PERRYSBURG, OHIO: Fort Meigs was and still is huge.
The War of 1812 garrison, commanded by Gen. William Henry Harrison, rebuffed two attacks in 1813 by British troops and their Native American allies. It played a key role in the young United States winning the war in the Northwest Territories. Harrison was elected president in 1841 but died after only a month in office.
The log-and-earth fortification, on a bluff above the Maumee River near Toledo in northwest Ohio, was big enough to contain 7½ football fields.
Today the structure at Fort Meigs State Memorial is hailed as the largest restored stockade fortification in North America. The fort, rebuilt atop the original footprint, covers 10 acres.
It includes seven two-story blockhouses with walls 2-feet thick, five artillery batteries and emplacements, two underground powder magazines, parade grounds and various work and storage buildings. Outside the stockade were a boat harbor, artisan yards and a bakehouse.
The National Historic Landmark looks much like it did in 1813, although an 82-foot granite monument was built in the center in 1908. The fort, owned by the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society), housed from 900 to 2,000 American troops under Harrison’s command.
It was established on Feb. 2, 1813, as a temporary supply depot and a staging area for an American invasion of Canada.
The Americans were not faring well in the early days of the War of 1812. They had lost Detroit and Fort Mackinac in the Michigan Territory and Fort Dearborn (Chicago) in the Illinois Territory.
The British and Canadian soldiers and Tecumseh’s warriors defeated the Americans on the River Raisin at what is now Monroe, Mich. The U.S. was successful at what is now Fort Wayne, Ind.
Harrison, the new commander of the Northwest Army for the United States, decided to make his stand in Ohio.
The 2,000 American troops built Fort Meigs over three months. It was named for the then-Ohio governor, Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. A square mile of trees, estimated at 3,500 in number, was cleared to build Fort Meigs. That also opened up sight lines for American troops inside.
The fort was located on the south side of the river above the strategically important Maumee Rapids on the river. The site was chosen to protect American settlements by securing the prime invasion route in northwest Ohio.
It was located at the edge of the Great Black Swamp at the end of American supply lines.
American officers described Fort Meigs as being “the most disagreeable encampment” they had ever seen, the Ohio History Connection reports.
The fort was manned by U.S. Army regulars, militia from Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia and several companies of independent volunteers.
The American troops largely lived in tents inside the fort that was actually more of an armed camp. Living conditions were horrible with knee-deep mud and exposure contributing to a high death rate.
On May 1, 1813, the British led by General Henry Proctor and Tecumseh laid siege to Fort Meigs.
Harrison was ready with 1,200 men, 20 to 30 pieces of artillery and the knowledge that reinforcements were on the way. His main concern was his small supply of ammunition and he used his cannons sparingly. He even offered whiskey to soldiers who could retrieve British cannonballs to use in return fire.
The Americans were able to hold off the British but suffered heavy casualties. After nine days the attackers withdrew. The British, Canadians and Indians tried again in July and were defeated again.
The siege of Fort Meigs gave the Americans their first victory in the War of 1812 and shifted the direction of the war on the Great Lakes.
Harrison ordered the fort in Perrysburg to be replaced by a smaller garrison in preparation for an American invasion of Ontario.
Four months later, Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. That gave the Americans control of Lake Erie and opened the way for the American forces to take Detroit and invade Ontario. Only a small American detachment was left at Maumee Rapids.
On Oct. 5, 1813, Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames near Moraviantown, Ont., when Harrison’s army defeated a retreating British army. This destroyed the Indian confederacy and marked the end of major fighting in the Northwest Territories.
Fort Meigs was abandoned in May 1815.
Today there’s a 3,000-square-foot museum at the Fort Meigs State Memorial, with displays and a film that tells the story of the fort. Artifacts recovered from archaeological digs are also on exhibit, with more displays in the rebuilt blockhouses.
The state of Ohio began acquiring land at the site in 1907. It was then administered by the Fort Meigs Memorial Commission. The Ohio Historical Society took control in 1948 and rebuilt the fort from 1967 to 1975. The museum/education center opened in 2003.
The 66.2-acre site in Woods County is managed for the Ohio History Connection by the non-profit Fort Meigs Association. It is at 29100 W. River Road (state Route 65), Perrysburg.
The museum-education center is open year round. The fort is open from April through October. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
The museum also presents special tours, military re-enactments and lectures.
Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $4 for students. Children 5 and under are free. Call 1-800-283-8916 or 419-874-4121 or go to www.fortmeigs.org.
For information on volunteering, go to the Old Northwest Military History Association at 419-874-4121 or go to the website.
You can also check out Ohio’s Maumee Valley Scenic Byway, a do-it-yourself driving tour that covers 90 miles from Maumee to Defiance. For information, go to www.dot.state.oh.us/OhioByways/Pages/MaumeeValley.aspx.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.