Siege of Fort Henry (1782)

Western theater

1st Fort Henry Siege of Boonesborough Illinois Vincennes Treaty of Fort Pitt Fort Laurens Chillicothe St. Louis Bird's expedition Piqua La Balme's Defeat Coshocton Lochry's Defeat Long Run Gnadenhütten Little Mountain Crawford expedition Bryan Station Blue Licks 2nd Fort Henry

The Siege of Fort Henry (September 11–13, 1782) was an assault on the American Fort Henry, a frontier fort on the western reaches of Virginia that is now the site of Wheeling, West Virginia. The attackers were a band of about 300 Native Americans, probably led by Simon Girty's brother George, and accompanied by a company of British provincial troops, and under the overall leadership of British Captain Pratt. Their demand to surrender the fort was rejected by Ebenezer Zane's garrison, and a small cannon at the fort was sufficient to repulse repeated assaults.

Betty Zane performed a notable act of courage during the siege. During a pause in the action she proposed to fetch a keg of gunpowder from her brother's cabin. Though the men thought a man should go, she said that should they lose another man, they would also lose the war. As she calmly walked to the cabin which was situated 60 yards (55 m) from the fort, the astounded attackers simply gaped at her. But when she dashed out of the place with the powder keg, the Native Americans began firing. She managed to race back to the fort safely with the precious gunpowder.^[1]

Notes

↑ Boatner, 1196

References

Boatner, Mark M. III (1994). Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0578-1.
Butterfield, Wilshire. An Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky
Crawford et al. Indian Warfare in Western Pennsylvania and north west Virginia at the time of the American Revolution

Coordinates: 40°03′50″N 80°43′30″W / 40.06389°N 80.72500°W / 40.06389; -80.72500

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