Siege of Fort Henry (1782)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Fort Henry (September 11–13, 1782) was an assault on the American Fort Henry, a frontier fort on the western reaches of Virginia
that is now the site of Wheeling, West Virginia
. The attackers were a band of about 300 Indians, probably led by Simon Girty
's brother George, and accompanied by a company of British provincial troops, and under the overall leadership of British Captain Pratt. Their demand to surrender the fort was rejected by Ebenezer Zane
's garrison, and a small cannon at the fort was sufficient to repulse repeated assaults.
Betty Zane
performed a notable act of courage during the siege. During a pause in the action she proposed to fetch a keg of gunpowder from her brother's cabin, pointing out that their enemies might not fire on her because she was a woman. As she calmly walked to the cabin which was situated 60 yards (55 m) from the fort, the astounded attackers simply gaped at her. But when she dashed out of the place with the powder keg, the native Americans began firing. She managed to race back to the fort safely with the precious gunpowder.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
that is now the site of Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The attackers were a band of about 300 Indians, probably led by Simon Girty
Simon Girty
Simon Girty was an American colonial of Scots-Irish ancestry who served as a liaison between the British and their Native American allies during the American Revolution...
's brother George, and accompanied by a company of British provincial troops, and under the overall leadership of British Captain Pratt. Their demand to surrender the fort was rejected by Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, road builder and land speculator. Born in what is now Moorefield, West Virginia , Zane established the settlement known as Fort Henry in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River...
's garrison, and a small cannon at the fort was sufficient to repulse repeated assaults.
Betty Zane
Betty Zane
Elizabeth "Betty" Zane McLaughlin Clark was a heroine of the Revolutionary War on the American frontier. She was the daughter of William Andrew Zane and Nancy Ann Zane, and the sister of Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Isaac Zane and Andrew Zane...
performed a notable act of courage during the siege. During a pause in the action she proposed to fetch a keg of gunpowder from her brother's cabin, pointing out that their enemies might not fire on her because she was a woman. As she calmly walked to the cabin which was situated 60 yards (55 m) from the fort, the astounded attackers simply gaped at her. But when she dashed out of the place with the powder keg, the native Americans began firing. She managed to race back to the fort safely with the precious gunpowder.