signing the treaty.

Little Turtle encouraged his people "to adopt American ways" and hoped the treaty would improve relations between the Americans and Native Americans.

Little Turtle continued to advocate for peace and accommodation instead of conflicts.

Little Turtle began to adapt to United States cultural habits, including the acquisition of his land but remained adamant in his opposition to alcohol consumption.

Little Turtle made multiple trips east to meet with three US presidents, although he refused to travel with Blue Jacket.

Little Turtle accepted annuity payments, other rewards, and enslaved African Americans in exchange for his cooperation.

President Thomas Jefferson corresponded with Little Turtle to encourage the introduction of American agriculture to Miami society, although it was Moravian missionaries who demonstrate farming methods to native tribes in the White River area and an East Coast Quaker society from Baltimore, Maryland, who sent Philip Dennis to work with tribes in Fort Wayne to establish a model farm.

In 1809, Little Turtle suffered a break with other Miami leaders when William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, came to Fort Wayne to renegotiate treaty terms.

Little Turtle retired to a Miami village twenty miles northeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Harrison's forces destroyed the village where Little Turtle resided, but spared Little Turtle's home, which the US government had built for his use.

Little Turtle died on July 14,1812, at the home of his son-in-law William Wells, not far from Kekionga.

Little Turtle had been suffering from gout and rheumatism for some time.

Little Turtle was honored with a military-style funeral with full military honors at Fort Wayne.

Little Turtle was buried in his ancestral burial ground near Spy Run.

Little Turtle's remains were disinterred when workers discovered the burial site during a cellar excavation for a home on Lawton Place in Fort Wayne.

Little Turtle's legacy was one of initial resistance and cooperation to preserve the lives and future of his people.