Battle of Fort Dearborn

Background. Fort Dearborn was built in 1803 by United States troops under Captain John Whistler and named for Secretary of War Henry Dearborn; Heald, a later commander, considered it remote from the civilized world. The land around the Chicago River had been ceded by the Western Confederacy under treaty, but remained disputed between Native American nations and the United States since the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Road to Evacuation. As the United States and Britain moved toward war, antipathy between settlers and Native Americans near Fort Dearborn increased, and British emissaries sought Native support in 1811. After the United States declared war on June 18, 1812, and British forces captured Fort Mackinac on July 17, General William Hull ordered Heald to evacuate the fort, destroy arms and ammunition, and give remaining goods to friendly Indians in hope of an escort to Fort Wayne; the letter arrived on August 9.

The Engagement. On August 14, Heald held a council with Potawatomi leaders about evacuating, destroyed surplus arms, ammunition, and liquor, and received a warning from the chief Black Partridge that young men of the tribe intended to attack. The next day, about 1.5 miles south of the fort, Potawatomi warriors ambushed the garrison; the fight lasted about fifteen minutes and ended in a complete Potawatomi victory.

Naming and Consequences. Americans called the engagement the Fort Dearborn Massacre, citing the large number of Americans killed, including women and children, against relatively smaller Potawatomi losses. William Henry Harrison, though absent, later claimed the Miami had fought the Americans and used the battle as a pretext to attack Miami villages, prompting Pacanne and Jean Baptiste Richardville to abandon neutrality and ally with the British.