War of 1812 Battles |
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Fort Dearborn Massacre
August 15, 1812, Fort Dearborn, Illinois Territory
Books on The Fort Dearborn Massacre
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On August 15, Capt. Nathan Heald was prepared to carry out the final details of a rather disturbing order from his American commander, Gen. William Hull. Heald was told to lead his modest group of soldiers, militiamen, women and children, out of Fort Dearborn to the safety of Fort Wayne. More than half of this party would not live to reach their destination.
The evacuation of the fort, located near the mouth of the Chicago River, came as Hull’s confidence in his Northwestern campaign began to crumble.
After hearing that Fort Mackinac had fallen to the British, Hull decided that Fort Dearborn was at risk. Relations with the nearby Potawatomi and Winnebago Indians had become increasingly strained. William Henry Harrison had campaigned against the local Natives since 1811. More and more Indians were siding with the British. Given the volatile situation, many residents of the fort were convinced that staying put was less risky than physically exposing themselves on a march. Heald, though sympathetic to their point of view, could not be persuaded to disobey his commander. Hull also ordered the destruction of all the fort’s excess arms, ammunition, and whiskey. Heald was to distribute the remaining goods to the local Indians in the hopes of appeasing them. Blankets and food were not foremost on the Indians’ minds; the booty they had hoped to gain had been deliberately destroyed. Some sources would later claim that the Indian attack was in retribution for this deed.
The party of 54 soldiers, 12 militia, 9 women and 18 children was led by a former Miami warrior, Billy Wells. Under the influence of Wells, who was born white but raised as an Indian, 30 or so Miami warriors agreed to accompany the group. Wells’s face was painted black. The war paint was an appropriate symbol of the imminent danger. He fully expected an ambush and spotted signs of it early in the journey. Just over a nearby sand dune, Chief Blackbird waited to strike. He was at the head of a five hundred-man Potawatomi and Winnebago ambush party. Wells and Heald led a desperate attack up the dune. The wagon-train of women and children was left unprotected.
In no time, the Americans were completely surrounded and alone. The Miami warriors had fled upon realizing the strength of the other tribes. Half the soldiers were killed and the local militia force was systematically wiped out. One bloodthirsty young warrior slipped into a covered wagon and beheaded 12 children. Mrs. Heald's black slave, Cicely, was 1 of 2 women killed while fighting to save the young ones. Heald was wounded but alive. Wells was not so lucky. His head was cut off and his heart eaten by the chiefs who hoped to gain some of his courage. Despite Heald’s efforts to ransom the survivors, more were killed after the battle. Others remained Indian prisoners for almost a year.
This violent defeat of the Americans, coupled with the British success at Detroit, convinced the tribes of the Upper Mississippi and Missouri to join Tecumseh's growing Confederacy. Within weeks of the outbreak of war, Fort Wayne remained the only U.S. military post in the Old Northwest. American hopes of a quick three pronged assault of Canada evaporated. The American public was outraged by the brutality of the Fort Dearborn Massacre and cried for revenge.
The Fort Dearborn massacre followed the evacuation of the fort ordered by the commander of the American forces, Gen. William Hull. This "massacre" is also known as the Battle of Fort Dearborn and it was a decisive victory for the British.
The fort commander Capt. Nathan Heald ordered that all whiskey and gunpowder be destroyed so it wouldn't be taken by the local Indian tribes allied with the British, and then abandoned the fort. He remained at the fort until support arrived from Fort Wayne, Indiana, led by his wife's uncle, Capt. William Wells. A procession of 148 soldiers, women and children then left Fort Dearborn to retreat to Fort Wayne. About 2 miles south of Fort Dearborn, a band of Potawatomi Indians, led by Chief Blackbird, ambushed the garrison, killing several of the fleeing Americans and capturing the remainder as prisoners to sell to the British as slaves.
Fort Dearborn was burned to the ground and the region remained devoid of U.S. citizens until after the war was over.
