Captain Zachary Taylor, future U.S. president, was ordered to Fort Harrison and had a garrison of 50 men, but only 15 were fit for duty.
On September 4th, a group of 600 Indians arrived at the fort. It was agreed that the two sides have a parley the next day, but that night, an Indian warrior crawled up to the fort's blockhouse and set it on fire. Taylor's men fought the blaze and managed to put it out, but it left a huge hole in the outer walls.
News of the attack reached Vincennes and Colonel Russell and 1000 militia and regulars, who happened to be marching through the town on their way to Illinois, responded and rushed to Fort Harrison. In the meantime, Taylor's men gamely held on to the fort despite the overwhelming odds.
Russell's force arrived September 12th and the Indians retreated.
Then Came the Attack on the Narrows. --Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
No comments:
Post a Comment