Fort Defiance (5)

 (1794-1815) - First established in 1794 by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne during the Northwest Territory Indian War. Abandoned in 1815 at the end of the War of 1812.

Northwest Territory Indian War


General Wayne ordered the construction of Fort Defiance soon after his arrival at the site and Maj. Henry Burbeck was placed in charge of construction. The fort was built in defiance of the British and Indian dominance of the area and took its name from that act.

The post was located on a point at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers. The plan was initially a square consisting of 60-foot long curtain walls with a 22-foot square blockhouse at each corner. Each blockhouse had three sides outside the walls with embrasures for howitzers in each.

After the Battle of Fallen Timbers, General Wayne ordered the fort upgraded, adding a deep dry ditch around three sides and an outer wall around the entire post. The interior of the fort contained barracks, officer's quarters and storehouses. Two drawbridges provided access from the confluence point and the land side of the fort.

The Treaty of Greene Ville ended the Northwest Territory Indian War and the eliminated the need for Wayne's line of forts and they were abandoned.

War of 1812
The fort was rebuilt in 1813 by General William Henry Harrison and garrisoned for the War of 1812. Fort Winchester was built nearby and the two forts served as a base of operations against the British and their Indian allies during the war. Both posts were abandoned in 1815 when the war ended.

Current Status
Part of Old Fort Defiance City Park. Two period cannons mounted at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers.

Sources:
 * , page 638-639

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Defiance (5)
 * Historical Marker Database - Fort Defiance