Fort Pitt
Visit the Fort Pitt Museum
The area surrounding the headwaters of
the Ohio was inhabited primarily by the indigenous people of Shawnee, Mohawks,
Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscarawas. The first Europeans were led in to the Ohio Valley
by the French explorer/trader Robert de La Salle in a 1669 expedition down the Allegheny
River from Lake Ontario and Quebec.
This was followed by European pioneers,
primarily Dutch, in the early 18th century. Michael Bezallion is reported to be
the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a manuscript in 1717. In that same year European traders began to
establish posts and settlements along the banks of the Ohio River. In 1749,
French soldiers led by Captain Celeron launched a series of expeditions from
Quebec to the Ohio headwaters in hopes of uniting Canada with French Louisiana
via the network of rivers. They claimed possession of the territory by deposited
leaden plates at different places along the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. In the early 1750s, the French commenced
construction of a line of forts, starting with Fort Presque Isle on Lake Erie,
followed by Fort Le Boeuf, about 15 miles inland near present-day Waterford,
and Fort Machault, on the Allegheny River in Venango County in present-day
Franklin.
In 1753, Virginia Governor Dinwiddie, to an attempt halt
the French expansion, sent George Washington to
deliver a letter to the French commander French at Fort Le Boeuf.
October 31, 1753
- Sir, The lands upon the River Ohio, in the western parts of the Colony
of Virginia, are so notoriously known to be the property of the Crown of Great
Britain that it is a matter of equal concern and surprise to me, to hear that a
body of French forces are erecting fortresses and making settlements upon that
river, within his Majesty's dominions.
The many and repeated complaints I have received
of these acts of hostility lay me under the necessity of sending, in the name
of the King, my master, the bearer hereof, George Washington, Esq., one of the
Adjutants-General of the forces of this dominion, to complain to you of the
encroachments thus made, and of the injuries done to the subjects of Great
Britain, in violation of the law of nations, and the treaties now subsisting
between the two Crowns. If these facts be true, and you think fit to justify
your proceedings, I must desire you to acquaint me by whose authority and
instructions you have lately marched from Canada with an armed force, and
invaded the King of Great Britain's territories, in the manner complained of;
that according to the purport and resolution of your answer I may act agreeably
to the commission I am honored with from the King, my master.
However, sir, in obedience to my instructions, it
becomes my duty to require your peaceable departure; and that you would forbear
prosecuting a purpose so interruptive of the harmony and good understanding,
which his Majesty is desirous to continue and cultivate with the most Christian
King. I flatter myself that you will be pleased to receive Major Washington
with the evidences of courtesy and politeness which are natural to your nation,
and I shall be at the height of satisfaction if you send him back with a reply
conforming to my wishes for a durable peace between us.
I have the honor to be, Sir, Your very humble, Robert
Dinwiddie, Williamsburg, in Virginia,
On December 12,
1753, Washington arrived at Fort Le Boeuf. Commander
Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre invited Washington to dine with him that
evening. Over dinner, Washington presented Saint-Pierre with the letter from Dinwiddie
that demanded an immediate French withdrawal from the Ohio Country.
Saint-Pierre was quite civil in his response, saying, “As to the Summons you send me to retire, I do not think myself obliged
to obey it.”
The French Commander’s formal letter to
the Governor of Virginia was delivered by Washington in Williamsburg on January
16, 1754 and it was equally as firm.
TRANSLATION of a Letter
from Mr. Legardeur de St. Piere, a principal French Officer, in Answer to the
Governor’s Letter.
AS I have the Honour of
commanding here in Chief, Mr. Washington delivered me the Letter which you writ
to the Commandant of the French Troops. I should have been glad that you had
given him Orders, or that he had been inclined to proceed to Canada, to see our
General, to whom it better belongs than to me to set forth the Evidence and
Reality of the Rights of the King, my Master, upon the Lands situated along the
River Ohio, and to contest the Pretensions of the King of Great-Britain thereto.
I shall transmit your
Letter to the Marquiss Duguisne ;his Answer will be a Law to me, and if he
shall order me to communicate it to you, Sir, you may be assured I shall not fail
to dispatch it to you forthwith. As to the Summons you send me to retire, I do
not think myself obliged to obey it ; whatever may be your Instructions, I am
here by Virtue of the Orders of my General ; and I intreat you, Sir, not to
doubt one Moment, but that I am determin’d to conform myself to them with all
the Exactness and Resolution which can be expected from the best Officer.
I don’t know that in the
Progress of this Campaign any Thing has passed which can be reputed an Act of
Hostility, or that is contrary to the Treaties which subsist between the two Crowns,
the Continuation whereof as much interests, and is as pleasing to us, as
the English. Had you been pleased, Sir,
to have descended to particularize the Facts which occasioned your Complaint, I
should have had the Honour of answering you in the fullest, and, I am
persuaded, most satisfactory Manner.
I made it my particular
Care to receive Mr. Washington, with a Distinction suitable to your Dignity,
and his Quality and great Merit; I flatter myself he will do me this Justice
before you, Sir, and that he will signify to you as well as I, the profound
Respect with which I am, S I R, Your most humble, and most obedient Servant, Legardeur
de St. Piere
When Washington arrived back in
Williamsburg on January 16, 1754, Governor Dinwiddie immediately asked him to
prepare a written report for the House of Burgesses. Dinwiddie then had Washington’s
report printed, and it became very popular reading. The Virginia legislature
was so pleased with his mission and his report that they voted him a £50
reward. The Journal of Major George Washington was reprinted in various
colonial newspapers as far away as Boston, and a British edition was issued in
London later that same year, for which Washington sent materials for the
preparation of a map.
The arduous expedition and detailed
diary led to Washington’s promotion to Colonel and an outfitting of men to secure
the three rivers junction for Virginia, King and Country. Governor Dinwiddie also commissioned captain,
William Trent, who was an English fur trader that established a successful
trading post where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers come together to form
the Ohio River in the 1740s. Trent, in 1754, was assigned to take the advance
company from Colonel Washington’s regiment and establish a fort at the Ohio
source. On February 17, 1754, Trent and his Virginian militia commenced work on Fort Prince George on the Ohio River Point. On
April 17th, 1754, before the fort was complete, a French contingent of about 500
men, led by Monsieur Contrecceur, threatened to engage the small company of Virginians
and demanded their surrender. Resistance was impossible and the surrender was
made to Contrecoeur, who immediately recommenced construction on the point naming
the new Fort, Duquesne, in honor of the
Governor of Canada.
It was not until May, at Jumonville Glen, that Colonel Washington entered the conflict by intercepting a
small French encampment that was detached from Fort Duquesne to scout for
British resistance. Washington, instead of parlaying, fired the first
shot, and captured the detachments. Many
historians argue that this act ignited the French and Indian War in America.
Photos of Fort Necessity outside plaques and the re-constructed Fort by: Christopher Klos, Fort Couch Middle School, Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.
Young George Washington’s courage and
military ability were to be tested several more times in the course of the
War. After his altercation at Jumonville Glen Washington
retreated east to Great Meadows and hastily constructed a fort, named Necessity, to prepare for the imminent
French retaliation from Fort Duquesne. The French
arrived at Great Meadows in late June and by July 3rd Washington had
no other recourse but to accept the terms of surrender permitting him and the
garrison to "retire into his own country." Shortage
of supplies, ammunition, lack of men and a poorly designed fort had led to the
first defeat of Washington's career despite a valiant defense.
In February 1755, a new British Campaign
headed by Major General Edward Braddock left Alexandria, Virginia for Fort Duquesne.
Young George Washington was sought out by the British Commander and became the
only colonial officer admitted to the prestigious British general’s staff.
Their mission was best summed-up by Braddock:
"After taking Fort Duquesne," said the general, "I
am to proceed to Niagara; and, having taken that, to Frontenac if the season
will allow time, and I suppose it will, for Duquesne can hardly detain me above
three or four days; and then I can see nothing that can obstruct my march to
Niagara."
The expedition made slow progress, but at last drew near the fort, and crossed
the Monongahela where General Braddock and his 2400 British regulars were
surprised by a force of 900 French and Native Americans. Most of Braddock’s
troops panicked and over 1200 men were killed or seriously wounded. Of
Braddock's staff, only Colonel Washington was alive, relatively well, and
managed to lead the surviving troops to safety. Braddock was mortally shot
through the arm and into his chest. He died during the British retreat to
eastern Virginia. General Braddock was buried in the middle of the road near
Fort Necessity to avoid his body's detection by the Indians.
Gorget, Worn by George Washington to differentiate officers from their troops - Unidentified Philadelphia silversmith, 1774, Gilded copper or brass, Massachusetts Historical Society -- Photo taken at "George Washington: The Man Behind the Myths Exhibit" at the Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center - October 7, 2000 - by: Louis Klos , Upper St. Clair High School, Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.
In the autumn of 1758 British Brigadier
General John Forbes was placed in command of the expedition against Fort Duquesne.
The Forbes Campaign numbered 1,200 highlanders, 350 royal Americans, and about
5,000 provincials, including about 1,000 Virginians under the command of
Colonel George Washington.
The expedition took a new route through Western Pennsylvania that
was uneventful except for Forbes taking ill and Washington almost being killed
by friendly fire at Fort Ligonier. Passing the field where the bones of
Braddock's men lay unburied, the expedition finally reached Fort, Duquesne on
November 25th. The Fort had been blown up and abandoned by the French on
the previous day. Washington's men took possession of the Point and the
Virginia Colonel personally raised the British Flag over the Three Rivers thus
ending his military campaign began 5 years earlier. Forbes renamed Fort Duquesne,
Fort Pitt, in honor of William Pitt, who had planned the campaign. After
concluding treaties with the Native American Tribes on the Ohio, Forbes and
Washington returned to Philadelphia.
Fort Pitt was built by General Stanwix
and was considered a formidable fortification. Colonel Bouquet built the
redoubt, now standing, in 1764. Fort Pitt remained a key fortification in the struggle for empire
between Britain and France in Western Pennsylvania and the Northwest Territory.
The following 18th and 19th
Century Fort Pitt timeline is provided by the Fort Pitt Museum.
February 1754 – British army Captain William Trent arrives at the Point and
establishes Fort Prince George (more commonly known as “Trent’s Fort”), the
first fort built at the Point.
April 1754 – French troops travel down the Allegheny River and demand
the British to leave Trent’s Fort peacefully. The French immediately begin
constructing Fort Duquesne.
July 1755 – British army General Edward Braddock is
sent to capture Fort Duquesne, but is defeated at the Battle of the
Monongahela. Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the early
stages of the French & Indian War.
September 1758 – The French and their American Indian allies
defeat an attacking British regiment, led by Major James Grant at the Battle of
Fort Duquesne.
November 1758 – Knowing they are outnumbered, the French
set fire to Fort Duquesne before General Forbes and the British army capture
the site. General Forbes and a young George Washington stand over the
smoldering ruins of Fort Duquesne and name the site “Pittsburgh,” in honor of
William Pitt.
Fort Pittsburgh And Its Environs - January, 1759.
References To The Above Sketch Of Fort Du Quesne,
Now Pittsburgh, With The Adjacent Country.
Now Pittsburgh, With The Adjacent Country.
1. Monongahela River.
|
8. Ohio, or Allegheny River.
|
2. Fort Du Quesne/Pitt
|
9. Logs Town.
|
3. The Small Fort.
|
10. Beaver Creek.
|
4. Allegheny River.
|
11. Kuskuskies, the Chief Town of the Six Nations.
|
5. Allegheny Indian Town.
|
12. Shingoes Town.
|
6. Shanapins. .
|
13. Alliquippa
|
7. Youghiogheny River.
|
14. Sennakaas
|
November 1758 – The British build Fort Mercer, a temporary
fort designed to defend the Forks of the Ohio until a larger structure could be
built.
November 1759 – The British army begins constructing the
most state-of-the-art fort in North America, naming it Fort Pitt. The new fort
is built next to the site of Fort Mercer.
June 1763 – During Pontiac's Rebellion, an effort to
drive the settlers out of the region, American Indians attack Fort Pitt, but
find it too well-fortified to be overtaken. After two months, the siege was
finally broken with Colonel Henry Bouquet’s victory at the Battle of Bushy Run.
1764 – A modest brick building, known as the Fort
Pitt Block House, is erected hear Fort Pitt. The Block House, the oldest
authenticated structure in Western Pennsylvania, is now operated by the Fort
Pitt Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
1772 – The British army abandons Fort Pitt,
letting it fall to private ownership.
1774 – As the colonies approach the Revolutionary
War, British governor Lord Dunmore decides to reassert Virginia’s claim to the
Forks of the Ohio, taking over the privately-owned Fort Pitt and naming it Fort
Dunmore.
1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, the
Continental Army uses Fort Pitt as its western headquarters, housing troops and
supplies to defend the new United States.
September 1778 – The first Peace Treaty between the American
Indians and the United States is signed at Fort Pitt.
1792 – Fort Pitt is abandoned due to its
deteriorating condition, and Fort Fayette is built in downtown Pittsburgh where
Penn Avenue and Ninth Street now intersect. Dozens of Pittsburghers used
remnants of Fort Pitt to construct their own homes.
Click to visit the Fort Pitt Museum
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