Fort Lernoult

Fort Lernoult was built by the British in 1778-79 to protect Detroit against the possibility of attack by George Rogers Clark and the American army. Overlooking the stockaded village and named for its commander, Richard B. Lernoult, the fort controlled river traffic and land routes. Although it was not attacked during the American Revolution, it was the foremost British military post in the West, a base for Indian raids against American frontier settlements, and a guardian of the rich fur trade. Though the peace treaty of 1783 gave Michigan to the United States, the British did not evacuate the fort until 1796, and on July 11, 1796, the American flag was first flown over Detroit there. In 1812 the fort was surrendered to the British, but the Americans regained it in 1813 and renamed it Fort Shelby. The last troops were removed in 1826, and the fort was leveled in the next two or three years.

Detroit, Michigan · United States