Siege of Fort Loudoun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Fort Loudoun
Part of the Anglo-Cherokee War and the French and Indian War
Map of Cherokee Country by Henry Timberlake
Date February, 1760 to August 9, 1760 Location Little Tennessee River Cherokee Country now Tennessee Result Cherokee victory
Belligerents
Cherokee Nation	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Ostenaco	Captain Paul Demeré
Strength
500-700	150-230 12 cannon
Casualties and losses
	142 22 killed 120 prisoners

The Siege of Fort Loudoun was a major battle during the Anglo-Cherokee War. It took place from February to August 1760. The battle was fought between Cherokee warriors, led by Ostenaco, and British and colonial soldiers. These soldiers were stationed at Fort Loudoun in what is now Tennessee. Captain Paul Demeré led the British forces.

During the French and Indian War, the British wanted the Cherokee to be their allies. They hoped the Cherokee would help fight against the French and their Native American allies. An agreement was made, and both sides helped each other at first. The Cherokee provided warriors. In return, the British gave them supplies and protected their lands. However, this alliance soon broke down. Actions by both sides led to the start of the Anglo-Cherokee War in 1758.

Why the Fort Was Built

The British heard that the French planned to build forts in Cherokee lands. The French had already built several forts in other areas. To stop this, the British quickly built their own forts in Cherokee territory. These included Fort Prince George in South Carolina and Fort Loudoun in the Overhill Cherokee towns.

Once these forts were ready, the Cherokee sent warriors to help the British. About 400 warriors, led by Ostenaco, went to fight in Virginia. Other groups, led by Oconostota and Attakullakulla, attacked Fort Toulouse.

Fort Loudoun was built by the British and the colony of South Carolina. It was part of a deal with the Cherokee during the French and Indian War. The Cherokee agreed to help fight the French at Fort Duquesne. The British, especially those from Virginia, really needed the Cherokee's help against the French and their Shawnee allies. The fort was meant to be a trading post. It would supply the Cherokee with goods, guns, and gunpowder. It also offered protection for Cherokee women and children while their warriors were away fighting.

Building Fort Loudoun

Building the fort started with 120 soldiers from South Carolina. They were joined by 80 British soldiers. Construction continued into 1757. The fort was named after General John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun. He was the British Commander in Chief in North America.

The fort was built on high ground near the Little Tennessee River. It was about five miles from the Cherokee capital town of Chota. A German engineer named John William Gerard de Brahm designed the fort. It was shaped like a long diamond. Its walls were made of earth and topped with 15-foot-high wooden fences called palisades. Each side was 100 feet long. There were four corner towers, called bastions, with small cannons. A wide ditch, or moat, surrounded the fort.

By the summer of 1757, the fort was finished. It had 90 regular soldiers and 120 colonial troops. Their families also moved to the fort, starting a small community.

The inside of the rebuilt Fort Loudoun, looking towards the barracks.

The fort relied on supplies from white settlements nearly 200 miles away. These supplies had to cross the Appalachian Mountains. Captain Raymond Demeré was the first commander of Fort Loudoun. He was friendly with the Cherokee. But he was replaced by his brother, Paul Demeré. Paul was bossy, which made relations with the Cherokee worse. In 1759, Captain John Stuart arrived with more soldiers and supplies. These supplies included meat, flour, salt, ammunition, and clothing.

The Alliance Breaks Down

The friendship between the Cherokee and the British began to fall apart in 1758. This happened during a British mission against Fort Duquesne. The Cherokee felt their efforts were not appreciated. Conocotocko I, a main Cherokee chief, ordered his warriors to go home.

Later, some Cherokee warriors went with Virginian troops to fight the Shawnee. The enemy was hard to find. After some weeks, many Cherokee warriors left. Then, a group of Cherokee warriors killed some white settlers. They tried to trick the British by saying the scalps belonged to their enemies to get a reward. The British soldiers suspected the truth. They took the Cherokee's weapons and briefly held them. Then they sent them home.

Some Cherokee, who were not involved in the trick, were angry about this treatment. On their way home, they attacked settlements in Virginia. Virginia settlers got angry and chased the Cherokee. They attacked them and killed 20 Native Americans. The governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, apologized. But other Virginians called the Cherokee "horse thieves." Some Cherokee fought back, and the situation quickly got out of control.

War Declared

The new governor of South Carolina, William Henry Lyttelton, declared war on the Cherokee in 1759. The governor stopped all gunpowder shipments to the Cherokee. He also gathered an army of 1,100 colonial troops. This army marched to confront the Cherokee Lower Towns.

The Cherokee desperately needed ammunition for their fall and winter hunts. So, they sent a group of chiefs to negotiate for peace. But these 32 chiefs were taken prisoner. They were held as hostages at Fort Prince George. They were kept in a tiny room meant for only six people. Governor Lyttleton released three chiefs, hoping this would ensure peace.

Smallpox broke out among Governor Lyttleton's troops. He feared his army would desert. So, he quickly returned to Charleston in a hurry. The Cherokee were still angry. They continued to attack frontier settlements into 1760.

In February 1760, the Cherokee attacked Fort Prince George. They tried to rescue their hostages. The fort's commander was killed. In a panic, the soldiers inside the fort killed all the Cherokee hostages. Two days later, the fort fired cannons into the town of Keowee. The Cherokee then attacked Fort Ninety Six, but it held strong. However, many smaller settlements and posts in South Carolina quickly fell to Cherokee raids.

The Cherokee leaders included Standing Turkey (the Principal Chief), Oconostota of Chota, Attakullakulla of Tanasi, Ostenaco of Tomotley, Wauhatchie of the Lower Towns, and Round O of the Middle Towns. The Cherokee tried to find allies among other Native American tribes and the French. But they received no real help and faced the British alone. While some Cherokee leaders still wanted peace, others led revenge attacks on pioneer settlements.

The Siege of Fort Loudoun Begins

Portrait of Ostenaco by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1762.

When the siege began, the Cherokee warriors fired their rifles at the fort for a few days. But they soon stopped to save their valuable ammunition. The Cherokee prevented the soldiers and settlers from leaving the fort to hunt or gather food.

However, some soldiers were married to Native American women. These women were allowed to come and go. The Cherokee did not want to start fights with the women's tribes and families. These women were able to sneak in some much-needed food. But this was not enough to feed the soldiers for long. Captain Demeré had told Governor Lyttleton in January that his supplies would only last four months.

The Cherokee cut off the fort from all outside help and communication. Captain Demeré sent several messengers, but they were either killed or captured. No other white colonists would volunteer. So, Demeré asked an African-American slave named Abram for help. He promised Abram freedom if he could carry messages through the Cherokee lines and across the mountains to South Carolina. Abram made the dangerous trip several times. He was freed by the South Carolina government in 1761.

Governor Lyttleton asked for help from Jeffrey Amherst. Amherst was the British commander in North America. Amherst sent Archibald Montgomerie with an army of 1,300 to 1,500 troops. This force included 400 soldiers from the Royal Scots and 700 from Montgomerie's Highlanders. They went to South Carolina to launch a second attack against the Cherokee.

Failed Rescue Mission

This second mission had two goals. First, to defeat the Cherokee by burning their towns and crops. Second, to rescue the forts surrounded by the Cherokee, especially Fort Loudoun. In late May, the British reached Fort Ninety-Six. Montgomerie's army burned some of the Cherokee Lower Towns, including Keowee, Estatoe, and Sugar Town. They killed or captured about 100 Native Americans.

The British then moved towards the Cherokee Middle Towns. About five miles from Etchoe, the lowest town in the Cherokee's middle settlements, Montgomerie's advance group was ambushed in a deep valley. On June 27, the battle of Echoee took place. The British advance was stopped. Many soldiers, including Montgomerie, were wounded. There was no way to leave the wounded behind and keep going. The British were forced to retreat. The plan to rescue Fort Loudoun was abandoned.

The siege continued through June, July, and into August. The soldiers in the fort were so hungry and sick that they had to eat their horses. They grew weaker every day. Several soldiers ran away, and others threatened to. On August 6, the officers decided to ask for surrender terms. Captain Demeré's request to surrender was refused. But Captain Stuart, who the Cherokee liked, reached an agreement with the Cherokee chiefs at Chota.

After the Siege

Since no help arrived, the soldiers at Fort Loudoun had to surrender. Captain Demeré and his soldiers were allowed to keep their weapons and enough ammunition for their trip back to the colony. In return, they had to leave the rest of their weapons and supplies for the Cherokee, led by Ostenaco.

The soldiers marched out of the fort on August 9 with a Cherokee escort. The Cherokee entered the fort. They found 10 bags of gunpowder and bullets buried. The cannons and small arms had been thrown into the river. This was done to keep them from the Cherokee. Some of the Cherokee were angry that the agreement was broken. They held a secret meeting and decided to go after the soldiers.

The next morning, the Cherokee escort had left. The soldiers were attacked in the woods by about 700 Cherokee warriors. About 22 soldiers were killed, including all the officers except Stuart. This was the same number of Cherokee chiefs killed as hostages at Fort Prince George. Three civilians were also killed, and 120 or more people were taken prisoner.

Captain Stuart was saved from the attack by a Cherokee woman, likely his wife Susannah. She ran among the soldiers during the firing to protect him. Ostenaco wanted Stuart to show the Cherokee how to use the 12 captured cannons against other British forts. Stuart had a great friend among the Cherokee, Attakullakulla (the Little Carpenter). Attakullakulla first paid for Stuart's freedom and then helped him escape. Stuart later became the Royal Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Southern Districts of North America. He held this important job for 18 years.

News of the fort's fall caused panic in Charleston. A six-month truce was agreed upon, but peace talks failed. The Cherokee had a difficult winter. They lost their harvest from the Lower Towns and had little ammunition for hunting. Disease also spread. Despite this, Cherokee spirits remained high. As a sign of goodwill, the Cherokee allowed Fort Prince George to receive some supplies. Even though it was almost as vulnerable as Fort Loudoun, the Cherokee did not put it under a close siege.

Amherst then decided to launch a third and larger invasion of Cherokee lands. He wanted to "punish the Cherokees [and] force them to beg for forgiveness." James Grant was now in command. He had more regular soldiers, including the 1st, 17th, and 22nd Regiments. He also had a war party of Mohawk and Stockbridge Native American scouts, Catawba and Chickasaw warriors. A large number of colonial troops were also with him. This force was more than 2,800 strong.

Grant's army met 1,000 Cherokee warriors on June 10, 1761, near the site of the previous Battle of Echoee. The Cherokee fought until they ran out of ammunition, then they retreated.

Grant's army then burned 15 Middle Towns and all the crops. Grant ordered his troops to kill any Native American man, woman, or child they captured. By July, Grant's men were exhausted, and 300 were too sick to walk. But he had destroyed the Cherokee economy. He made 4,000 people from the Middle Towns homeless and starving. In August 1761, the Cherokee asked for peace.

After Fort Loudoun was destroyed, Amherst sent another force from Virginia in 1761. This force was led by Colonel William Byrd. While Byrd moved against the Middle Towns, he sent Colonel Adam Stephen to attack the Overhill Towns. Stephen arrived at Long Island of the Holston in 1761. He then built Fort Robinson.

The Overhill Cherokee were worried about this invasion. Chief Old Hop (Conocotocko) went to Long Island of the Holston to seek peace. Colonel Stephen agreed, and peace was made in November 1761, before any fighting happened. At the request of the Cherokee, Stephen sent Lieutenant Henry Timberlake on an expedition to the Overhill country. This was to make sure peace continued with the different villages. A journal and map made by Timberlake during this trip were very helpful to early explorers and settlers of Tennessee.