- Siege of Fort Wayne
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Fort Wayne
partof=theWar of 1812
caption=
date=September 5 –September 12 ,1812
place=Fort Wayne, Indiana
result=American victory
combatant1=MiamiPotawatomi
combatant2=United States
commander1=ChiefWinamac
commander2=James Rhea, Philip Ostander,William Henry Harrison
strength1=500 warriors
strength2=100 (garrison) 2,200 (relief force)
casualties1=?
casualties2=?The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the
War of 1812 , betweenUnited States and American Indian forces in the wake of the successful British campaigns of 1812.Background
Since 1811, after the severe defeat at the
Battle of Tippecanoe , Native American tribes on the Northwest frontier had been growing bitter at the U.S. presence there. Encouraged by other British/Native American victories at places such as Fort Dearborn and Detroit, native tribes began to undertake campaigns against other smaller American outposts.In September 1812, Indians from the
Potawatomi andMiami tribe s, led by ChiefWinamac , undertook a campaign against Fort Wayne in northeastIndiana Territory . Captain James Rhea commanded the garrison at Fort Wayne. Rhea began to worry about his position once Fort Dearborn and Detroit fell. The growing Indian threat outside the fort led Rhea to begin drinking heavily. On several occasions Rhea invited Indian delegates into thefort to discuss terms of peace with the Indians (mostly to ensure his own personal safety). [Edmunds, R.D. (1988). "The Potawatomis: Keepers of the Fire", pp. 189-90. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 080612069X.]iege
On
September 5 , thesiege began when Chief Winamac assaulted the fort from the east side and burned the homes of the surrounding village. The Indians constructed two wooden cannons and were able to trick the garrison into thinking they had artillery besieging the fort as well. When Rhea began to discuss ideas of surrender, two of his lieutenants decided he was unfit to continue his duties and relieved him of command. These two lieutenants then assumed command and continued to hold out in the fort until reinforcements arrived. GeneralWilliam Henry Harrison , the newly appointed commander of the Northwest frontier, led a relief force of 2,200 soldiers to Fort Wayne, arriving onSeptember 12 . Harrison attacked and defeated the Indian force, lifting the siege. The Potawatami/Miami force retreated intoOhio andMichigan Territory . Harrison had originally arrested Rhea but allowed him to resign instead. He then placed Lieutenant Philip Ostander (one of the two lieutenants who had relieved Rhea) in command of the fort.Results
The siege of Fort Wayne prompted Harrison to order punitive expeditions against the Miami which culminated in the
Battle of the Mississinewa . The defeats at theBattle of Fort Harrison and at Fort Wayne caused the Miami warriors to lose confidence in their chiefs. Many of them turned instead to the influential leadership ofTecumseh and joined his confederacy. No further Indian attacks occurred in theIndiana Territory for the rest of the war, but it was not until Tecumseh's defeat at theBattle of the Thames that the Indian threat was really eliminated.ee also
*
Forts of Fort Wayne, Indiana
*Fort Wayne, Indiana
*List of battles fought in Indiana References
External links
* [http://www.countyhistory.com/history/099.htm Indiana history]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.