The first English fort west of the Alleghany Mountains was built five hundred feet southeast of this spot in 1758 by order of General John Forbes and named in honor of Lord John Ligonier. Here Forbes, with the aid of Colonels George Washington, Henry Bouquet, and John Armstrong, assembled an army of 7850 men, constructed the Forbes Road, marched against Fort Duquesne, and compelled the evacuation of the fort on November 25, 1758, overthrowing French and establishing English supremacy in this region. Here Colonel Bouquet later reorganized the expedition for the relief of Fort Pitt and, while on the march at a point twenty-seven miles west of this place, fought the Battle of Bushy Run on August 5 and 6, 1763, defeating the Indians under Chief Guyasuta in what was called one of the best contested actions ever fought between white men and Indians.
