In the summer of 2009, my family and I embarked on a road trip which took us across the entire state of Ohio. On this trip among other places, we were able to visit the mostly reconstructed Fort Meigs, which rests on the banks of the Maumee River in north western Ohio, just outside of Perrysburg. Constructed in the first few months of 1813, at the behest of Major General of the U.S. Army of the Northwest William Henry Harrison, Fort Meigs was the sight of a major siege during the War of 1812, and is perhaps the most important battle sight of the war, as Harrison’s stand there became a major turning point in the war. The sight of the Fort and the surrounding area were also very important to American territorial ambitions, as the area was highly coveted for its rich farm land and its potential to be a stepping stone for westward expansion After the American Revolution the United States implemented an aggressive expansion policy, aiming for no less than complete control of the entire North American continent. After securing most of the Ohio territory with the Grenville Treaty of 1795, the Americans set their sights on the “Garden Spot” of the Northwest Territory, the region of Northwestern Ohio, which was previously unclaimed by the Ohio Indian wars. This area was coveted by land speculators and frontiersmen, and was described as being destined to become, “One of the finest settlements in the world,” (Weekly Register, p. 317).
Numerous accounts spread, telling of the beauty and of the richness of the northern Ohio plain, as more and more frontiersmen and soldiers pushed forward into Indian country trading and building forts and settlements. Much was made of the abounding, flat, rich, soil making the region a perfectly irrigable location, capable of cultivating, “the production of grain and crops of almost every kind raised in the United States,” (Weekly Register, p. 315). The rivers, which included the Miami, Scioto, Cuyahoga, and Maumee as well as many lakes and streams, provided the water to cultivate such crops and were literally flush with fish, as one account maintains, “The quantity of fish at the rapids is almost incredible. So numerous are they at the rapids of the Miami that a gig may be thrown into the water at random, and it will rarely miss killing one,” (Weekly Register, p. 317). While many accounts may be slightly embellished, the fact remains that this territory was highly coveted by American frontiersmen as the War of 1812 broke out.
Fort Meigs was constructed on the southern banks of the Maumee River after the end of the 1812 campaign. General William Henry Harrison set up this defensive position while in retreat after a defeat at Frenchtown on the Raisin River in Southern Michigan, (Analectic Magazine, p. 508). 900 men of the Pennsylvania and Ohio militia constructed the camp, expecting British and Indian forces to envelope them, which they never did as the British themselves, under General Proctor, retreated back to nearby Fort Malden. Harrison, who was originally charged with pushing the enemy toward Fort Niagara, was now trying to hold the enemy out of Ohio, (Hafley, p. 01).
By mid March Harrison was able to bolster his troops to 1100 with the promise that Kentucky governor Isaac Shelby would supply 3,000 reinforcements soon thereafter. At the time Shawnee leader Tecumseh urged General Proctor to attack fort Meigs, or risk losing Indian support. Proctor agreed to, “smoke out” the Americans from their hives, (Hafley, p. 4). On the 25th of April 1813, 413 British regulars and 468 Canadian militiamen set out in ships across Lake Eerie to the Maumee Bay, while 1200 Indian warriors traveled over land, (Hafley, p. 4).
By the night of April 29th, the British had most of their artillery in place outside the fort. A few rounds were fired on April 30th, to no avail. The siege began in proper on May 1st. Proctor was discouraged to see that the Americans were so well entrenched, as he had hoped they would surrender after a few hours of bombardment. After 12 hours of heavy artillery fire, only 2 Americans had died and only 4 had been wounded. Proctor fired a thousand more rounds into the fort over the course of the next two days and although the fort smoldered with the devastation of the rounds, Harrison suffered very few casualties and his guns and magazine were still intact. Harrison’s worst problem was the lack of water. His only water supply, t he Maumee, had been cut off by Indian forces. Harrison had very little artillery rounds as well, and therefore was very conservative with them. In fact, Harrison made a deal with the men that any recovered enemy cannonball capable of being reused would earn whoever found it an extra ration of whiskey, (Hafley p. 5).
On May 4th, Proctor sent a messenger under white flag to the fort with surrender terms. Harrison’s reply was, “’Tell General Proctor that if he shall take the fort it will be under circumstances that will do him more honor than a thousand surrenders,’” (Hafley, p. 6). Later on that night Harrison received word that General Clay of the Kentucky militia was at nearby Fort Defiance and was sending 1200 militia to come to the aid of Fort Meigs. Upon hearing the good news, Harrison devised a plan of attack. His orders for Clay’s men were simple. About 800 men would attack the batteries on the north side of the Maumee. Once they had overtaken the small British force, they were to disable the cannon and retreat back across the river to the fort. Meanwhile Harrison and the remaining 400 of Clay’s force would begin to attack Indian and British forces on the south side of the river and pinch them in between the two forces, (Hafley, p. 6).
The attack did not go as planned. The 800 men lead by Colonel Dudley overran the British batteries with relative ease, and were able to disable the guns, however, the soldiers did not then retreat back to Fort Meigs. They chased the enemy through the woods and within sight of the main British force. Spread out and confused, the men attempting to make it back to the rally point but were quickly overran by Indian forces. British commanders were able to restrain the Indian forces from massacring nearly the entire force. Dudley had been cut down and scalped however and many had been forced to run a gauntlet of tomahawks and clubs. The force was subdued and put in the stockade at nearby Fort Miami. Of the 846 men which had attacked, only 170 made it back across the river to the fort. Clay had suffered a few casualties as well and arrived back with roughly 300 men, (Hafley,p. 7).
After resembling in the fort, major forces set out and pushed the British and Indian forces back across the river. With little artillery support, the British could hardly mount a rally. Hours of fierce hand to hand combat ensued in the wooded ravines surrounding the fort. About 30 Americans were killed and 90 were wounded, but they had successfully dismantled the British batteries and captured 42 British prisoners, (Hafley, p.8).
By this time the siege was basically over. Many Indians, disillusioned by British military might wandered off and abandoned the fight. Tecumseh remained with Proctor and on May 8th the British ended their siege. An unsuccessful siege of nearby Fort Stephens in the later part of July sent Proctor and Tecumseh limping back to Fort Malden. Taking the offensive, Harrison ordered Fort Meigs dismantled only to be used as storage while his forces pursued Proctor into Canada dealing him a decisive defeat on the Thames River near Moravian town. This is where Tecumseh died. The battles at Fort Meigs and Fort Stephens were a major turning point in the war. It turned the tables on the British, halted the invasion of Ohio and the Northwest Territory and allowed the Americans to lead a successful offensive campaign into Canada, (Hafley, p. 9).
After the defeat of the Indians and British in the War of 1812, the Americans began to more aggressively settle the areas of the Northwest Territory previously controlled by the Indians. In 1825 a major road was constructed connecting Fort Meigs with Detroit, showing that not only the surrounding area, but the fort itself became a major stop on many pioneers’ ventures west. Fort Meigs should be considered one of the most important battle sights in American history.
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