Siege of Fort Meigs

On May 9, 1813, General William Henry Harrison turned back a siege of Fort Meigs by Shawnee military leader Tecumseh and British general Henry A. Proctor.

The fort, built under the supervision of Harrison in order to protect northwest Ohio and Indiana from British invasion, was located on the Maumee River above Toledo, Ohio.

Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, known as "The Prophet," were leaders of a movement among Native American leaders in Ohio and Indiana to defend against European and European-American invasion. He joined forces with the British against the Americans at the outset of the War of 1812.

The Siege of Fort Meigs took place during the War of 1812, in northwestern Ohio. A small British army with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently-constructed fort to forestall an American offensive against Detroit, which the British had captured the previous year. An American sortie and relief attempt failed with heavy casualties, but the British failed to capture the fort and were forced to raise the siege.