Editing Fort Meigs (section)

==History==
Construction of the fort started in February 1813 by soldiers under the command of General [[William Henry Harrison]] (future president) at a site where present-day [[Perrysburg, Ohio]] developed. It was to provide a supply depot and staging point for US military operations in Canada that would also command the rapids of the [[Maumee River]]. The remnants of the British [[Fort Miami (Ohio)|Fort Miami]] were across the river downstream, to the northeast. The winter climate was harsh, and the landscape unforgiving. A U.S. sentry froze to death during his two hours of guard duty.<ref name="historic"/> The walls were constructed using logs cut to a 15-foot length, partially buried in the ground, then protected by a steep earthen slope thrown against the logs to strengthen them against bombardment. An embankment against the interior side provided a parapet. When completed, the fort was the largest wooden walled fortification in North America.<ref name="historic">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ci.perrysburg.oh.us/HistoricPerrysburg/tabid/57/Default.aspx#1326 |title=The City of Perrysburg Yesterday and Today |access-date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922123957/http://www.ci.perrysburg.oh.us/HistoricPerrysburg/tabid/57/Default.aspx#1326 |archive-date=September 22, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The first siege: On May 1, 1813, British allied forces, under [[Henry Procter (British Army officer)|General Henry Proctor]] and Chief [[Tecumseh]], opened a bombardment of the fort, which had mustered 1,200 regulars and militia, and laid [[siege]]. Reinforcements reached the fort on May 4, increasing its garrison to 2,800. Early on the morning of May 5, a detachment from Clay's brigade under Colonel William Dudley landed from boats on the north bank of the river, stormed the British batteries on the north bank and spiked the guns. Coming under fire from Indians in the woods, part of the Kentuckian force pursued Tecumseh's men, who led them deeper into the forest. In the woods, the disorganized Kentuckians suffered heavy casualties in confused fighting. Nearly 550 were captured, and of Dudley's 866 officers and men, only 150 returned to the fort. This became known as "Dudley's Massacre" or "Dudley's Defeat".

The [[Shawnee]], [[Delaware]] (Lenape) and other Native American warriors attacked any wood-gathering parties sent out from the fort. Harrison held out against the British by using a pair of 14-foot high embankments ("traverses") thrown up inside the walls along the length of the interior to absorb the incoming British shells. Proctor abandoned the siege on May 9, 1813 and retreated to Detroit.

The second siege: Having mobilized the garrison into an army, Harrison left General [[Green Clay]] in command of the fort, much reduced in size from its original layout. In July 1813, the British attempted to appease their allies by again besieging Fort Meigs. The Indians staged a mock battle to lure the garrison out. The Americans, however, saw through the ploy. After the failed siege attempt, the British moved on to [[Fort Stephenson]], where [[Fremont, Ohio]] stands today. That attack also failed, causing heavy British losses and forcing their retreat to Canada. Once the British had retreated from the area for good, General Harrison ordered Fort Meigs dismantled. In its place, a small, square stockade was constructed to serve as a supply base and to protect the Maumee rapids. The [[Treaty of Fort Meigs]] was signed there in 1817, and the post was abandoned that same year.

In 1864, brothers Timothy and Thomas Hayes became the owners of the land on which the fort had stood and were instrumental in preserving it in memory and honor of the men who fought the battles. The heirs of the Hayes brothers sold the property to the state in 1907.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deed for Ft. Meigs|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87076843/1907-06-28/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_681x648_from_368%2C4816_to_2091%2C6457/|access-date=23 April 2015|work=Perrysburg Journal|date=28 June 1907}}</ref>  On September 1, 1908, the large obelisk monument that can be seen from outside the fort was dedicated by a local veteran of the Civil War to the fallen soldiers of Fort Meigs.<ref>{{cite news|title=Monument Unveiled at Fort Meigs|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87076843/1908-09-04/ed-1/seq-1/|access-date=28 March 2016|work=Perrysburg Journal|date=4 September 1908|page=1}}</ref>  The [[Ohio Historical Society]] reconstructed the fort in the late 1960s, and its museum, featuring numerous artifacts uncovered during excavation in connection with the rebuilding, opened in 1974. It is a [[National Historic Landmark]].