Fort St. Clair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort St. Clair |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Fort St. Clair
|
|
| Coordinates | 39°44′17″N 84°39′16″W / 39.7381°N 84.6543107°W |
| Type | Fort |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1791-1792 |
| Battles/wars | Northwest Indian War |
Fort St. Clair was an important fort built a long time ago during a conflict called the Northwest Indian War. It was located near where the town of Eaton, Preble County, Ohio is today. This historic site was recognized and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Contents
Building Fort St. Clair
This fort was part of a plan to protect new settlements. Northwest Territory Governor Arthur St. Clair ordered several forts to be built. These forts stretched north from the city of Cincinnati. Their purpose was to show the power of the United States in Native American lands.
Why the Fort Was Needed
In November 1791, there was a big battle known as St. Clair's Defeat. After this loss, the United States Army had to retreat. They went back to Fort Jefferson, Fort Hamilton, and then Fort Washington in Cincinnati.
Governor St. Clair left for Philadelphia in January 1792. Lieutenant Colonel James Wilkinson then took command of the army at Fort Washington. Wilkinson noticed that it took two days to travel between Fort Hamilton and Fort Jefferson. This long trip caused a lot of suffering for wounded soldiers after St. Clair's Defeat.
To fix this problem, Wilkinson ordered Fort St. Clair to be built. It was placed right between Fort Hamilton and Fort Jefferson. This new fort helped keep communication lines open. It also protected supply convoys traveling between the army's outposts.
The Attack on Fort St. Clair
In November 1792, a group of Native American leaders held a meeting. This meeting was called the Grand Council at the mouth of the Auglaize River. After this council, a famous leader named Little Turtle led a force of about 200 warriors. These warriors were from the Miami and Shawnee tribes.
Little Turtle's Plan
Little Turtle's group moved past Fort Jefferson and Fort St. Clair. They reached Fort Hamilton on November 3rd. Their goal was to attack near the United States settlements. They wanted to do this on the anniversary of St. Clair's Defeat.
They captured two prisoners. From these prisoners, they learned important information. A large group of packhorses had left for Fort Jefferson. This convoy was expected to return in a few days.
Little Turtle moved north and found the convoy. It had nearly 100 horses and 100 Kentucky militia soldiers. Major John Adair led these soldiers. They were camped just outside Fort St. Clair.
The Battle at Dawn
Little Turtle attacked at dawn. This was just as Major Adair was calling his sentries (guards) back. The militia soldiers fought back and then made an organized retreat into the fort.
During the fight, the militia lost six soldiers who were killed. Four more were missing, and five were wounded. Major Adair later criticized Captain Bradley, who was in charge of Fort St. Clair. Adair felt that Captain Bradley did not help them during the attack.
Little Turtle's force lost two warriors. However, they successfully captured the camp and all the supplies. All the horses were either killed, wounded, or driven away. Only 23 horses were ever found again. This loss of horses was a big problem for the United States Army. Wilkinson believed it would make the advanced forts impossible to defend.
