Along with
Fort Crawford at
Prairie du Chien, Fort Howard was constructed during the
War of 1812 to protect the
Fox-Wisconsin Waterway, an important regional trade and travel route between
Lake Michigan and the
Mississippi River, from
British invasion. The fort was built at the site of the earlier French
Fort La Baye (and renamed Fort Edward Augustus by the British in 1761). The initial estimate of its building cost was $16,644.70. (Military History of the Upper Great Lakes) For a time it was commanded by
Zachary Taylor. During an outbreak of
malaria in 1820, the garrison moved to
Camp Smith on higher ground nearby. Fort Howard was reoccupied two years later. Abandoned again in 1841, when the garrison was sent to
Florida during the
Seminole Wars, the fort was officially decommissioned in 1853. In 1863, the United States government granted land to the States of Michigan and Wisconsin for construction of a military road between Fort Howard and
Fort Wilikins near Copper Harbor, Michigan. This road was completed in 1872. Following the fort's closure its buildings fell into decay. Several structures were subsequently removed to the Camp Smith site, where they are now part of the
Heritage Hill State Historical Park. Three of the fort's remaining structures are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places: the
hospital,
hospital ward, and
officers' quarters. ==Later use of name==