Fort Laurens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort Laurens
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Southwest bastion outlined on the ground at the site of the fort
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Lawrence Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio |
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| Nearest city | Bolivar, Ohio |
| Built | 1778 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000518 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1970 |
Fort Laurens was a special place in Ohio during the American Revolutionary War. It was the only fort built in what is now Ohio during that war. Soldiers built it in late 1778 by the Tuscarawas River, near today's Bolivar, Ohio. In the winter of 1779, Native American warriors and British soldiers surrounded the fort for many weeks. The American soldiers left the fort in August 1779. Today, the Ohio History Connection owns the land where the fort once stood. You won't see the original fort walls above ground anymore.
Contents
Building Fort Laurens
In October 1778, a large group of 1,200 American soldiers left Pittsburgh. They were led by General Lachlan McIntosh. Their goal was to attack Native American villages and eventually capture Fort Detroit.
By November, General McIntosh and his troops reached the Tuscarawas River. This river flows into the Muskingum River. McIntosh decided to build a fort there, on the west bank of the river.
What the Fort Looked Like
Fort Laurens was a typical fort for its time. It had four sides, like a square, and was made of tall wooden walls called a stockade. There was also a square building called a blockhouse near the main gate. This blockhouse helped protect the fort.
The fort was named after Henry Laurens, who was an important leader in the American government at the time. Inside the fort, there was a place to store supplies and buildings for the soldiers to live in.
Leaving Soldiers Behind
By December, the soldiers were running low on food. General McIntosh decided to take most of his troops back to Pittsburgh. He left behind Colonel John Gibson and 19 officers. They had 152 soldiers from the 13th Virginia Regiment to guard the fort.
The Fort Under Attack
The British in Detroit soon found out about Fort Laurens from their Native American allies. In January 1779, a British interpreter named Simon Girty was sent to check out the fort.
Girty brought some Mingo warriors with him. They arrived at Fort Laurens on January 21. This was just as a small group of American soldiers, led by Captain John Clark, brought supplies to the fort.
An Ambush and a Prisoner
Girty was too late to stop the supplies from reaching the fort. But he successfully attacked the American soldiers as they returned to Pittsburgh. Two Americans were killed, four were hurt, and one was captured.
Girty took the captured soldier to Detroit. He asked the British to send their own soldiers to help capture Fort Laurens. Captain Henry Bird and a few British soldiers volunteered. They joined about 180 Mingo and Wyandot warriors.
The Siege Begins
The attack on Fort Laurens began on February 22, 1779. A group of American soldiers working outside the fort were surprised. Seventeen of them were killed right away, and two were taken prisoner.
The fort was surrounded, which is called a siege. The soldiers inside Fort Laurens faced many challenges. They did not have enough warm clothes or food during the cold winter siege.
Hard Times Inside the Fort
Captain Benjamin Biggs, one of the soldiers, remembered how tough it was. He said the siege lasted four weeks. Their food ran out. For three or four days, they had only half a biscuit each day. Then, for the last two days, they had to wash their moccasins (soft shoes) and old dried animal hides. They then cooked and ate them to survive.
Because of the harsh winter, Captain Bird and his forces ended the siege after four weeks. This happened just before more American soldiers arrived to help.
Abandoning the Fort
Colonel Daniel Brodhead had taken over from General McIntosh as the commander of the American forces in the west. He soon decided that Fort Laurens was not in a good location. He ordered the fort to be left empty in August 1779.
Fort Laurens Museum and Park
The Ohio History Connection now owns the land where Fort Laurens once stood. There is a small museum there, run by the Zoar Community Association.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has exhibits, displays, and dioramas that tell the story of the fort. You can learn about the soldiers who lived and fought there. The museum also shows artifacts that were found during archaeological digs in the 1970s.
The museum is located in a large park. This park is sometimes used for military reenactments, where people dress up and act out historical battles.
Exploring the Fort's Footprint
Even though none of the original fort walls are still standing, you can still see where it was. A partial outline of the fort has been cut into the grass and filled with wood chips. This helps visitors see the fort's shape and size.
Discoveries and Memorials
The east wall of the fort was destroyed in 1832 when the Ohio and Erie Canal was built. In 1971, the Fort Laurens site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special historical site.
In 1972 and 1973, archaeologists dug up the area. They found the outline of the fort and also located the fort's cemetery. In 1986 and 1987, the remains of soldiers killed on February 22, 1779, were found in a mass grave.
One of these soldiers was buried with full military honors at the site. This burial place is called the Tomb of the Unknown Patriot of the American Revolution. After studying the other remains, they were placed in a special crypt inside the museum wall.
In 2024, the Ohio History Connection announced that they had received money to partially rebuild the fort.
