Fort Massac
Encyclopedia
Fort Massac is a colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River
in Massac County, Illinois
, United States
.
Legend has it that, as early as 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his soldiers constructed a primitive fortification here to defend themselves from native attack. Maps from the early 18th century show an "Ancien Fort" ("Old Fort") near this location.
Fort Massiac was built by the French in 1757, during the French and Indian War
and was originally called "Fort de l’Ascension." The name was changed in 1759, to honor of Claud Louis d'Espinchal, Marquis de Massiac
, the French Naval Minister. (Massiac is a place in the Communes of the Cantal department in France.) Many early 19th-century sources claim that "Massac" was derived from a "massacre" that occurred at the site; but there is no record of such a massacre.
Following the end of the French and Indian War
in 1763, the French abandoned the fort and a band of Chickasaw
burned it to the ground. When Captain Thomas Stirling, commander of the 42nd Highland Regiment, arrived to take possession for Britain, he found nothing but a charred ruin.
The British never rebuilt the fort. In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War
, Col. George Rogers Clark
led his regiment of “Long Knives
” into Illinois near the fort at Massac Creek. In 1794, during the Northwest Indian War
, President George Washington
ordered the fort rebuilt, and for the next 20 years it protected U.S. military and commercial interests in the Ohio Valley.
In the Fall of 1803, the Lewis and Clark Expedition
stopped at Fort Massac on its way west, recruiting two volunteers. During the summer of 1805, former U.S. Vice President
Aaron Burr
and Gen. James Wilkinson
met at Fort Massac where they allegedly drew up plans to conquer Mexico
and the American southwest.
The Fort was damaged by the New Madrid Earthquake in 1812. It was again rebuilt in time to play a minor role in the War of 1812
, only to be abandoned again in 1814. Local citizens dismantled the fort for its timber, and by 1828 little remained. In 1839 the city of Metropolis
was plat
ted about a mile west of the fort.
The Fort Massac site was made a State Park in 1908, the first Illinois state park. A replica of the old Fort has been built. Each fall, reenactors gather for the Fort Massac Encampment, interpreting life in the 18th century. A visitor center just north of the reconstructed fort contains a museum with Indian artifacts, wax figures in period clothing, and other exhibits explaining the history of Fort Massac.
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in Massac County, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Legend has it that, as early as 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his soldiers constructed a primitive fortification here to defend themselves from native attack. Maps from the early 18th century show an "Ancien Fort" ("Old Fort") near this location.
Fort Massiac was built by the French in 1757, during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
and was originally called "Fort de l’Ascension." The name was changed in 1759, to honor of Claud Louis d'Espinchal, Marquis de Massiac
Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de Massiac
Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de Massiac was a French Admiral and Minister.He was son of Barthélémy d'Espinchal de Massiac, 1626–1700, lawyer....
, the French Naval Minister. (Massiac is a place in the Communes of the Cantal department in France.) Many early 19th-century sources claim that "Massac" was derived from a "massacre" that occurred at the site; but there is no record of such a massacre.
Following the end of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in 1763, the French abandoned the fort and a band of Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
burned it to the ground. When Captain Thomas Stirling, commander of the 42nd Highland Regiment, arrived to take possession for Britain, he found nothing but a charred ruin.
The British never rebuilt the fort. In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Col. George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
led his regiment of “Long Knives
Long Knives
Long Knives or Big Knives was a term used by the Iroquois and later by American Indians of the Ohio Country to designate British colonists of Virginia, in contradistinction to those of New York and Pennsylvania...
” into Illinois near the fort at Massac Creek. In 1794, during the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
, President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
ordered the fort rebuilt, and for the next 20 years it protected U.S. military and commercial interests in the Ohio Valley.
In the Fall of 1803, the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
stopped at Fort Massac on its way west, recruiting two volunteers. During the summer of 1805, former U.S. Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
and Gen. James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson was an American soldier and statesman, who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but was twice compelled to resign...
met at Fort Massac where they allegedly drew up plans to conquer Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the American southwest.
The Fort was damaged by the New Madrid Earthquake in 1812. It was again rebuilt in time to play a minor role in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, only to be abandoned again in 1814. Local citizens dismantled the fort for its timber, and by 1828 little remained. In 1839 the city of Metropolis
Metropolis, Illinois
Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,482...
was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted about a mile west of the fort.
The Fort Massac site was made a State Park in 1908, the first Illinois state park. A replica of the old Fort has been built. Each fall, reenactors gather for the Fort Massac Encampment, interpreting life in the 18th century. A visitor center just north of the reconstructed fort contains a museum with Indian artifacts, wax figures in period clothing, and other exhibits explaining the history of Fort Massac.