Fort Prince George (Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania)
Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) · Pennsylvania · French and Indian War
History & Significance
The plan to occupy the strategic forks was formed by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie on the advice of Major George Washington, whom Dinwiddie had sent on a mission to warn French commanders they were on English territory in late 1753, and who had made a military assessment and a map of the site. Trent's company arrived on site in February 1754 and began construction of a storehouse and stockade with the assistance of Tanacharison and the Mingos.
Tanacharison "laid the first log and said that the fort belonged to the English & them and whoever offered to prevent the building of it, they, the Indians, would make war against them." When Contrecœur learned of Trent's activity, he led a force of about 500 men to drive them off.
On April 16, Contrecœur's force arrived at the forks, and the next day, Trent's force of 36 men, led by Ensign Edward Ward in Trent's absence, agreed to leave the site. The French then began construction of the fort they called "Fort Duquesne."
A larger French Canadian force had driven off a small crew attempting to construct Fort Prince George under the auspices of the Ohio Company at present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, land claimed by the French. The fort's brief existence and rapid capture marked the opening phase of territorial struggle that would define the French and Indian War.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Historical marker at Point State Park at the confluence of two rivers
- Diorama of the 1754 surrender at the Fort Pitt Museum
- Site of early French-Indian War conflict during British westward expansion
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jumonville_Glen
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Prince_George
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_forts_in_the_French_and_Indian_War
- https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-8C
- https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Prince_George_(1)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_State_Park
- https://www.nps.gov/places/point-state-park.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pitt_Museum
Other Forts in Pennsylvania
See all forts in Pennsylvania →