Fort Recovery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort Recovery Site
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Blockhouses and stockade walls at the reproduction of Fort Recovery
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | State Route 49, Fort Recovery, Ohio |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1791 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000509 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1970 |
Fort Recovery was an important fort built by the United States Army. It was ordered by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne during a time known as the Northwest Indian War. The fort was built from late 1793 and finished in March 1794. It stood near the Wabash River, close to what is now the Ohio-Indiana border.
In June 1794, a group of Wayne's soldiers, called the Legion of the United States, defended the fort. They held off an attack from combined Native American forces. The fort was later used to help draw the lines for the 1795 Treaty of Greenville. It was also important for future settlements. The fort was no longer used after 1796.
Today, the village of Fort Recovery, Ohio grew up around the old fort site. It has monuments and special places to remember the fort and the battles that happened there.
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Why Was Fort Recovery Built?
General Wayne chose this spot on purpose. It was the exact place where Arthur St. Clair had been defeated in 1791. Native American groups, led by Miami Chief Michikinikwa (Little Turtle) and Shawnee Chief Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket), had won that battle. This big loss, called St. Clair's Defeat, ended St. Clair's military career. It also made the United States Congress look closely at why the U.S. Army lost.
Because of this Native American victory, the Legion of the United States was created. General "Mad Anthony" Wayne was put in charge. Wayne wanted to show that the U.S. Army could recover from this huge defeat. He hoped they could win in what was also known as "Little Turtle's War."
In late 1793, Wayne led 300 men to the site of St. Clair's defeat. He decided to build Fort Recovery right there. On December 25, they found the spot because of many unburied remains. A soldier named Private George Will wrote that they had to move bones to make space for their beds.
On June 30, 1794, a large Native American force and some British officers attacked the fort. This was called the Siege of Fort Recovery. Even though Wayne's soldiers had many injuries, they kept control of the fort. This was partly because they had found cannons that St. Clair had lost in 1791. Wayne used Fort Recovery as a starting point for moving deeper into the territory. He later defeated the Native American groups at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794.
In 1795, representatives from the Native American groups signed the Treaty of Greenville. This treaty gave control of most of modern-day Ohio to the United States. Fort Recovery was used as a key point to mark the border between Native American lands and U.S. territories.
The Attack on Fort Recovery
Since spring 1794, about 250 soldiers from General Anthony Wayne's Legion of the United States were stationed at Fort Recovery.
On June 30, 1794, a U.S. supply group left Fort Recovery. They were heading to Fort Greenville. Major William McMahon led them, with ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons (soldiers on horseback). They had only gone about a quarter mile when Native American warriors attacked them. Shawnee war chief Blue Jacket led the attack, and the young Tecumseh was also there.
The dragoons quickly went back to the fort. They lost thirty-two soldiers and had thirty wounded. They also caused some injuries to their attackers.
During the night, a scouting group reported something important. They saw British officers with the Native American forces. The British had brought gunpowder and cannonballs, but no cannons. The Native Americans were looking for U.S. cannons that had been buried after St. Clair's defeat. They did not know that Wayne's soldiers had already found these cannons.
The next day, July 1, the Native American forces attacked the fort again. However, they started to leave by noon and were completely gone by nightfall.
Fort Recovery as a Boundary Marker
After Wayne's victory in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the U.S. offered peace. This led to the 1795 Treaty of Greenville with the local Native American tribes. Fort Recovery was used as a key point to draw the boundary line. This line separated U.S. land from Native American tribal territory.
In 1800, the fort was again used as a reference point. This time, it helped define the first borders of the Indiana Territory. This new territory was separated from the larger Northwest Territory. When Ohio became a state in 1803, its western border was placed a few miles west of Fort Recovery.
Fort Recovery Memorials
In 1891, people dug up the battle sites around the fort. The remains of about 1200 people were buried in a memorial park. This park was created in downtown Fort Recovery. In 1908, President William Howard Taft signed a law. This law allowed for a monument to be built for those killed under Arthur St. Clair and Anthony Wayne. In 1910, his government gave the village of Fort Recovery $25,000 for the monument.
The monument is a tall, pointed pillar called an obelisk. It was built in 1912 and officially opened on July 1, 1913. The obelisk stands about 101 feet (30.9 meters) tall. It weighs around 800 short tons (725 metric tons) and cost $23,700 to build.
Today, this monument is part of a historical site called Fort Recovery State Memorial. The Ohio Historical Society takes care of it. A copy of Wayne's fort has two rebuilt blockhouses. These are connected by a stockade (a fence of strong posts).
The Fort Recovery State Museum opened in 1938 during the Great Depression. It has life-size dioramas showing fort soldiers and the different Native American tribes who fought. The museum explains Wayne's military campaign. It also displays military and Native American items, uniforms, weapons, paintings, and maps. The museum has a gift shop and offers programs for school groups.
In 2011, students from Ball State University found the original spot of a fort wall. It was not far from the Fort Recovery state museum.
See also
