HISTORY

The Siege of Tobruk, 1813: Ft. Meigs Besieged April 30th through May 9th

On April 11, 1941 Erwin Rommel's Africa Corps laid siege to the allied town of Tobruk in Libya. The allies turned the town into a fortress that German and Italian troops bombed with no result. In the end, the Germans were pushed back by an allied relief force and were forced to retreat. In April 1813 that place was Perrysburg, Ohio and the fortress was called Ft. Meigs. Only in this case, the British were on the other side.

When the ice began to break up in the Detroit River and Lake Erie, The British formed their plans for an invasion of Ohio. Proctor had already concentrated a large Native American force of 1,500 for the invasion. A full six hundred of them were drawn from the country around Lake Michigan, which turned out to be good news for the Army of the Northwest . . . relieving them of the need to send troops to defend against Native American raids in that area. Gen. Harrison countermanded his requisition to Governor Shelby to send all men raised in Kentucky to Lake Michigan.

Proctor ordered the Canadian militia to assemble at Sandwich on the 7th of April. On the 26th they appeared at the mouth of the Maumee River, about twelve miles from Ft. Meigs; and on the 28th they landed on the left bank of the river, near old Fort Miami, and established their main camp there. They were discovered at the fort, when a shot from one of the batteries sent them back to their camp. Capt. Dixon, of the Royal Engineers, was immediately sent up with a party to construct batteries upon a commanding elevation nearly opposite the fort, but incessant rains, and the poor condition of the roads, delayed the work and they were not ready for operations until the first day of May.

The Siege Begins

The approach of the enemy in force had been discovered by Capt. Hamilton, of the Ohio troops, on the 28th, while patrolling down the river with a small force. Peter Navarre, one of Harrison's scouts was sent to Ft. Meigs with the intelligence; Harrison then dispatched him with three letters, one for Upper Sandusky, one for Lower Sandusky, and one for the state Governor at Urbana.

Although Ft. Meigs was quite strong, with lines of interlocking entrenchments supported by several block-houses, Harrison was convinced, from the character and strength of the enemy, that his post was in danger. He knew that Gen. Green Clay was on his march with Kentuckians; and as soon as Navarre was furnished with his letters, he dispatched Capt. William Oliver, the commissary to the fort, with an oral message to Clay, urging him to press forward by forced marches.

Oliver found Gen. Clay at Ft. Winchester (Defiance) with 1,200 Kentuckians. Clay had left Cincinnati early in April and followed Winchester's route to the Maumee River. At St. Mary's block-house Clay divided his brigade. He sent Dudley to the Au Glaize, while he descended the St. Mary himself with Colonel Boswell's troops. Both Groups were to meet at Defiance. While on their way down the Au Glaize, intelligence reached Dudley of the siege of Harrison at Fort Meigs.

The British had completed two batteries nearly opposite to Fort Meigs on the morning of April 30th. They had lost some men by well-directed shot from the fort, but neither the artillery fire nor the drenching rain drove them away.

Preparations

Harrison had not been idle in the meantime. On the morning after the British made their appearance near, he addressed his soldiers when he discovered the British busy in erecting batteries on the opposite shore that would command his works, he began the construction of a traverse, or wall of earth, on the most elevated ground through the middle of his camp, twelve feet in height, on a base of twenty feet, and three hundred yards in length. During its construction it was concealed by the tents. When these tents were suddenly removed, instead of an exposed camp, from which Proctor had boasted he would soon "smoke out the Yankees" there was a shield of earth, behind which the Americans were sheltered. Proctor accordingly modified his plans, and sent a considerable force of men under Captain Muir to the eastern side of the river, under cover of the gun-boats, with the intention of preparing for an attack on the fort in the rear.

Late in the morning on the 1st of May, notwithstanding heavy rain-clouds, the British opened a severe cannonade and bombardment upon Ft. Meigs, and continued the assault, with slight intermissions, for about five days, without much injury to the fort or garrison. The fire was returned occasionally by American eighteen-pounders, the supply of shot for these guns being in short supply. The British, having captured supplies at Ft. Detroit, appeared to have powder, balls, and shells in great abundance, and they poured a storm of 500 rounds upon the fort all of the first day, and until 11 o'clock that night. One or two of the garrison were killed, and Major Stoddard, of the 1st Regiment, a soldier of the Revolution, who commanded the fort was so badly wounded by a fragment of a shell that he died ten days afterward.

More Batteries

On the morning of the 2nd the British opened a third battery of three 12-pounders upon the fort from the opposite side of the river, which they had completed during the night, and all that day the fire continued. Within the next twenty-four hours a fourth battery was opened. That night a detachment of artillerists and engineers crossed the river, and set up guns and mortars upon two mounds for batteries already constructed in the thickets by the party that crossed on April 30th, within 250 yards of the rear angles of the fort. Expecting an operation of this kind, the Americans had constructed entrenchments in time to fool the British as to their actual positions. The British proceeded to bombard these empty trenches to no effect.. Finally a few shots from the forts 18-pounders drove them off.

Fire was hurled at the fort steadily on the third day, but with very little effect. This seemed to discourage the besiegers, and on the 4th the fire was materially slackened. Then Proctor sent Major Chambers with a demand for the surrender of the post. "Tell General Proctor," responded Harrison,, "that if he shall take the fort it will be under circumstances that will do him more honor than a thousand surrenders." Meanwhile the cannonading from the fort was limited, because of the lack of ammunition. "With plenty of it," wrote Capt. Wood, "we should have blown John Bull from the Miami."

The Americans were well supplied with food and water for a long siege, and could well afford to spend time and weary the attackers by merely defensive warfare sufficient to keep the British at bay. They frequently mounted the ramparts, swinging their hats, and shouting at their besiegers. Nevertheless, Harrison was anxious. Hull and Winchester had failed and suffered. His suspense was ended at near midnight on the 4th, when Capt. Oliver, with Maj. David Trimble and 15 men who had come down the river in a boat, made their way into the fort reporting that General Clay and 1,200 Kentuckians were only 18 miles distant, and would probably reach the post before morning.

Reinforcements

Clay headed down the river with 18 large flat boats, whose sides were furnished with shields against the bullets of Indians who were sniping along the shores of the river. It was late in the evening when the flotilla reached the head of the Rapids, eighteen miles from the scene of conflict. With these fresh forces, Harrison planned to conduct a detachment against the British batteries on the left bank of the river. The batteries were to be taken, the cannon spiked, and carriages cut down, and the troops would then return to the boats and cross over to the fort.

Col. Dudley led the attack successfully. The current was swift, and the shores were rough, but his detachment managed a landing in good order. They approached unobserved by the enemy, and were there formed for marching in three parallel columns, the right led by Dudley, the left by Maj. Shelby, and the center, as a reserve, by Acting Maj. Morrison. Capt. Combs, with thirty riflemen, including seven friendly Native Americans, advanced in front full a hundred yards distant. Dudley's troops captured the heavy guns and spiked eleven of them without losing a man. The riflemen, meanwhile, had been attacked by British allied Native Americans, and suffered serious casualties. As they fell back Dudley and Shelby's columns advanced directly into an ambush.

Despite taking the guns, the flight became a rout and a greater part of Dudley's command were killed or captured, after a contest of about three hours. Dudley himself was overtaken, tomahawked, and scalped, and his captive companions, including Capt. Combs were marched to old Fort Miami as prisoners of war. Of the 800 who attacked from the boats, only 170 escaped to Ft. Meigs.

Sortie Number Two

General Harrison now ordered a sortie from the fort against the enemy's works on the right. For this purpose 350 regulars were selected, and placed under the command of Col. John Miller. They attacked 850 British troops, driving them from their batteries. They spiked the guns, and scattered them in confusion in the woods toward the village of Perrysburg. The Americans returned to the fort with 43 prisoners.

After these sorties the siege of Ft. Meigs was virtually abandoned by Proctor. His Native American allies deserted him, and the Canadian militia also went home. Proctor became aware that additional reinforcements were coming from Ohio to US forces at Ft. Meigs. He again sent Capt. Chambers to demand the surrender of the fort. Harrison regarded the absurd message as an intended insult, and requested that it should not be repeated. It was the last friendly communication between the belligerents.

Siege Abandoned

Proctor attempted to remove is batteries quietly, but a few shots from Ft. Meigs made him withdraw in great haste. A parting response in kind was made from one of his gunboats which killed Lt. Robert Walker. This was the last gasp of the siege. In the same vessels that brought him to the Maumee River, Proctor returned to Ft. Malden with the remains of his army. As they withdrew the last of Dudley's command were marched down to Ft. Miami with an escort, and there, under the eye of Proctor and his officers, the Native Americans, who had already plundered them and murdered many on the way, were allowed to shoot, tomahawk, and scalp more than twenty more of them.