When the Cornfields Ran Red with Blood: Uncovering Indiana’s Role in the War of 1812

Jacob Herr Butler University
Faculty Sponsor(s): Vivian Deno Butler University
The War of 1812 was effectively a “Second War of Independence”, signifying the lasting power of the United States’ independent sovereignty in that it was last war in which the U.S. would engage with the forces of Great Britain. Yet, it was also a war about which little is known or remembered by modern generations of Americans. However, for Hoosiers, the war is utterly consequential as part of their state-based identity. At the time, the Indiana Territory was one of the most militarily contested tracts of land on the Northwestern front between the American settlers and the native tribes allied with the British. When the Cornfields Ran Red with Blood showcases the military history of the conflict in Indiana, between both the Americans and the native tribes. In doing so, this project elaborates on how without the battles waged by those living in the shadows of men like Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison, the United States would have strayed dramatically from the nation as we know it today. Using sources found at the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana State Library, documents such as period maps, military muster rolls, newspaper articles, and first-hand accounts of native chiefs and Indian agents (British and U.S.), deliver valuable insight into the war’s impact on confirming America’s sovereignty and the baptism of Indiana’s statehood.
Oral Presentation

When & Where

11:00 AM
Jordan Hall 278