Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Pittsburgh · Pennsylvania · French and Indian War
History & Significance
Named for Marquis Duquesne, governor of Canada, the fort was built in spring 1754. Though small and poorly constructed, its power lay in location—at the intersection of three rivers, allowing French control of the Ohio Country and deterrence of British expansion.
In May 1754, Major George Washington led 300 Virginians toward the fort; Washington's men and Seneca allies under Tanacharison ambushed a French party, killing French commander Joseph Coulon de Jumonville and thirteen others. General Edward Braddock's 1755 advance of 1,400 men ended in disaster at the Monongahela, with 977 British casualties to only 39 French losses.
In late 1758, General John Forbes led a 6,000-man expedition; on November 25, 1758, the French burned and abandoned Fort Duquesne as Forbes approached. The British built Fort Pitt on the site between 1759 and 1761. Today the location of Fort Duquesne is marked by a granite tracery within Point State Park's Great Lawn, with a bronze medallion at its center.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Outlined foundations of French Fort Duquesne (1754) at strategic river confluence
- Granite markers tracing original fort layout and British successor Fort Pitt
- Point State Park's 150-foot observation tower with panoramic Golden Triangle views
- French and Indian War era history at crucial military stronghold
- Allegheny and Monongahela river confluence setting
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Duquesne
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/french-indian-war/battles/fort-duquesne
- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/military-history-and-science/battle-fort-duquesne
- https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/fort-duquesne
- https://collections.dartmouth.edu/archive/text/occom/ctx/placeography/place0076.ocp.html
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/ftnecessity.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/pennsylvania-braddock-s-defeat-pittsburgh-s-past-public-memory.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/prelude-to-war.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/braddock-campaign.htm
- https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/PointStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
- https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/point-state-park/history
Other Forts in Pennsylvania
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