Fort Jefferson (Darke County, Ohio)
Darke County · Ohio · Northwest Indian War
History & Significance
Fort Jefferson was the northernmost outpost of the U.S. Army in western Ohio at the time of its construction. It was the fourth in a chain of fortifications, generally within a hard day's march of each other.
Constructed under the command of Arthur St. Clair, then Governor of the North West Territory, it supported his campaign to subdue American Indian tribes that had been raiding settlements as far south as the Ohio River. On November 4, 1791, St. Clair's army was attacked by an American Indian Confederacy of about 1,000 warriors led by Little Turtle of the Miami, Blue Jacket of the Shawnee, and Buckongahelas of the Delaware.
St. Clair's losses were estimated at about 950 soldiers and civilians, of which 680 were killed. Survivors fled and reached Fort Jefferson within a day; the wounded too badly injured to continue were left with the garrison before retreat to Fort Washington.
After this catastrophic defeat left the fort deep in enemy territory, a Native American force raided it in early summer 1792, beginning on June 25 with an attack of one hundred warriors against a party gathering hay, killing or wounding sixteen soldiers. The fort came under siege intermittently for three years.
When Anthony Wayne's Legion of the United States began their campaign in fall 1793, they erected a new supply fort at Greenville, five miles north; nevertheless, they relied heavily on Fort Jefferson's supplies during their campaign. Fort Jefferson remained in use as a supply post until the Treaty of Greenville was ratified; by summer 1796, the fort was abandoned and burned. A memorial was dedicated on the site by the Greenville Historical Society in fall 1907; the fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Wooden fortification rebuilt on original 1791 site
- Northwest Indian War history and St. Clair campaign artifacts
- 6.5-acre historic grounds with interpretive markers
- Served as supply base during Anthony Wayne's operations
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jefferson_(Ohio)
- https://www.ohiohistory.org/fort-jefferson-1791-1796/
- https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/browse-historical-sites/fort-jefferson-memorial-park/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=165698
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=19885
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20254
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War
- https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/1657