Fort Harrison (1)

Fort Harrison (1811-1818) - Constructed in 1811 to protect Vincennes, the capital of the Indiana Territory and named after General William Henry Harrison who ordered its construction. Abandoned in 1818. Also known as Fort William Henry Harrison (3), Camp Battelle and Camp Battelle des Illinois. Fort Harrison 1812 History Battle of Fort Harrison The fort was originally 150-feet square with two-story blockhouses at three corners and the barracks forming part of the walls. The fort was completed 28 Oct 1811 and on 7 Nov 1811 the Battle of Tippecanoe took place near Prophetstown. General Harrison defeated the forces of Shawnee Chief Tecumseh but the Indian forces rebuilt Prophetstown and aligned with the British in the upcoming War of 1812. Captain Zachary Taylor was in command of Fort Harrison when the War of 1812 began. A force of 600 Miami, Potawatomi, Kickapoo and Winnebago warriors attacked Fort Harrison on 4 Sep 1812. Captain Taylor had only 15 soldiers (5 of whom were sick) and the help of several civilians to defend the fort. An Indian warrior set the barracks on fire. This set the few defenders into a panic and the Indian warriors began firing upon the fort. Taylor ordered the fort's surgeon and a handful of defenders to control the fire. The remaining few of the garrison returned the fire of the Indians so fiercely that they were able to hold off the attack. The Indian force withdrew later that day and when reinforcements arrived from Vincennes. During the attack the southwest blockhouse was burned down. The fort was rebuilt in 1815-16 with four blockhouses, one at each corner. For his services at Fort Harrison, Captain Zachary Taylor received a brevet promotion to major. Abandoned in 1818 after peace was established. Fort Harrison (1) Partial Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 1811-10-31 1811-11-14 Lt. Colonel Miller, James N/A 1811-11-14 1812-06 Captain Snelling, Josiah N/A 4th U.S. Infantry 1812-06 1812-09-16 Captain Taylor, Zachary N/A 7th U.S. Infantry 1815-12 1816-05 Major Morgan, Willoughby N/A 1816-05 1817-07-04 Major Chunn, John T. N/A 1817-07-04 1818-02-10 Major Sturges, Robert N/A Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Current Status {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana. Maps & Images Lat: 39.50833 Long: -87.41111 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 495' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 282 Links: North American Forts - Fort Harrison (1) Wikipedia - Siege of Fort Harrison History Visited: No