The Last Two American Forts / The Siege of 1812

The Last Two American Forts, also, The Siege of 18 12. . , The Last Two American Forts, In 1798, Col. Thomas Hunt began construction on this site of the second American fort at the Three Rivers. this fort, which was completed in 1800, replaced the first, hastily built one erected nearby to the south by Gen. Anthony Wayne in 1794., In 1815, after having withstood a siege three years earlier, this fort was replaced by Maj. John Whistler, who had assisted in the construction of the first two forts. This was the last fort in the Three Rivers region; it was abandoned by the U. S. Army on April 1, 1819., The Indian Agency continued to operate in the decommissioned fort, and the first school in Fort Wayne was conducted by the Baptist missionary, Isaac McCoy, from 1820 to 1822. The land aroun the fort was offered for public sale in 1830; the last building of the fort was demolished in 1852., The Siege of 18 12, After the Battle of Tippecanoe at the outbreak of the War of 18 12, all of the western forts had fallen except Fort Wayne. Hundreds of Indians gathered at the Three Rivers in early August and began a siege of the fort. Inside the garrison, when the commander, Capt. James Rhea, succumbed to fear and alcohol and could not remain sober, his two lieutenants assumed control. Firing from both sides continued day and night. The Indians burned all the houses and crops outside the fort but could not breach the walls. After a siege of several weeks, Gen. William Henry Harrison arrived on September 12 to relieve the defending garrison. ,