The Story

     The War of 1812, sometimes called the Second War of Independence, was fought for sailor's rights and western expansion. Great Britain was stopping American merchant ships on the Atlantic Ocean and impressing sailors into the Royal Navy. In response, the United States declared war on June 18, 1812. Fort Meigs stood at the center of American military operations in the Northwest Territory. Between June, 1812 and February, 1813, the United States lost Fort Mackinac and Fort Detroit in the Michigan Territory and Fort Dearborn in the Illinois Territory, as well as a major defeat at the Battle of the River Raisin in Michigan. Only Fort Wayne, in the Indiana Territory, withstood British attack.

     General William Henry Harrison established a fort on the south side of the Maumee River on February 2, 1813. The fort was to serve as a temporary supply depot and staging area for an invasion of Canada. Named for the Governor of Ohio, Return Jonathan Meigs, the garrison was a home for more than 2,000 men comprised of U.S. regulars and militia from Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

     When the enemy laid siege to Fort Meigs on May 1, 1813, they found General Harrison ready. With a strong fort, 1,200 troops, and twenty to thirty pieces of artillery, the garrison dug in with the knowledge that reinforcements were on the way. The bombardment ended after four days, when a troop of Kentucky militia arrived to reinforce Fort Meigs. On May 9, the enemy lifted the siege and returned to Canada. The Indians who had accompanied the British during the siege were bitterly disappointed by their failure to take the fort.

     In July, 1813, the British attempted to appease their allies by again besieging Fort Meigs. The Indians staged a mock battle to lure the garrison out. The Americans, however, saw through the ploy. After the failed siege attempt, the British moved on to Fort Stephenson, where Fremont, Ohio stands today. That attack also failed, causing heavy British losses and forcing their retreat to Canada.    

     On September 10, 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a British naval force on Lake Erie, giving the United States the upper hand in the Northwest. Harrison transferred all but 100 men from Fort Meigs north to Canada and ordered the fort dismantled. In its place, a small, square stockade was constructed to serve as a supply base and to protect the Maumee

rapids.

    With Harrison's victory at the Battle of the Thames in October, 1813, the war in the Northwest was all but over. Peace came in December, 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent and in May, 1815 the United States formally abandoned Fort Meigs. Shortly after it was abandoned, Fort Meigs burned to the ground, either by the military or by careless squatters.

     The site was preserved by the Hayes family who purchased the land and used it for grazing cattle. In 1840, William Henry Harrison returned to the site to hold a rally during his successful run for the Presidency.   

     In 1908 the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Civil War veterans, held a reunion in Toledo, Ohio. To commemorate their arrival, and to honor the memory of the soldiers who served at Fort Meigs, a monument was erected on the site.    

     The fort was reconstructed by the Ohio Historical Society and was opened in 1974. Since then, the site has seen thousands of visitors and continues to fulfill its charge to educate the public.