Harrison Takes Charge In Ohio-- Part 2: Building Roads and Forts

Fresh recruits soon began pouring into Franklinton and William Henry Harrison set out to train them.  As the new troops were being trained, he sent the first 700 he had received out to what is today Muncie, Indiana, where they caught a group of Miami Indians by surprise  and soundly defeated them on December 17, 1812.

At this time, most of Ohio was still a wilderness.  There were a few roads built along existing Indian trails, but for the most part, land north and west of Columbus was flat marshy land which made travel extremely difficult.

Making roads to the north of the town caused many deaths from disease in Harrison's army.  To make travel easier, Harrison ordered that an old Indian trail along the Scioto River be expanded.  That road today is State Route 23.

After that he began concentrating on building forts.  He first rebuilt Fort Defiance which had had major use during the Indian Wars of 1793-1794.  It was located at the confluence of  the Auglaiz and Maumee rivers.  During the War of 1812, the major threat to Ohio came from Canadian and British troops and their Indian allies massed along the northwest end of Lake Erie.

Fort Defiance gave Harrison a good point for a staging area, but wasn't as much help as a defensive post.  Another fort was needed.

--Brock-Perry

Franklinton, Ohio (In Case You're Wondering)-- Part 1: Named for Benjamin Franklin

From Wikipedia.

In the last post I mentioned the Harrison House in this place getting a plaque.  I'd never heard of Franklinton, Ohio.

Franklinton is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, and was the first settlement in Franklin County, Ohio. As the City of Columbus grew, it annexed and incorporated the settlement and today is a Columbus neighborhood located directly to the west of the downtown.

The neighborhood gets its nickname "The Bottoms" from the fact that it is prone tp flooding from the Scioto and Olentangy rivers.

In 1795, Lucas Sullivant was sent from Virginia to survey the Central Ohio District of the Virginia Military District.  As payment for this work, he received 6,000 acres  in the Refugee Tract reserved for those who fought in the American Revolution.

In 1797, he laid out 220 lots in Franklin County which he named Franklinton in honor of Benjamin Franklin, who had recently died.  The original settlement was abandoned because of flooding the next year.

--Brock-Perry

Fort McArthur, Ohio

From HMdb. org.

Marker:  "Approximately 1000 feet east of this marker lles the graves of sixteen soldiers from Fort McArthur who gave their lives during the War of 1812.  The fort, a one-half acre timber stockade containing huts, was built in the summer of 1812 to guard the Scioto River crossing of General Hull's "Trace" to Detroit.

"Construction of the fort was under command of future Ohio governor, Colonel Duncan McArthur."

--Brock-Perry