Petit Fort
| Petit Fort | |
|---|---|
Petit Fort | |
| Porter, Indiana | |
 Location of Petit Fort (signs on the right) on Lake Michigan, which is south of the Bathhouse | |
| Coordinates | 41°39′39″N 87°03′44″W / 41.660798°N 87.062359°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 18th century |
| Built by | French |
| In use | Fur Trade Post |
| Demolished | 1779 |
| Battles/wars | American Revolution |
Petit Fort was a structure located in northwestern
The fort came under the dominion of the British following their ultimate victory in the French and Indian War. It is unclear whether the British ever really utilized Petit Fort; at best it was a station for British fur traders. It was abandoned in 1779 as American settlers rebelled and Great Britain consolidated power in more fortified strongholds.
There are few records of Petit Fort, it being mentioned in only a few letters and at least one map. "Petit Fort" is, in fact, a description rather than a proper name, translating literally to "small fort". It is remembered primarily due to a small military action that occurred there during the American Revolution.
Battle of Petit Fort
In late Autumn 1780, a small band of about fourteen
The raiders returned by way of the Sauk Trail with pack-horses loaded down with plunder, mostly trade furs. British Lt. Dagreaux Du Quindre, however, learned of the raid and quickly formed a band of loyalist traders and Potawatomi under Chief Anaquiba and his son, Topinabee.[3] They followed Brady's company and overtook it at the sandy dunes South of Lake Michigan. A race ensued for miles through the dunes, until the raiders took up defensive positions at Petit Fort. Major DePeyster reported the action 8 January 1781 in a letter to General Henry Watson Powell:
A Detachment from the Cahokias, consisting of sixteen men only, commanded by a half Indian named Jean Baptiste Hammelain, timed it so as to arrive at St. Joseph's with Pack Horses, when the Indians were out on their first Hunt, an old Chief and his family excepted. They took the Traders Prisoners, and carried off all the goods, consisting of at least Fifty Bales, and took the Route of
commission, that I can learn, other than a verbal order from Mons. Trottier an Inhabitant of the Cahoes . . .[4]
References
- Allison, Harold (1986). The Tragic Saga of the Indiana Indians. Graphic Design of Indiana. ISBN 0-938021-07-9.
- Barnhart, John D; Riker, Dorothy L (1971). Indiana to 1816. The Colonial Period. Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 0-87195-109-6.
- Malagon, Elvia. "History unclear about battle at Le Petit Fort". Post-Tribune. Retrieved 2008-07-12. [dead link]
External links
- History of Indiana Dunes, National Park Service
- Les Habitants du Petit Fort, a reenacting group which has researched Petit Fort.
- The St. Joseph Mission from the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology
