Forts of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Fort Wayne in modern Fort Wayne, Indiana
, was established by Captain Jean François Hamtramck
under orders from General "Mad" Anthony Wayne
as part of the campaign against the Indians
of the area. It was named after General Wayne, who was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
. Wayne may have chosen the name himself—the fort was dedicated the day after he left it. The fort was officially occupied by the army on October 21, 1794. The fort was a basic stockade
with few buildings, and was located near the present intersection of Berry and Clay streets.
built the first fortified trading post on the site in 1704.
, a large Miami village founded where the St. Joseph River
and St. Marys River
merge to form the Maumee River
. The Miami refused to abandon their village and move farther West, away from British traders, so Governor Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
authorized Jean Baptiste Bissot to build a strong fort to protect the trade routes of New France
.
The original fort served as a successful trading post
until 1747, when English-allied Huron warriors under Chief Nicholas
found it undermanned—the commandant, Ensign Douville, and most of the soldiers were away at Fort Detroit
. The fort was sacked and burned to the ground.
In Summer 1749, a force of French and Indians under Captain Pierre Blainville rebuilt the fort. This second fort survived the French and Indian War
, but it was attacked in 1752, and two soldiers from the French garrison were caught outside the fort and killed. In November 1760, at the close of the French and Indian War, the French garrison formally surrendered Fort Miami to Ensign Holmes of the Kingdom of Great Britain
. The British soon lost control of the fort in 1763, during Pontiac's Rebellion
, and the fort was destroyed by the Indians.
The British refortified the town, and the trading post again became successful. It was sacked in 1780 by a force under Augustin de La Balme
, a French cavalry officer who came to the new United States of America to assist with the American Revolutionary War
. The force raided the stores, but was soon destroyed by Miami Chief Little Turtle, and the goods were returned. The coalition at Kekionga remained true to their British allies even after the area was ceded to the United States at the close of the war. It therefore became a target of American armies, leading to several noteworthy Indian victories now known as the Northwest Indian War
. One such battle, Hardin's Defeat (1790), occurred within sight of the fort. The Northwest Indian War ended with the Battle of Fallen Timbers
, where General Anthony Wayne
finally achieved an American victory.
Wayne's Legion arrived at Kekionga on 17 September 1794, and Wayne personally selected the site for the new U.S. fort. Wayne wanted a strong fort built, capable of withstanding not only an Indian uprising, but a possible attack by the British from Fort Detroit. The fort was finished by 17 October, and was capable of withstanding 24-pound cannons. It was named Fort Wayne and placed under command of Major Jean François Hamtramck
, who had been commandant of Fort Knox
in Vincennes. The fort was officially dedicated 22 October (the fourth anniversary of Harmar's Defeat
), and the day is considered the founding of the modern city of Fort Wayne.
The garrison at Fort Wayne normally consisted of about 100 men and their families. In 1796, the garrison was ordered to march down the Maumee River to counteract a British demonstration. The force received the transfer of Fort Maumee
from the British before Colonel Hamtramck was transferred to Fort Detroit
- later the site of another Fort Wayne
, and near the future town of Hamtramck, Michigan
. Colonel David Strong, a veteran of the American Revolution and Wayne's Legion, succeeded him as commandant of Fort Wayne for two years, before transferring commands with Colonel Hamtramck in 1798.
Colonel Thomas Hunt—a veteran of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
, Bunker Hill
, and Wayne's Legion—took command of the fort on 16 May 1798, and built a substantial new fort several hundred yards north of the original, near the modern city's Old Fort Park. The new fort contained multiple guard houses
and Indian "factories" (trading post
s). The first fort was demolished about 1800.
During the War of 1812
, Fort Dearborn
(in present Chicago) was evacuated and the residents tried to reach Fort Wayne, but were massacred before they arrived. Fort Wayne was next besieged by the Indian forces of Tecumseh
during the Siege of Fort Wayne
. Captain James Rhea was in charge of the fort and considered surrendering the fort, but his two lieutenant
s relieved him of duty. General William Henry Harrison
arrived on September 12, 1812 (which coincidentally was his birthday) and broke the siege. Captain Rhea was formally relieved of duty and one of the lieutenants, named Ostrander, was given official command of the fort.
After the war, a town began growing around the fort. A third fort was built in 1816 by Major John Whistler
. The fort was officially abandoned on April 19, 1819, and its contents shipped to Fort Detroit.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, was established by Captain Jean François Hamtramck
Jean François Hamtramck
Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War....
under orders from General "Mad" Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
as part of the campaign against the Indians
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
of the area. It was named after General Wayne, who was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory...
. Wayne may have chosen the name himself—the fort was dedicated the day after he left it. The fort was officially occupied by the army on October 21, 1794. The fort was a basic stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
with few buildings, and was located near the present intersection of Berry and Clay streets.
History
Fort Wayne was the successor of several previous military outposts at the location. Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de VincennesJean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes
Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, was a Canadian soldier, explorer, and friend to the Miami Nation.Vincennes was born in Quebec on January 19, 1668. His father, tanner François Bissot, was granted a seigniory for his tannery on the St. Lawrence River in 1672...
built the first fortified trading post on the site in 1704.
Fort Miami
Fort Miami, originally called Fort St. Philippe or Fort des Miamis, was built in 1715 at KekiongaKekionga
Kekionga, also known as Kiskakon or Pacan's Village, was the capital of the Miami tribe at the confluence of the Saint Joseph, Saint Marys and Maumee rivers on the western edge of the Great Black Swamp...
, a large Miami village founded where the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Maumee River)
The St. Joseph River is an tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio, and northeastern Indiana in the United States, with headwater tributaries rising in southern Michigan. It drains a primarily rural farming region in the watershed of Lake Erie. It shares its name with the St...
and St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Indiana)
The St. Marys River is a tributary of the Maumee River in western Ohio and eastern Indiana in the United States. Prior to development, it was part of the Great Black Swamp. Today, it drains a primarily rural farming region in the watershed of Lake Erie....
merge to form the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
. The Miami refused to abandon their village and move farther West, away from British traders, so Governor Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was a French politician, who was Governor-general of New France from 1703 to 1725....
authorized Jean Baptiste Bissot to build a strong fort to protect the trade routes of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
.
The original fort served as a successful trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
until 1747, when English-allied Huron warriors under Chief Nicholas
Nicholas
Nicholas or Nikolas is a male given name, derived from the Greek name Νικόλαος , a combination of the words for "victory" and "people" . The name can be understood to mean victory of the people or "power of the people"...
found it undermanned—the commandant, Ensign Douville, and most of the soldiers were away at Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
. The fort was sacked and burned to the ground.
In Summer 1749, a force of French and Indians under Captain Pierre Blainville rebuilt the fort. This second fort survived the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, but it was attacked in 1752, and two soldiers from the French garrison were caught outside the fort and killed. In November 1760, at the close of the French and Indian War, the French garrison formally surrendered Fort Miami to Ensign Holmes of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
. The British soon lost control of the fort in 1763, during Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
, and the fort was destroyed by the Indians.
The British refortified the town, and the trading post again became successful. It was sacked in 1780 by a force under Augustin de La Balme
Augustin de La Balme
Augustin Mottin de la Balme was a French cavalry officer who served in Europe during the Seven Years War and in the United States during the American Revolution...
, a French cavalry officer who came to the new United States of America to assist with the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The force raided the stores, but was soon destroyed by Miami Chief Little Turtle, and the goods were returned. The coalition at Kekionga remained true to their British allies even after the area was ceded to the United States at the close of the war. It therefore became a target of American armies, leading to several noteworthy Indian victories now known as the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
. One such battle, Hardin's Defeat (1790), occurred within sight of the fort. The Northwest Indian War ended with the Battle of Fallen Timbers
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory...
, where General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
finally achieved an American victory.
Fort Wayne
Jean François Hamtramck
Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War....
, who had been commandant of Fort Knox
Forts of Vincennes, Indiana
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the French, British and American nations built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River.- Original Trading Post :...
in Vincennes. The fort was officially dedicated 22 October (the fourth anniversary of Harmar's Defeat
Harmar Campaign
The Harmar Campaign was an attempt by the United States to subdue Native Americans in the Northwest Territory in the Autumn of 1790. It was led by General Josiah Harmar and was part of the Northwest Indian War...
), and the day is considered the founding of the modern city of Fort Wayne.
The garrison at Fort Wayne normally consisted of about 100 men and their families. In 1796, the garrison was ordered to march down the Maumee River to counteract a British demonstration. The force received the transfer of Fort Maumee
Fort Miami (Ohio)
Fort Miami was a fort built on the Maumee River at the eastern edge of the present-day city of Maumee, Ohio, and southwest of the present-day city of Toledo, Ohio. It was built by the British on territory disputed between Britain and the USA; according to the U.S. interpretation of the terms of the...
from the British before Colonel Hamtramck was transferred to Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
- later the site of another Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne (Detroit)
Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood. The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks still stands, as does the 1845 star...
, and near the future town of Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,423. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border that touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park...
. Colonel David Strong, a veteran of the American Revolution and Wayne's Legion, succeeded him as commandant of Fort Wayne for two years, before transferring commands with Colonel Hamtramck in 1798.
Colonel Thomas Hunt—a veteran of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
, Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, and Wayne's Legion—took command of the fort on 16 May 1798, and built a substantial new fort several hundred yards north of the original, near the modern city's Old Fort Park. The new fort contained multiple guard houses
Guardhouse
A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...
and Indian "factories" (trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s). The first fort was demolished about 1800.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. The original fort was destroyed following the Battle of...
(in present Chicago) was evacuated and the residents tried to reach Fort Wayne, but were massacred before they arrived. Fort Wayne was next besieged by the Indian forces of Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
during the Siege of Fort Wayne
Siege of Fort Wayne
The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the War of 1812, between United States and American Indian forces in the wake of the successful British campaigns of 1812.-Background:...
. Captain James Rhea was in charge of the fort and considered surrendering the fort, but his two lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
s relieved him of duty. General William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
arrived on September 12, 1812 (which coincidentally was his birthday) and broke the siege. Captain Rhea was formally relieved of duty and one of the lieutenants, named Ostrander, was given official command of the fort.
After the war, a town began growing around the fort. A third fort was built in 1816 by Major John Whistler
John Whistler
John Whistler was a soldier, born in Ulster, Ireland. He ran away from home when a boy, enlisted in the British army, and served under General John Burgoyne during the American Revolutionary War. After the surrender at Saratoga, John returned to England and was honorably discharged...
. The fort was officially abandoned on April 19, 1819, and its contents shipped to Fort Detroit.
Commanders of Fort Wayne
| Colonel John Hamtramck Jean François Hamtramck Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War.... |
1794–1796 | Took command of Fort Lernoult with First American Regiment First American Regiment The First American Regiment was the first peacetime regular army force authorized by United States Congress after the American Revolutionary War... |
| Colonel David Strong | 1796–1798 | Transferred with Second American Regiment to Fort Lernoult |
| Colonel John Hamtramck Jean François Hamtramck Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War.... |
1798 | Transferred back to Fort Lernoult. His son, John Francis Hamtramck, was born in Fort Wayne during this year, and is sometimes considered the first U.S. citizen born in Fort Wayne. |
| Colonel Thomas Hunt | 1798–1802 | Built new fort in 1800 |
| Captain Thomas Pasteur | 1802 | Former commandant of Fort Knox Forts of Vincennes, Indiana During the 18th and 19th centuries, the French, British and American nations built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River.- Original Trading Post :... and Fort Massac Fort Massac Fort Massac is a colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States.Legend has it that, as early as 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his soldiers constructed a primitive fortification here to defend themselves from native attack... . |
| Colonel Henry Burbeck | 1803 | |
| Major Zebulon Pike | 1803 | Father of explorer Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. was an American officer and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States Army captain in 1806-1807, he led the Pike Expedition to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and to find the headwaters of the Red River,... . |
| Captain John Whipple | 1803–1807 | In command during Quaker Agriculture missions to the Miami Quaker Agriculture missions to the Miami In 1802, during a trip to Washington, DC, Miami Chief Little Turtle extended an invitation to the Baltimore area Quakers to visit Fort Wayne and teach the Miami about white civilization and European cultivation methods. The Quakers sent farm implements in 1803... . |
| Captain Nathan Heald Nathan Heald Nathan Heald was an officer in the United States Army during the War of 1812... |
1807–1810 | Married Rebeckah Wells, niece of William Wells William Wells (soldier) William Wells , also known as Apekonit , was the son-in-law of Chief Little Turtle of the Miami. He fought for the Miami in the Northwest Indian War... . Transferred to Fort Dearborn (Illinois) |
| Captain James Rhea | 1810–1812 | Commander during the Siege of Fort Wayne Siege of Fort Wayne The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the War of 1812, between United States and American Indian forces in the wake of the successful British campaigns of 1812.-Background:... |
| Lieutenant Ostrander | 1812 | Relieved Capt. Rhea of command during the Siege of Fort Wayne Later arrested by Capt Moore, and died 13 July 1813, while in captivity. |
| Captain Hugh Moore | 1812–1813 | |
| Major Joseph Jenkinson | 1813 | Assumed command after commanding flotilla of supply boats to Fort Wayne. |
| Major John Whistler John Whistler John Whistler was a soldier, born in Ulster, Ireland. He ran away from home when a boy, enlisted in the British army, and served under General John Burgoyne during the American Revolutionary War. After the surrender at Saratoga, John returned to England and was honorably discharged... |
1814–1817 | Was a British soldier at the Battles of Saratoga. Had been with Wayne's legion and helped build original Fort Wayne. Also built first Fort Dearborn, where he served as the first commandant. Built third Fort Wayne in 1815. Transferred to St. Louis. |
| Lieutenant Daniel Curtis | 1817 | Was at Siege of Fort Wayne. Served 3 months as temporary commandant. |
| Major Josiah N. Vose | 1817–1819 | Last commandant of Fort Wayne. Garrison abandoned fort 19 April 1819. |