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Freeman Cleaves
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Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time Hardcover – January 1, 1990

by Freeman Cleaves (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 50 ratings
The classic biography
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  1. Print length
    422 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Amer Political Biography Pr
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1990
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0945707010
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0945707011
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amer Political Biography Pr (January 1, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 422 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0945707010
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0945707011
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

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Freeman Cleaves

Freeman Cleaves

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
50 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well researched and better than many biographies written today, with one noting it provides an excellent account of the settling of the western territories. The writing style receives mixed reactions from customers.

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15 customers mention "Readability"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and well-researched, with one customer noting it's better than many biographies written today.

"...That being said, it is a great book for those readers tired of authors judging historical figures of the past by politics of the present...." Read more

"Good read on a subject, not largely known now." Read more

"...Yet I found the book to be well researched, fair and authoritative — especially in its presentation of Harrison’s activity as general during the War..." Read more

"...The author has an excellent grasp of the details of Harrison's career as a general, governor of Indiana Territory, and Congressman...." Read more

5 customers mention "History"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical content of the book, describing it as a powerful biography, with one customer highlighting its excellent account of the settling of the western territories and another noting its detailed coverage of Indian wars.

"...However, this book is an excellent account of the settling of the western territories, military life, and the unfortunate treatment of Natives and..." Read more

"...He had a very impressive family tree, coming from a long line of Harrisons from Virginia. This is complicated so try to follow along as best you can...." Read more

"...What makes this a powerful biography is not the political angle of Harrison’s life but the details of Harrison’s military activities in what is now..." Read more

"...It wasn't the most interesting book in the world, but it contains data on the Indian wars, the strategy of the government in taking land away from..." Read more

4 customers mention "Strength"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the strength of the book, with reviews noting its good material, forceful military leadership, and long life.

"...More fun facts about W.H. Harrison: - He was a strong and forceful military leader who was beloved by his troops. -..." Read more

"...This book contains good material regarding relations with the Indians in the Northwest Territory...." Read more

"...real love of his country; his humanity towards the Indians and his sternness and amazing military abilities. Well worth the cost and the read!" Read more

"Long Life; Short Administration..." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book.

"...This one goes back to 1939 and is written in the literary style of the time...." Read more

"...But it is still quite readable. As far as I know, it is the only non-juvenile biography of Harrison in print...." Read more

"...This is a fine book with clear organization and well-written structure...." Read more

"...other reviews, so I will just say this this biography is pretty dated in writing style, devotes precious little space to Harrison's private life, is..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Keith A Gery
    5.0 out of 5 stars A man of his time
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    If you're looking for presidential bios, William Henry Harrison is not one who is the subject of hundreds of volumes. This one goes back to 1939 and is written in the literary style of the time. That being said, it is a great book for those readers tired of authors judging historical figures of the past by politics of the present. He was a man of his time. With only 31 days in office, Harrison's presidency does not afford much writing. However, this book is an excellent account of the settling of the western territories, military life, and the unfortunate treatment of Natives and slaves in the politics of expansion. Harrison was a military creation and political animal. Read an unbiased account and come to your own conclusions on his legacy.

    As a side note, I have read quite a few of these older bios from the American Political Biography Press. I find them valuable resources from both historical and literary perspectives in well-made volumes worth the price.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important historic context.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Good read on a subject, not largely known now.
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  • Fred Michmershuizen
    4.0 out of 5 stars His career was long and important
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The first member of the Presidents Who Died in Office Club, William Henry Harrison — our nation’s ninth leader — served for just 30 days. That gave him just enough time to pick a cabinet. He was the third president, after Washington and Jackson, who had previously served as a general in wartime service to his country. He was the first president from the Whig party.

    The election of 1840 was biggest contest the nation had yet seen. There were party conventions, newspaper wars, campaign trips, songs, parades, picnics and props — and that immortal slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” In the slogan Tippecanoe was Harrison, and the Tyler Too was his running mate, John Tyler. Tippecanoe was a battle that took place in what is now Indiana, in which American troops under the command of Harrison were attacked by Indians.

    While his term in office lasted for just a brief moment, W.W. Harrison’s career was long and important. He served as the first delegate to Congress from the newly established Northwest Territory, which encompassed what became the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota. After Ohio split off to become a state, Harrison was appointed by President John Adams as governor of the Indiana Territory. As governor of the territory Harrison got various Indian tribes to cede millions of acres of land under about a dozen treaties. He was a general in the War of 1812 and he clashed with Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, and his brother who known as The Prophet.

    Speaking of the Indians, what happened was indeed tragic and inevitable. What Harrison did was in many ways not as bad as you might think. The British treated the Indians much worse.

    After the war Harrison moved to Ohio and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and later in the United States Senate. He also served in the Ohio state senate. President John Quincy Adams appointed him ambassador to Colombia, but he was then recalled by President Jackson. During his one year in Colombia he got involved in all manner of diplomatic controversy. Before he returned to the United States, Harrison sent a scolding letter to Simon Bolivar, who had come to power as a liberator but who was quickly turning into a dictator.

    He had a very impressive family tree, coming from a long line of Harrisons from Virginia. This is complicated so try to follow along as best you can. William Henry Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison the Fifth, who had been a signer the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Harrison the First had immigrated to Virginia in the 1630s. Benjamin Harrison the Fifth (the “Signer”) had more descendants, who were also Benjamin Harrisons. William Henry Harrison (the current topic of discussion, also known as the General or Tippecanoe) also had a son named Benjamin Harrison, but it was another of William Henry Harrison’s sons, John Scott Harrison, who had a son named Benjamin Harrison, and it was that Benjamin Harrison who went on to become the 23rd president. Oh, and Benjamin Harrison the future president was named after his uncle (the ninth president’s non-president son Benjamin Harrison).

    More fun facts about W.H. Harrison:
    - He was a strong and forceful military leader who was beloved by his troops.
    - He was a workhorse in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    - He did not drink or participate in duels.
    - He kept a pet macaw that he had brought back from Colombia.
    - He had 10 children in all. His wife did not come to Washington for the inauguration in 1841 but had planned to follow him that spring.
    - He was the last president to have been born a British subject.
    - He was the first president to have his photograph taken while in office. (John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were photographed after their presidencies had ended.) The actual photograph of Harrison was lost, but copies survived.

    As presidential biographies go, I found “Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time” by Freeman Cleaves to be a challenging book to read. It was written in 1939, and many times I got tripped up in tangled sentence structure and odd phrasings. Yet I found the book to be well researched, fair and authoritative — especially in its presentation of Harrison’s activity as general during the War of 1812, and his dealings with the Indians. I was especially enthralled by the passages describing the encounter with Tecumseh in which the Indian chief pitched his tent in Harrison’s backyard with hundreds of Indian warriors.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Steve Fast
    3.0 out of 5 stars Laudatory but Solid Political Bio
    Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    This bio was first published in 1939, so the style is a bit old. But it is still quite readable. As far as I know, it is the only non-juvenile biography of Harrison in print.

    The author has an excellent grasp of the details of Harrison's career as a general, governor of Indiana Territory, and Congressman. There is not much to say, of course, about his month-long administration, except for the distribution of the spoils.

    The biggest weakness of the book is the author's tendency to view everything Harrison did in a positive light. For example, Harrison made some major mistakes in his battles that cost lives, yet Cleaves glosses over these issues. Clay and Harrison also seem not to have gotten along well, yet Clay is the one at fault, according to Cleaves.

    Cleaves also does not clearly explain the turning point in Harrison's career--at age 62 after having left Congress years earlier and while working as a lowly common court clerk to pay off his debts, he somehow became a presidential candidate in the campaign to succeed Jackson. Cleaves attributes it to the widespread reprinting of a letter Harrison wrote defending his generalship during the War of 1812. But he overlooks the question of why it was so widely reprinted. Harrison must have had an organization to get the campaign going--I just can't see it as having been a "draft Harrison" campaign as he was so far from the political limelight. A fascinating question that Cleaves left untouched.

    This book contains good material regarding relations with the Indians in the Northwest Territory. Of course, it narrates a lot of tragedy and injustice, but it also gives a dynamic and somewhat sympathetic portrayal of the Indians with whom Harrison dealt. Cleaves describes the different strategies the Indians adopted, ranging from unswerving alliance with the Britith to assimilation into white society. Harrison comes across as sympathetic to the Indians but unwilling to rock the boat to protect them from injustice. I was surprised by the Indians's varying strategies regarding land. Some happily sold, others were pressured into it, and yet others fought to the death. It's not a pretty story and something I'm not proud of as an American, but it's also not the simple story of the white man stealing the Indians' land.

    Finally, Cleaves says that Harrison died not as a result of a sickness contracted during his inaugural address but as a result of walks in the cold and slush about three weeks later (something Chitwood confirms in his Tyler bio). This is the first time I have read this, but Cleaves has his point well documented. It would be interesting to read an analysis of the origin of this discrepancy.

    Overall, this book is a good (and probably the only serious) bio of Harrison. You won't really understand his personality or what drove him, but you will gain a good view of his career. And the writing is fairly good as well.
    60 people found this helpful
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  • D. R. Wilson
    5.0 out of 5 stars A-OK
    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book arrived timely. As represented, it was brand new, tightly wrapped in cellophane. I just started reading it - I know I'll enjoy it. It was penned in 1939 and appears to have been carefully and thoroughly researched.
    One person found this helpful
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  • R. W. Parsons
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021
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    A great read!
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  • American Pride
    5.0 out of 5 stars I had no idea this man had such an existence within our government
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016
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    I had no idea this man had such an existence within our government. Few know who he was, but after reading this book you will be amazed at American History that has faded into obscurity.
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