Siege at Fort Meigs

After General Hull surrendered Detroit to the British, he was replaced as commander of the Army of the Northwest by William Henry Harrison.

Fort Meigs Holds Up

After Harrison was defeated at Frenchtown, he ordered the construction of Forts Meigs and Stephenson in northwest Ohio. Fort Meigs would become the largest wooden fortress ever built in America at the time. Shortly after construction, British and Indian forces under Henry Proctor and Tecumseh began bombarding the fort. The siege lasted eight days, despite the fact that the Americans were reinforced. In the end, however, British forces realized they could not penetrate the walls of the fort and retreated back to Detroit. Despite their retreat, they managed to inflict over 950 casualties on the Americans. 530 Americans were captured, several of which were executed by Natives.