Harrison Takes Charge In Ohio-- Part 1: Rebuilding the Army of the Northwest at Franklinton

From Touring Ohio; The Heart of America site.

After the loss of Fort Detroit and Detroit by William  Hull General James Winchester became commander of what was left of the Army of the Northwest.  he offered William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana Territory a rank in his army as a brigadier general, but Harrison wanted complete command of the army and refused.

When the president learned that Harrison wanted the command, he immediately removed Winchester and on September 17, 1812, Harrison assumed command of the Army.

Just a few months before war was declared, Columbus had been named the new capital of Ohio.  When Harrison arrived in Central Ohio in mid 1812, there was no question where he'd set up his headquarters.  It would be at Franklinton, across the river from Columbus.

With Hull's defeat and the capture of most of the Army of the Northwest, Harrison's first order of business was to get new recruits and rebuild the army.  Then he had defensive positions put up across northwest Ohio to stop or at least slow down any British advances.

--Brock-Perry

Franklinton, Ohio-- Part 2: Role in the War of 1812

After the flooding, the town was located less than a mile away, but off the banks of the Scioto River.  It became the county seat of Franklin County in 1803 and the town and population grew during the War of 1812  as it served as the staging point of General Benjamin Harrison's Army of the Northwest.

In 1846, traveler Henry Howe wrote:  "During the late war, it was a place of general rendezvous for the northwestern army, and sometimes from one to three thousand troops were stationed there.

After the war, it continued to grow, as did Columbus, across the river as it became the new state capital.

So, Franklinton is now a neighborhood of the city of Columbus which is the capital of Ohio.

However, Columbus was not the first capital of Ohio.  It wasn't even the second one.  The first capital was Chillicothe and the second one was Zanesville.

--Brock-Perry

Franklinton (Ohio) Set to Celebrate Historic Harrison House

From the October 17, 2019, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch by Rita Price.

This Saturday, Oct. 19, the historic Harrison House, built in 1807, will be getting a historic marker along with historic exhibits, food and children's activities.  The marker will be dedicated at 2 p.m..  It is hosted by the Frankinton Historical Society, Franklinton Board of Trade and Ohio History Connection.

Also the 1822 Sullivant Land Office, the only remaining structure built by Franklin and Columbus founder Louis Sullivant, will also be open.

During the War of 1812, future U.S. president Benjamin Harrison had his headquarters of his U.S. Northwest Army located at the Harrison House.

--Brock-Perry