Fort Wayne (Allen County, Indiana, Indiana)
Allen County, Indiana · Indiana · Northwest Indian War, American Revolutionary War era
History & Significance
The first stockade was constructed to secure the territory gained in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, in which Wayne had recently been victorious. Wayne's Legion arrived at Kekionga on September 17, 1794, and Wayne personally selected the site.
The fort was finished by October 17 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 October 22 (the fourth anniversary of Harmar's Defeat), and the day is considered the founding of the modern city of Fort Wayne. Colonel Thomas Hunt—a veteran of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and Wayne's Legion—took command on May 16, 1798, and built a substantial new fort several hundred yards north of the original.
The first fort was demolished about 1800. During the War of 1812, the fort withstood a siege from September 5–12, 1812, between the U.S. military garrison and combined Potawatomi and Miami forces.
General William Henry Harrison arrived on September 12, 1812, and broke the siege. A third fort was built in 1815/16 by Major John Whistler and was officially abandoned on April 19, 1819.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed 1794 fort at the confluence of three rivers
- Military architecture and defensive design of the early U.S. Army
- Exhibits on the Northwest Indian War and Anthony Wayne's campaigns
- Trading post operations in a frontier settlement context
- Museum covering the site's transition from military to civilian city
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wayne_(fort)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Wayne
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wayne,_Indiana
- https://oldfortwayne.org/about-us/history/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War
- https://www.nps.gov/people/anthony-wayne.htm
- https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Greenville
- https://archfw.org/heritage-trail/centraldowntown/anthony-waynes-fort/