Presentation presented at the Company of Military Historians, Old Northwest Chapter and reprised at the NWTA Research Symposium on the America Revolution
3. THE MIDWEST IN 1760
Ft. Chartres
Ft. Ouiatenon
Ft. St. Joseph
Ft. Detroit
Ft. Michlimackinac
Ft. Niagara
Ft. LigonierFt. Miami
Vincennes
Ft. Sandoske
5. AFTERMATH OF PONTIAC’S REBELLION
After the Indian
Uprisings of 1763 &
1764, the British
consolidated to a few
larger posts
Exceptions were the
single company
posts at Kaskaskia
and Cahokia in the
American Bottom
6. POSTS ABANDONED IN 1764/1765
Fort Le Boeuf Fort Presque’ Isle
Fort St. Joseph Fort Ligonier
Fort Venago Fort Miami
Fort Sandusky Fort Ouiatenon
POSTS ABANDONED IN 1772
Cahokia
Fort Chartres
Fort Pitt
POSTS ABANDONED IN 1776
Fort Gage (Kaskaskia)
9. ILLINOIS COUNTRY POLICIES
No civil government in the Old Northwest
Military Court at Ft. Chartres
Parliament would like to abandon the area, but
the King refuses
Quebec Act allowed for the development of
civil government & protected the Catholic
Church
The entire Illinois Country was formally included
within the Province of Quebec
Trade, mostly exports of fur, were to be sent
down river to New Orleans and then to
10. 1774
June - Quebec Act incorporated settlements
along the Wabash and Mississippi Rivers into
the Province of Quebec
Ft. Sackville was [re]built by the British at
Vincennes, but was not garrisoned
Replacement of the palisade was completed
at Ft. Gage
12. APRIL 1775 – BRITISH POSTS
Fort Gage
Fort Michlimackinac
Detroit
Fort Niagara
Fort Pitt
Royal Irish
2 Coys.
King’s Regt.
2 Coys
King’s Regt.
3 Coys
King’s Regt.
3 1/2 Coys
Royal Irish
4 men
Ft. Oswegatchie
King’s Regt.
1 Coy
Ft. Erie
13. 1775
Dr. John Conolly hatched a plan to order Cpt.
Lord’s Garrison from Kaskaskia to come up
river and take Virginia back with the help of
backwood Loyalists and Indians
Conolly was captured near Ft. Pitt and the
plan never reached the troops in the Illinois
Country.
14. 1776
Troops were ordered from Illinois to be
concentrated at Detroit in anticipation of a
Congressional attack (May –June).
A former French officer was appointed
governor in Illinois, Pierre de Rochebleve
Troops on the Great Lakes remained in
place; troops from Illinois were drafted into
the 8th (Kings) Foot in July 1776 and
scattered between at least Mackinac and
Detroit
It does appear that that troops had intended
to return to Kaskaskia and some families
remained in Illinois for years
15. 1777
Extremely quiet on the Western Frontier.
British were anticipating an attack on Detroit
that never materialized.
Fighting in Kentucky (Boonesborough)
between settlers and Shawnee under
Blackfish, but no direct British involvement.
Daniel Boone was wounded in a skirmish.
16. 1778
George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia
without resistance from the French habitants
on July 4, 1778
Fr. Gibault helped prepare the way for the
Virginians
British troops were sent to from Detroit to
Vincennes to fortify the village against
Congressional forces
17. 1779
Troops at Vincennes are surrendered in February
1779 – transported to Williamsburg – treated like
criminals and not as POWs
Remaining troops at Detroit and Mackinaw remain
stationary
Spain enters the Revolution as an Ally of France and
Congress
British under Bird besiege Ft. Laurens, Ohio in
February 1779; Lift siege by the end of the month;
Congressional forces withdraw to Ft. Pitt by August
1779
18. FT. LAURENS, OHIO
On February 22, 1779, Captain Henry Bird, 8th Foot, with a
handful of British soldiers and a couple hundred Wyandot,
Mingo, Munsee, and Delaware warriors laid siege to the fort.
The siege continued until mid-March, and the men inside
the fort reportedly were reduced to making a stew of boiled
moccasins.
British forces were also weakened by the long siege and
lifted the siege on March 20, 1779.
19. FT. LAURENS AFTERMATH
Relief forces from Fort Pitt arrived three days
after the British lifted the siege on March 23,
1779 leaving a force of 106 men behind
under the command of Major Fredrick
Vernon.
Colonel Daniel Brodhead replaced McIntosh
as commander at Fort Pitt and felt the fort
was inadequate for mounting an attack on
Detroit, so the fort was abandoned on August
2, 1779.
20. BRITISH PLAN TO RECAPTURE THE ILLINOIS
COUNTRY AND ELIMINATE THE SPANISH THREAT
British Comprehensive Plan of 1780 for Illinois Country
Attack Spanish posts at St. Louis, New Orleans and
Natchez
Attack Virginia Forces at Cahokia and Kaskaskia
Forces from Pensacola to attack New Orleans
Instead Spanish forces took Mobile in 1780 and
Pensacola in 1781
Troops at Cahokia and St. Louis were stymied by
Spanish
21. 1780
Prairie du Chien was the gathering point for
British forces
Plan to attack both St. Louis and Cahokia
Troops were gathered on May 2, 1780
Travelled downriver to Rock Island
About 250 Sauk & Fox joined here
Continued to St. Louis
24. 1781
Troops at Michlimackinac moved into the
straights on Mackinaw Island to be more well
protected (the post will remain for nearly 150
years); buildings were moved over the ice;
oldest stone buildings remain from the British
occupation
Detachment sent to Duluth, MN (Grand
Portage) to oversee the fur traders at
Chippewa village
27. FEBRUARY 12, 1781
The Spanish took Fort St. Joseph by surprise
on 12 February 1781. Captain Pouré had the
Spanish colors raised and claimed Fort St.
Joseph and the St. Joseph River for Spain.
They plundered the fort; departing the next
day. The Spanish returned to in St. Louis on
6 March, where Pouré delivered the British
flag to the Spanish governor.
28. SANDUSKY OR BATTLE ISLAND, JUNE 4, 1782
A mounted company of Butler’s Rangers,
Detroit militia and Indians attacked a column
of 500 Pennsylvania militia outside of
Sandusky
30. AUGUST 8, 1782
Battle of Piqua (near Springfield, OH)
G. R. Clark led over 1000 militia to burn five
Shawnee villages along the Little Miami.
Also burning the trading post of Peter
Loramie, a Loyalist
31. AUGUST 15-17, 1782
Attack on Bryan Station
At Bryan Station, founded in 1775-1776
Near present day - Lexington, KY
British militia and Shawnee warriors
besieged the settlement in August 1782
Cpt. Wm. Caldwell and Simon Girty led the
British
The siege was lifted when Kentucky militia
were reported in the area
32. AUGUST 19, 1782
Battle of Blue Licks near present Mount
Olivet, Kentucky
On a hill next to the Licking River in what is
now Robertson County, a force of about 50
British militia and 300 Shawnee ambushed
and routed 182 Kentucky militia . It was the
worst defeat for the Kentuckians during the
war.
33. Troops remained in place at Mackinac and
Detroit & Niagara
1783
1784-1796
British Troops remained in place at
Mackinac, Detroit & Niagara. The Jay
Treaty of 1796 actually led to the removal
of British Troops from the Old Northwest.
They would return in 1812.
34. IMPACT OF THE REGULARS
Through 1776, the British are nearly entirely
reliant on the small forces of regulars to
garrison and keep the peace in the Illinois
Country.
After 1778, with the entry of France and
Spain into the war, regulars are only present
in token levels. Two regulars accompanied
the forces attacking St. Louis and Cahokia
for instance.
35. BRITISH FOCUS
1763 to 1770 – Establish Control of the Ohio
Valley and Great Lakes (with regulars)
1770-1771 – Prepare for War with Spain
1772-1775 – Keep the peace with Indians
1775-1779 – Protect Detroit (and Great
Lakes)
1780-1782 – Regain control of
Mississippi/Ohio Valley (with allies) Defeat
Spain
1783-1796 – Retain commercial control of
36. BRITISH REGIMENTS IN THE MIDWEST
8th (King’s) Foot – Individuals on Mississippi
1780
18th (Royal Irish) Foot – Illinois garrison,
1768 to 1776
34th Foot – reached Ft. Chartres from
Louisiana in 1765 to 1768
42nd Foot – reached Ft. Chartres by Ohio in
1765
Small detachment of Royal Artillery
37. POST 1796
British regulars finally abandon Detroit,
Mackinaw and Niagara in 1796
British continue to try to control Indians from
the north side of the Great Lakes
Americans build several posts specifically to
deal with British influence
War of 1812 sees the final effort of British
troops to control Old Northwest
38. DOCUMENTARY SOURCES ON THE TROOPS IN
THE MIDWEST
Haldimand Papers (Newberry Library)
Papers of the Continental Congress
U of Michigan
Gage Papers (good through 1775)
Amherst Papers
NA UK Archives
Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester) Papers
WO 4 / 27 / 28 / 71
Draper Manuscripts (includes GR Clark
Papers)
London Magazine, A Map of the Five great Lakes, with Par of Pensilvania, New York, Canada and Hudson’s Bay Territories & c.
Ft. Sandoske – Built by British in 1745 and then taken by French, burned in 1753? Ft. Sandusky – 1761 to 1763 1 officer and 15 men captured (all the men were killed) on May 16, 1763, fort burned
The Indians didn’t attack Ft. Chartres since the British weren’t there yet Eventually took Lt. Pittman from the 34th Foot to reach Chartres overland. He was followed by the 42nd coming down the Ohio from Pitt and then the rest of the 34th Foot coming up river from Louisiana.
Existing “customs document” relating to furs being shipped from Kaskaskia to London still exist in the Newberry LibraryBritish tried to remove the settlement at Vincennes several times
Ft. Michlimackinac – Major DePeyseter with 2 companies (Bn & Gren.)Detroit – 3 battalion companies under Cpt. LernoultFt. Gage – Bn & LI Coy under Cpt. LordNiagara – 3 1/2 bn companies under Lt. Col. CaldwellFt. eire – ½ Bn Coy. Under Lt. Samuel WilloeFt. Oswegatchie – LI Coy, under Cpt. Geo. Forster
(CW currently presenting on this as a piece of their Revolutionary City Programs) Bill Potter has done some review of the POWs and at least a couple of them did return to the 8th Foot, but the exact circumstances are not entirely clear.
British authorities, during the spring of 1780, prepared to carry out a comprehensive plan for the recapture of the Illinois Country and to attack St. Louis, New Orleans, and other Spanish posts on the Mississippi River. Spain, allied with France, had joined the war against Great Britain in 1779, and had rapidly gained control over British positions along the Mississippi in that year. Four simultaneous movements were planned. Capt. Henry Bird, with a force from Detroit, was directed to "amuse" George Rogers Clark at the Falls of the Ohio. General John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, from Pensacola, after taking New Orleans was to proceed up the Mississippi to Natchez where he was to be joined by a third force that descended the Illinois River and captured St. Louis. Capt. Charles de Langlade was to lead the force down the Illinois, which was to split up and also monitor Vincennes.No part of the plan proved successful. Campbell was preoccupied with the threat posed by Bernardo de Gálvez, the governor of Spanish Louisiana, who captured Mobile in March 1780 (and then also captured Pensacola in 1781). The expedition against St. Louis was repulsed. Langlade withdrew his remaining forces when Illinois cavalry approached.
Under Charles Langlade and/or Emmanuel Hess – former officer of the 60th FootIncluded 00 Santee sout – Chief WabashaChippewas under Chief MatchekewisLarge number of Winnebagoes and Menominees250 Sauk and Fox“1/2 dozen other tribes were represented.
Langalade came from Chicago
Ft. Madison, IA (1808 – 1813)Ft. Snelling, MN (1819 – 1956) Maintain Ft. Mackinaw and Ft. Niagara until WW2
Illinois country Troops report to Gage until 1775, then to Canada – Haldimand and Carleton