Roundhead (Wyandot)
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Roundhead (''c.'' 1760 – 1813), also known as Bark Carrier, Round Head, Stayeghtha, and Stiahta, was an American Indian chief of the Wyandot tribe. He was a strong member of Tecumseh's confederacy against the United States during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. He died of unknown natural causes about a month or two before
Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
was killed at the
Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, ...
.


Early life

Roundhead was born around 1760 near the Sandusky River in
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
(the present-day state of
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
). However, some sources indicate that he was born later in 1763. He rose to become chief of the Wyandot in the Sandusky area. He later moved to Brownstown and joined Tecumseh's anti-American cause. Little is known about Roundhead's life prior to 1794, when he led the Wyandots at the
Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...
(as a war chief under Tarhe), but this was during a time when various Wyandot clans feuded over their relations with the United States. Chief Roundhead participated in the
Treaty of Greenville The Treaty of Greenville, also known to Americans as the Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., but formally titled ''A treaty of peace between the United States of America, and the tribes of Indians called the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanees, Ottawas ...
in 1795, arriving at the council from the vicinity of Detroit with a party of Wyandots, Shawnees, Six Nations, and Delawares at the end of July. Though the proceedings were almost over when Chief Roundhead arrived, he signed the agreement, by which the Indians gave up most of present-day Ohio and part of Indiana. In September 1800 he signed onto a treaty relinquishing to the British crown some 2,500 acres on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. Not long after the Treaty of Greenville, Roundhead resigned his position as war chief under Tarhe and joined with Tecumseh against the Americans during the height of Tecumseh's War. In 1810, Roundhead was chiefly responsible for the execution of his brother and fellow Wyandot chief
Leatherlips Leatherlips (c. 1732–1810) was a Wyandot people, Wyandot Native Americans in the United States, Native American leader of the late 18th and early 19th century. Leatherlips had three Wyandot language, Wyandot names. The one most often used w ...
. He was condemned to death by other natives for his desire to cooperate with white settlers. Leatherlips opposed Tecumseh's Confederacy against the United States, and he had sold native land to
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...
. However, it is widely believed that Leatherlips was executed for exaggerated charges of witchcraft to draw attention away from the true political motives. While it is unknown if Roundhead took direct part in the execution of Leatherlips, he headed the council that called for his death. Roundhead dispatched fellow natives to capture him and carry out the execution.


War of 1812

During the War of 1812, Roundhead was second-in-command only to
Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
among Colonel Henry Procter's British forces. He participated in the Battle of Brownstown on August 5, 1812, and the Battle of Maguaga on August 9. After this battle, Tecumseh presented Roundhead with a sash given to him by General Isaac Brock, as Tecumseh claimed it should belong to an older and more skilled warrior. Roundhead did not wear the honorable sash, as he did not want to cause jealously among the other war chiefs. A few days later, he helped in the capture of
Fort Detroit A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
during the Siege of Detroit on August 15. He then joined up with Major Adam Muir for the British occupation of Fort Miami along the
Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a river running in the Midwestern United States from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph River (Maumee River), St. Joseph and St. Mar ...
in September 1812. He later fought in the Siege of Fort Meigs from April 28–May 9, 1813. Another of Roundhead's brothers, Jean-Baptiste, died during this failed siege. Roundhead's most notable accomplishment during the War of 1812 took place when he fought in the Second Battle of the River Raisin on January 22, 1813, overwhelmingly defeating the Americans. Tecumseh, who did not participate in the battle, gave command of the native forces to Roundhead, who was aided by fellow Wyandot chief Walk-in-the-Water. They commanded approximately 800 Native Americans along with Henry Procter's 597 British troops against a force of 1,000 Americans. The battle was a disastrous defeat for the Americans, as they were caught off guard in the early hours of the morning; it resulted in the most American casualties of any battle of the War of 1812. Shortly into the battle, Roundhead captured ill-prepared American general James Winchester and stripped him of his uniform, leading to the legend that Winchester was captured in his nightshirt. Having been captured, Winchester was unable to command his troops, and they suffered heavy losses. Roundhead presented Winchester to Procter, who forced the general to surrender his army after a few hours of fighting. Forty percent of his men had been killed; another 547 were taken prisoner at surrender. Following the battle, Roundhead aided in the quick retreat of Procter's troops back into
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. Months later, Tecumseh met American opposition there at the
Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, ...
.


Death

Roundhead died of natural causes shortly before the
Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, ...
on October 5, 1813. On Roundhead's death, General Procter wrote in a letter dated October 23, 1813, "The Indian cause and ours experienced a serious loss in the death of Round Head." For years, Roundhead, who was a staunch supporter of Tecumseh, feuded with other Wyandot clans who supported Tarhe's pro-American stance. Once Tecumseh's forces were defeated at the Battle of the Thames, the division between the Wyandot ended. They began negotiations for peace with the Americans.


Legacy and honors

In 1832, the site of his original Wyandot village was designated as the
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
of Roundhead, Ohio. It is located within Roundhead Township in Hardin County,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roundhead 1760s births 1813 deaths Wyandot people Native American leaders Native Americans in the War of 1812 Native American history of Ohio Military personnel killed in the War of 1812 Tecumseh