Siege of Fort Wayne

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Siege of Fort Wayne
Part of the War of 1812
Fort Wayne[1]
Date September 5–12, 1812 Location Fort Wayne, Indiana Result United States victory
Belligerents
Miami Potawatomi	United States
Commanders and leaders
Chief Winamac Chief Wannangsea	James Rhea Philip Ostander William Henry Harrison
Strength
500 warriors	100 (garrison) 3,000 (relief force)
Casualties and losses
About 25 killed[2]	Hundreds

The siege of Fort Wayne took place from September 5 – September 12, 1812, during the War of 1812. The stand-off occurred in the modern city of Fort Wayne, Indiana between the U.S. Military garrison at Fort Wayne and a combined force of Potawatomi and Miami forces. The conflict began when warriors under the Potawatomi Native American Chiefs Winamac, and Five Medals killed two members of the U.S. garrison.^[3] Over the next several days, the Potawatomi burned the buildings and crops of the fort's adjacent village, and launched assaults from outside the fort. Winamac withdrew on 12 September, ahead of reinforcements led by Major General William Henry Harrison.^[4]

The attack on Fort Wayne was one of several attacks on U.S. military outposts by the Potawatomi in September 1812. Other coordinated attacks occurred at Fort Dearborn, Fort Harrison, Pigeon Roost, and Fort Madison.^[5][6]

The siege of Fort Wayne took place from September 5 to September 12, 1812, during the War of 1812. The stand-off occurred in the modern city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, between the U.S. military garrison at Fort Wayne and a combined force of Potawatomi and Miami forces. The conflict began when warriors under the Potawatomi Native American Chiefs Winamac and Five Medals killed two members of the U.S. garrison. Over the next several days, the Potawatomi burned the buildings and crops of the fort’s adjacent village and launched assaults from outside the fort. Winamac withdrew on September 12, ahead of reinforcements led by Major General William Henry Harrison.

The attack on Fort Wayne was one of several attacks on U.S. military outposts by the Potawatomi in September 1812. Other coordinated attacks occurred at Fort Dearborn, Fort Harrison, Pigeon Roost, and Fort Madison.[6][5]

Background: Fort Wayne was established in 1794 by United States forces under Major General Anthony Wayne. It was built at the end of the Northwest Indian War to exert United States influence at a large collection of Native American towns known as Kekionga. The 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne, which granted approximately 30 million acres of Native American land to white settlers in the areas of Illinois and Indiana, was a major influence behind the motivation to resist the United States’ expansion. Additionally, the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe kept tensions high between Indigenous nations and U.S. settlers. As a frontier outpost located in remote northeastern Indiana Territory, this fort had fallen into disrepair in the years leading up to 1812. The garrison was often insubordinate, and many of the buildings deteriorated and supplies dwindled under the leadership of Captain James Rhea.