Fort Washington, Ohio: From Frontier Outpost to Cincinnati’s Foundation
Okay, picture this: it’s the late 1700s. The American Revolution is over, and folks are itching to move west, looking for land and a fresh start. The place to be? The Old Northwest Territory – think of it as the Wild West, but east of the Mississippi. This area, now part of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, was a hotbed of opportunity…and conflict.
Land Grab and Native Resistance
See, the government was selling off huge chunks of land to speculators, guys who’d buy it cheap and then chop it up into smaller, more affordable plots for settlers. Sounds great, right? Well, there was one major problem: the Native American tribes who already called this land home.
These tribes – the Shawnee, Miami, Lenape (Delaware), and others – weren’t exactly thrilled about the newcomers. Treaties had been signed, sure, but often under shady circumstances, with coerced or unauthorized tribal representatives. Tensions were high, and skirmishes were common.
Enter Fort Washington
That’s where Fort Washington comes in. In 1790, General Josiah Harmar ordered the construction of a fortified stockade right on the north bank of the Ohio River, where the Licking River flows in (modern-day Cincinnati). The idea? To protect the growing settlements from Native American raids and keep the peace (or at least try to). They named it after the big cheese himself, President George Washington.
The fort wasn’t just a bunch of logs thrown together. It was a serious operation, designed by Major John Doughty. We’re talking five two-story blockhouses with cannons and musket holes, barracks, storehouses, and a tall wooden palisade surrounding the whole thing. It was big, too – bigger than a city block, capable of housing up to 1,500 soldiers. General Harmar called it "one of the most solid substantial wooden fortresses" in the West.
Cincinnati’s Birth
Now, there were already a few small settlements in the area: Columbia, Losantiville (try saying that five times fast!), and North Bend. But Fort Washington quickly became the central hub. In fact, the governor of the Northwest Territory, Arthur St. Clair, decided to move his headquarters there.
And speaking of Losantiville, St. Clair wasn’t a fan of the name. He thought it was too clunky and pretentious. So, he renamed it Cincinnati, after the Society of the Cincinnati, a group of Revolutionary War officers he belonged to.
War and Setbacks
Fort Washington wasn’t just an administrative center; it was a military staging ground. The goal was to push further into Native American territory, build more forts, and secure the land for American settlement. But things didn’t go as planned.
The first major campaign, led by General Harmar in 1790, was a disaster. His forces were ambushed near modern-day Fort Wayne, Indiana, and suffered heavy losses. Then, in 1791, Governor St. Clair himself led a massive expedition into the wilderness. But his army was surprised and utterly crushed by Native American warriors in what became known as St. Clair’s Defeat – the worst defeat ever inflicted on U.S. forces by Native Americans.
Mad Anthony to the Rescue
Things were looking grim. But then came "Mad" Anthony Wayne. This guy was a tough, no-nonsense general who whipped the troops into shape and launched a new campaign in 1793. After months of fighting, Wayne finally defeated the combined Native American tribes at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
This victory led to the Treaty of Greenville, which effectively ended Native American resistance in the Ohio country and opened up the region to American settlement.
From Fortress to City
With the Indian Wars over, Fort Washington’s importance waned. It was too far east to be an effective military post, and Cincinnati was booming. By 1802, the fort was half-empty and falling into disrepair.
In 1803, the fort was replaced by Newport Barracks in Kentucky. In 1806, Fort Washington was abandoned, surveyed, and sold off in lots. Within a few years, all traces of the once-mighty fortress had vanished.
Legacy
So, what’s the takeaway? Fort Washington may be gone, but it’s not forgotten. It played a crucial role in the early history of the Northwest Territory and the founding of Cincinnati. It was a symbol of American expansion, a site of conflict and defeat, and ultimately, a stepping stone to a new era in the region.
Today, a plaque marks the spot where the fort once stood. And if you drive along Fort Washington Way, you’re passing right through the heart of where it all happened.
In 1952, they found the remnants of the Fort Washington gunpowder magazine under the northeast corner of Broadway and Third Streets.
Fort Washington was "the Pentagon, the capitol, and the White House of the West."