Fort Defiance

The arrival of the Legion of the United States at this point on August 8, 1794 marked the end of General Anthony Wayne's difficult march through swamps and forests from Fort GreeneVille. On this site, in the center of the Indian country, Wayne ordered a fort built, declaring, "I defy the English, the Indians, and all the devils in Hell to take it," and naming it Fort Defiance. Major Henry Burbeck, who earlier had built Fort Recovery, supervised the construction. From here Wayne marched against Indian forces gathered at the foot of the Maumee Rapids and defeated them in the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Fort Defiance then became an important link in a chain of military outposts in the Indian lands. During the War of 1812, Fort Defiance was repaired and garrisoned, together with the newly built Fort Winchester nearby, as an American base of operations against the British and the Indians, and when peace came to the Maumee Valley the fort was abandoned.

Defiance, Ohio · United States