Welcome!
Step back in time as you follow this driving tour through Northwest Ohio, where the War of 1812 played a pivotal role in shaping our young nation. Often called America’s “second war of independence,” this conflict grew out of tensions between the United States, Great Britain, and Native American tribes, especially across the Great Lakes region.
Under the leadership of General William Henry Harrison, American forces moved north through Ohio along historic routes like the Scioto-Sandusky Trail, building a chain of forts including Fort Ball in present-day Tiffin and Fort Seneca to support their advance. The journey was difficult, as troops had to navigate the dense Black Swamp and the constant threat of attack.
The turning point came in 1813, when Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry secured a crucial victory on Lake Erie. This allowed American troops to move into Canada and defeat British forces at the Battle of the Thames. Along this tour, you will explore the places and stories that helped shape the future of the United States.
The War of 1812 (1812-1815) is sometimes called our country’s second war of independence. In part, it grew out of long-simmering tensions along the Canadian-United States border, especially around the Great lakes. One source of contention was the unfulfilled British promise to vacate United States territory negotiated in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War. Additionally, British authorities in Canada continuously stoked Indian resentment towards Americans who were now settling on their lands, frequently leading to open conflict.
Until late 1814, much of the War was limited to two theaters: naval engagements on the high seas and battles on and around the Great Lakes. As the governor of the Indiana Territory before the War, William Henry Harrison had dealt frequently with the growing animosity between the Great Lakes tribes and white settlers for years. His familiarity with the region made him the logical choice to command U. S. forces there.
Harrison’s strategy centered on neutralizing Fort Malden on the Canadian (British) side of the Detroit River. For years, authorities at the fort had sought to influence events in United States territory along the southern Lakes. There were accusations by many in the region that they supplied Indians with weapons and encouraged them to attack settlements in the Ohio Valley. The military forces stationed at Malden included a fleet of naval vessels, whose primary role was control of Lake Erie. Since overland travel was impossible through the Canadian wilderness, the resupply of Malden from military stores at Niagara had to travel by water. Without this ability, Malden’s survival was in jeopardy.
The Lake likewise figured into Harrison’s strategy. A successful conquest of Fort Malden required that a substantial military force and its supplies travel north through Ohio. Although Ohio had become a state in 1803, the northwestern part of the state was undeveloped; in fact, it was technically Indian land set aside by the 1794 Treaty of Greenville. In addition, a sizeable portion of this region was covered by the impenetrable Black Swamp. An American army traveling overland would have to overcome these considerable obstacles just to reach Malden. This force also faced the possibility of Indian ambushes along the way. And after all that, Harrison’s army would have to retake Fort Detroit, which had been captured by the British shortly after the War began, before making an amphibious crossing of the Detroit River to reach Malden.
In late 1812, Harrison thought it might be possible to avoid some of these obstacles by marching his army across the frozen waters of Lake Erie. Unfortunately, the winter of 1812-1813 proved to be too mild and he was forced to devise other plans. He began by building Fort Meigs at the rapids on the Maumee River, north of the Black Swamp. This substantial fortification would present a formidable obstacle should the British consider an attack into western Ohio. It would also provide a staging area for troops and supplies for his conquest of Fort Malden.
Harrison’s strategy then concentrated on gaining control of Lake Erie. Under the direction of Oliver Hazard Perry, operations had already begun in early 1813 to build an American fleet in eastern Lake Erie to challenge the British for control of the Lake. This was a gamble. Could Perry acquire the supplies and find the sailors necessary in time to make this happen? If successful, it not only would cut the British supply line to Malden, but Harrison would also be free to transport his troops by boat across the Lake without opposition.
Still, Harrison needed to move his forces northward from central Ohio to be prepared to advance once the British fleet was defeated. His main line of march followed the northern stretch of the Scioto-Sandusky Trail. The Shawnee Tribe had originally created this route connecting the Ohio River to Lake Erie by following the Scioto River upstream where a short portage led to the source of the Sandusky River, which they then followed downstream to the Lake. Harrison established a series of fortified supply depots along this trail, which also could serve as fallback positions should the American plan fail. He began with Fort Ferrer at Upper Sandusky (Wyandotte County) near the origins of the Sandusky River. He then had Fort Ball constructed at present-day Tiffin and Fort Seneca built at present-day Old Fort (both in Seneca County). Finally, he ordered that the already existing Fort Stephenson in Lower Sandusky, now Fremont (Sandusky County), be enlarged and reinforced.
During the summer of 1813, the British and their Indian allies made two unsuccessful attempts to capture Fort Meigs. Frustrated, they tried to overwhelm the much more vulnerable Fort Stephenson. But here too the undermanned but resolute garrison repelled the attack. The vanquished British forces returned to Malden, where many of the disheartened Indians returned to their homes. Perry’s remarkable victory over the British fleet in September off South Bass Island allowed Harrison to consolidate his forces, which included troops from Fort Meigs, at the mouth of the Portage River in present-day Port Clinton and move them by boat across Lake Erie to attack Malden. The British and their remaining Indian allies burned the fort before Harrison’s forces arrived and fled east into the wilds of Canada in a desperate attempt to reach Niagara. The Americans caught up to them along the Thames River and won a resounding victory. Aside from a few more engagements, such as the ill-fated American attempt to capture the British fort on Mackinac in 1814, fighting came to an end in the region.
About “Tracking the Troops, Tippecanoe & Perry, Too!” This driving tour is a five-county collaborative project with Wyandot, Seneca, Sandusky, Wood and Ottawa counties that takes you on a self-guided driving tour following the military trail of General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812. Harrison would later become the ninth president of the United States and has the shortest presidency, dying from pneumonia one month after having taken the oath of office.
