Construction of the fort on the south side of the Maumee River began in February 1813 by soldiers under the command of Major General William Henry Harrison at a site where present-day
Perrysburg, Ohio later developed. The fort would provide a supply depot and staging point for American military operations in
Upper Canada; and prevent British attacks upstream. The remnants of the British
Fort Miami, build during the
Northwest Indian War were across the river to the northeast. The winter climate was harsh, and the landscape unforgiving. An American sentry froze to death during his two hours of guard duty.
First siege of Fort Meigs On May 1, 1813, British allied forces, under
Major General Henry Proctor and
Tecumseh, began a bombardment of the fort, which had mustered 1,200 regulars and militia, and laid
siege. Reinforcements reached the fort on May 4, increasing its garrison to 2,800. Early on the morning of May 5, a detachment from Clay's brigade under Colonel William Dudley landed from boats on the north bank of the river, stormed the British batteries on the north bank and spiked the guns. Coming under fire from Tecumseh's warriors in the woods, most of Dudley's men set off in pursuit, and were led deeper into the forest. In the woods, the disorganized Kentuckians suffered heavy casualties in confused fighting. Nearly 550 were captured, and of Dudley's 866 officers and men, only 150 returned to the fort. This became known as "Dudley's Massacre" or "Dudley's Defeat". Tecumseh's warriors attacked any wood-gathering parties sent out from the fort. Harrison held out against the British by using a pair of 14-foot high embankments ("traverses") thrown up inside the walls along the length of the interior to absorb the incoming British shells. Proctor abandoned the siege on May 9, 1813 and retreated to Detroit.
Second siege of Fort Meigs Having mobilized the garrison into an army, Harrison left General
Green Clay in command of the fort, much reduced in size from its original layout. In July 1813, the British attempted to appease their Indigenous allies by again besieging Fort Meigs. The warriors staged a mock battle to lure the garrison out. The Americans, however, saw through the ploy. After the failed siege attempt, the British moved on to
Fort Stephenson, where
Fremont, Ohio stands today. That attack also failed, causing heavy British losses and forcing their retreat to Upper Canada. Once the British had retreated from the area for good, General Harrison ordered Fort Meigs dismantled. In its place, a small, square stockade was constructed to serve as a supply base. The
Treaty of Fort Meigs was signed there in 1817, and the post was abandoned that same year.
Later history In 1864, brothers Timothy and Thomas Hayes became the owners of the land on which the fort had stood and were instrumental in preserving it in memory and honor of the men who fought the battles. The heirs of the Hayes brothers sold the property to the state in 1907. On September 1, 1908, the large obelisk monument that can be seen from outside the fort was dedicated by a local veteran of the Civil War to the fallen soldiers of Fort Meigs. The
Ohio Historical Society reconstructed the fort in the late 1960s, and its museum, featuring numerous artifacts uncovered during excavation in connection with the rebuilding, opened in 1974. It is a
National Historic Landmark. ==Memorial==