Welcome to Ashby's Fort

Welcome to Ashby's Fort. . You are standing on the site where soldiers under the command of George Washington built one of two fortified outposts on the Virginia frontier during the French and Indian War. , In July of 1755, Washington was with General Edward Braddock during the British commander's failed attempt to take Fort Duquesne, at the site of modern-day Pittsburgh. , Their dramatic defeat emboldened French, Shawnee, and Delaware raiding parties to begin terrorizing British colonists along the Virginia frontier, forcing them to flee eastward. , , In response, the newly appointed Colonel of the Virginia Regiment, 23-year old. George Washington, ordered immediate construction of two forts to defend the Virginia frontier. , The fort on this site was built and occupied by Captain John Ashby's 2nd Company of Rangers, under the supervision of Lt. John Bacon of Maryland. Washington located the other outpost, Cockes' Fort, on the plantation of George Parker, twelve miles south on Patterson's Creek. , Ashby's men finished construction of their fortified position less than six weeks after receiving Washington's order; by early December Ashby's Fort was an active, essential stronghold on the frontier.