Clay, whether it was Tecumseh or Tenskwatawa varies according to who is
telling the story.

Jon, thanks for the link! Columbus sounds plausible except that Twain told
Ferguson he had never heard of him. ;–)


On Mon, Aug 14, 2017 at 11:59 AM, Jon Kerr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Might it not be more likely that Twain had heard of the widely-told story
> of how Columbus had fooled indigenous tribes in Jamaica with predictions of
> an eclipse. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/eclipse-saved-columbus
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 14, 2017 at 10:41 AM, Clay Shannon <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Was it Tecumseh, or was it his brother Tenskwatawa, who was known as "The
> > P=
> > rophet"?=C2=A0- B. Clay Shannon
> >
> >       From: William Robison <[log in to unmask]>
> >  To: [log in to unmask]
> >  Sent: Monday, August 14, 2017 6:38 AM
> >  Subject: Tecumseh and Hank Morgan
> >   =20
> > There is a fairly well known story that the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh
> > predicted both the solar eclipse of June 16, 1806 and the New Madrid
> > Earthquake of December 16, 1811, and used this to convince the Shawnee
> the
> > gods supported war against the white man. One version of the story says
> > Tecumseh knew about the eclipse in advance because he had seen it
> forecast
> > in an almanac.
> >
> > I have read speculation that Twain drew upon this story for the scene in
> *A
> > Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court *in which Hank Morgan
> out-wizards
> > Merlin by predicting a solar eclipse.
> >
> > Does anyone on the list know if there is evidence to support that?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Bill
> >
> > --=3D20
> > William B. Robison, PhD
> > Department Head / Professor of History
> > Department of History and Political Science
> > Southeastern Louisiana University
> > SLU 10895
> > Hammond LA 70402
> > 985-549-2109 phone
> > 985-549-2012 fax
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/depts/hist_ps/index.html
> > http://www.tudorsonfilm.com/
> > http://www.impairedfaculties.com/
> >
> > History teaches students to read intelligently, think analytically, write
> > clearly, accurately assess past trends, rationally predict future
> > developments, and understand the real world. Now *that* is
> workforce-ready!
> >
> > History does offer us very real lessons, but they are seldom simple and
> > straightforward. To understand and benefit from them, you have to know
> your
> > history very well. That is why history matters as much as math, science,
> > technology, or any other subject.
> >
> > "A young horse is fast, but an old horse knows what's going on."
> > =3DE2=3D80=
> > =3D93 =3D
> > Muddy
> > Waters
> >
> >
> >   =20
> >
>



-- 
William B. Robison, PhD
Department Head / Professor of History
Department of History and Political Science
Southeastern Louisiana University
SLU 10895
Hammond LA 70402
985-549-2109 phone
985-549-2012 fax
[log in to unmask]
http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/depts/hist_ps/index.html
http://www.tudorsonfilm.com/
http://www.impairedfaculties.com/

History teaches students to read intelligently, think analytically, write
clearly, accurately assess past trends, rationally predict future
developments, and understand the real world. Now *that* is workforce-ready!

History does offer us very real lessons, but they are seldom simple and
straightforward. To understand and benefit from them, you have to know your
history very well. That is why history matters as much as math, science,
technology, or any other subject.

"A young horse is fast, but an old horse knows what's going on." – Muddy
Waters